Prize artefact will ring a bell for Nest

Aug 15 2008 by Ronnie Parry, Chester Chronicle

AT THIS weekend’s first ever Tegeingl Festival of Hidden Folk, an original Edison phonograph will be on display.

The historical artefact has been lent to the festival by Nest Price, granddaughter of Lady Ruth Herbert Lewis, the wife of Flintshire MP Sir John Herbert Lewis, from Plas Penucha, Caerwys.

An Englishwoman from Liverpool, Lady Ruth bought her own phonograph and at the turn of the 20th century travelled around Flintshire and Denbighshire, collecting and recording songs. This collection is kept at the St Fagan’s National History Museum, Cardiff.

Mrs Price, the granddaughter of Lady Ruth, still lives at Plas Penucha, and said: “My grandmother was a great collector of folk songs and stories.

“When she met my grandfather she knew no Welsh at all, but soon immersed herself in the language and culture and learned to play the harp.

“She recorded dozens of tunes including Jane Williams, a lady from the Holywell Workhouse. We were brought up on these rich and wonderful recordings. The Tegeingl Festival is a wonderful opportunity to share in a deep tradition and keep it alive.

Tegeingl takes place tomorrow and Saturday, at Mold Rugby Club. There will be lectures, in Welsh and English, about the phonograph’s history.

For more festival details visit www.tegeingl.com.