500!

This is page 500 from Geiriadur Ysgrythyrol  [Scriptural or Biblical Dictionary] written by Thomas Charles, and published by R. Saunderson, Bala, North Wales in 1864 (2nd Ed.).

My parents have a good friend who loves going to auctions and finding unusual things, and when I was a research student I was quite often the (grateful) recipient of whatever he had discovered.

Much of my research was based around my own genealogy. That I'm the descendant of generations of farmers and miners was no surprise, but what I didn't expect was the strong vein of non-conformity in my ancestry. Quite a few of my ancestors were chapel ministers or lay preachers, especially towards the end of the 18th century and the 1st half of the 19th century - university education was forbidden to anyone (and by that, of course, I mean 'man') who was not Anglican/Church of England until 1871, so attending dissenting academies and entering the ministry was the only way to receive further of higher education.

The Carmarthen Academy that Thomas Charles attended was housed above Heol Awst Chapel, Lammas Street, Carmarthen, the chapel my grandparents attended. He was from a small area of rural west Carmarthenshire that most of my ancestors come so I don't think that it's too much of a reach to assume that he might have crossed paths with a few of them. Anyway, this is why I was given the book.

Oh, and to celebrate my 500th Blip I finally became a full paid up member. Hoorah!