You couldn't have a fire and a funeral at the same time

Mary Ridger (nee Griffiths) from Brynglas, Cusop Dingle has wonderful recall and shared some of her memories with members of Cusop History Group this week. Born in 1925 in the house that had been rented to Major Armstrong, the house name was changed from Mayfield to Brynglas. When Mary and her husband Ernest had their 'new' bungalow built next door in the 70's they took the name Brynglas with them and the Armstrong house was renamed 'The Mantles'.

When her Dad’s brother was born it was too damp by the brook so her grandfather built Trewern and moved there from Tyglyn and the road up to Trewen was made in the early 1900s. Previously the way to the church was up the steep hill past Castle House. The story told to Mary was that they had one horse who pulled both the fire engine and the hearse - so you couldn't have a fire and a funeral at the same time! Bernard Williams has corrected her on that as he says that there were 2 black horses that were kept in a stable behind Victoria Terrace.

Mary's father was Trevor Griffiths the solicitor in Hay and her mother was part of the Watkins family.

We have lots of information and just as we were leaving she dropped into the conversation that her uncle on her mother's side was Alfred Watkins, businessman, photographer and archaeologist who came up with the idea of ley lines.