Borth: A Seaborn Village

• Author: Terry Davies
• Publication Date July 2004
• Format: Paperback, 210x198 mm, 120 pages

A full photographic celebration of the coastal village of Borth, Cardiganshire, sketching its historic connection with the sea, especially during the 18th and 19th century. 20 colour, 41 black- and-white illustrations and 5 maps.

Gwales Review

The old adage that we need to know history to understand the present is very appropriate for the west Wales village of Borth. This fascinating study by Terry Davies helps to shed much light on a very special corner of Ceredigion.

The origins of Borth are lost in the mists of time - way before any written history. Unlike most settlements in the area, Borth didnt develop around a church, castle or manor house and as Davies points out, theres always been a folkloric belief that it was founded by outcasts. Anyone whos spent time in Borth will know that that sense of being the outsider can still be detected today.

The population of modern-day Borth fluctuates wildly. It is said to increase tenfold in the summer with the influx of holidaymakers mostly from the Midlands. But it seems theres always been an ebb and flow to numbers in the village over the centuries. Davies tells us that seasonal herring fishermen have always drifted to the shores of Borth with the earliest records from Elizabethan times.

This is mostly a study of Borths links with the sea no mean feat given the lack of official records. But Davies, who was born in the village, has managed to fill the gaps comprehensively. In amongst some dense detail, there are some delightful glimpses of colour, for instance, the black crows - widows who ruled the village after their menfolk were lost at sea.

This is a local history but its also much more than that its a vital record of ordinary people who would otherwise be forgotten.

Kevin Ashford