The Bee of Gwent's heritage crusade

LLANOVER holds a special place in Welsh heritage thanks to one woman.

At a time when Welsh culture was being smothered by a politically-inspired Anglo-centric vision of Britishness, the mistress of the estate embarked on a crusade to rehabilitate Welsh national traditions and came to be regarded as a kind of patron saint of Welsh literature, music and dance.

Augusta Waddington, Lady Llanover, promoted the triple harp, collected traditional tunes and drew on traditional dress to design regional Welsh costumes - and sometimes gave them to tenants.

She reinstated traditions like the Mari Lwyd, started a pedigree flock of black Welsh Mountain sheep, helped to found Llandovery College and sponsored writers, musicians and eisteddfodau.

Known as Gwenynen Gwent - the Bee of Gwent - she was born in March, 1802, to English parents who had moved to live at T Uchaf, Llanover. In 1823 she married Benjamin Hall, who later became an MP and oversaw the building of the Houses of Parliament.

He was a very large man, and the 13-tonne bell in the clock tower in the Palace of Westminster is named after him. Hall was created baronet in 1838 and elevated to the peerage in 1859 in recognition of his work.

Lady Llanover was also known for her eccentricities. A fierce advocate of temperance, she closed all the pubs on the estate, and insisted that all her animals - dogs, cats, sheep and cows - were black. But she was good to her tenants and would lend them her pedigree bulls and rams to improve their herds and flocks.