22/5/19 Research Day in Barmouth and Dolgellau
by Liz Millman - 21:55 on 22 May 2019
One of our international research advisors, Salamatu Fada, and I were welcomed today at the Barmouth Sailors Institute to discuss how we may be able to work together to research and tell the story of wool exports, and possible imports, through Barmouth between 1650 and 1850, probably peaking in the late 1700’s.
We explained that we have support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to engage local community volunteers to research the production of Welsh Plains Cloth between 1650 and 1850 and its use for clothing enslaved Africans on the plantations in the Caribbean and the Southern States. We explained that we are really interested in the years before the Abolition of the British Slave Trade in 1807, but also want to explore the impact of the cessation on local communities at the time when mechanisation enabled the development of woollen mills.
We asked if we could arrange some workshops at the Institute for members of the local community, and any members of the Barmouth Sailing Institute who have time, to help research the trade in Welsh Plains and other cloth through Barmouth. This would be one of our Hidden History Research and Reading Groups.
After our discussion we think that 4 x 2 hour workshops held in June or July at the Institute, would provide a suitable focus. Then in October we will go back to share our wider findings.
We explained that we will be arranging visits to the Maritime and Slavery Museums in Liverpool, Swansea and Bristol over the summer and will extend invitations to those involved in local research.
We also talked about the International Conference at the National Museum in Cardiff in July on clothing provided for enslaved people working on plantations and our other conference TBA in October in Bangor which will involve the Royal Commission and others when this specific piece of research on the sea trade from Barmouth will be presented.
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