Welsh Apples

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The Cambrian Journal (Vol. 111, 1858) contains a list of names for about 200 Welsh Apples, [1] the majority of which were from the Monmouth area.

Monmouth Town in Monmouthshire, Wales

Monmouth is the historic county town of Monmouthshire in Wales and also a community. Situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, just 2 miles (3.2 km) of the border with England. The town is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Cardiff, and 113 miles (182 km) west of London. It is within the Monmouthshire local authority, and the parliamentary constituency of Monmouth. Monmouth's population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8,877 in 2001.

Contents

In 1999 a single apple tree was identified by Ian Sturrock on Bardsey Island (located at the end of the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales). Its uniqueness and the rugged location was seized upon by the media and it was described as "The rarest tree in the world". [2] This media coverage seems to have sparked a resurgence in Welsh apple varieties. The gnarled and twisted tree, growing by the side of Plas Bach, is believed to be the only survivor of an orchard that was tended by the monks who lived there a thousand years ago. [3] [4] [5] In 1998, experts on the varieties of British apples at the National Fruit Collection in Brogdale stated that they believed this tree was the only example of a previously unrecorded cultivar, the Bardsey Apple (Welsh : Afal Enlli). The cultivar has since been propagated by grafting and is available commercially. [6]

Ian Sturrock is a rescuer and restorer of orchards and apple trees, saving apple species from extinction. He discovered the last remaining Bardsey apple, and rescued the Diamond apple, as well as many other Welsh Apples.

Bardsey Island small island off the coast of Wales

Bardsey Island, known as the legendary "Island of 20,000 Saints", is located 1.9 miles (3.1 km) off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", although its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards", or possibly the island of the Viking chieftain, "Barda".

Llŷn Peninsula peninsula

The Llŷn Peninsula extends 30 miles (50 km) into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the historic county of Caernarfonshire, and historic region and local authority area of Gwynedd. Much of the eastern part of the peninsula, around Criccieth, may be regarded as part of Eifionydd rather than Llŷn, although the boundary is somewhat vague. The area of Llŷn is about 400 km2, and its population is at least 20,000.

The National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthney, Carmarthenshire is planting a Welsh Apple variety collection and hopes to publish a Welsh Pomona in the coming years, with over 50 varieties with Welsh or possible Welsh connections, [7] but not including Foreman's Crew (1826 from Merthyr Tydfil) [8] which remains lost.

National Botanic Garden of Wales botanical garden in Wales, UK

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is at Llanarthney in the River Tywi valley, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The garden is both a visitor attraction and a centre for botanical research and conservation, and features the world's largest single-span glasshouse measuring 110 m (360 ft) long by 60 m (200 ft) wide.

Llanarthney is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. Situated on the B4300 road 12 km east of Carmarthen and 10 km west of Llandeilo, the community had a population at the 2001 census of 738, of whom 61% were Welsh-speaking. At the 2011 Census the population had increased slightly to 765.

Merthyr Tydfil town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000

Merthyr Tydfil is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, both of which are often referred to as simply 'Merthyr'. The town is administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and is situated approximately 23 miles (37 km) north of Cardiff, Wales. The town has a population of 7,953.

Several dozen cultivars are available commercially. There is a Welsh Perry and Cider Society [9] and several commercial orchards growing Welsh varieties, as well as school and community groups with small orchards.[ citation needed ]

Lost varieties

The list given in the 1858 Cambrian Journal includes the following varieties:

There is no further record of any of these cultivars in later documents.

In a two-year study, which involved finding, cataloguing and preserving new apple and pear varieties in Wales, researchers uncovered 73 previously unrecorded varieties of Welsh cider apples and perry pears: These are bringing the total number varieties native to the country to 101. The study has been jointly run by University of South Wales and the Welsh Perry & Cider Society. [10]

List of current varieties

Welsh nameEnglish nameOriginFirst DevelopedCommentSeason & use
Trwyn MochynAnglesey pig snout Anglesey 1600sLarge green, tangyLate cooker
Croen MochynPig Snout Anglesey 1850Brown/gold/red russeted skin, smoky tannic flavourMid-Eater
Cox CymraegWelsh cox Goetre Bach unknownRusseted red skin, cox like flavourMid-Eater
Pig AderynBird's beak St. Dogmaels Norman era Juicy green and scarlet stripes with a cider-like tangEarly Eater and Cider
Afal DiamondDiamond Apple Dyffryn Ardudwy 1825Reputedly from the shipwreck of The Diamond . Crimson flush with green. Sweet but with a vinous acidity.Early eater
-St. Cecilia Bassaleg 1900Shiny red and green, cox like flavour. Heavy cropper. RHS award of merit.Late Eater
Afal Nant Gwrtheyrn- Llŷn peninsula unknownA small russet with a fennel like flavourMid Season Eater
Afal EnlliBardsey Island Apple [11] Bardsey Island Discovered 1999Crunchy, sweet and juicy. Bright carmine red and yellow. Very disease resistant.early eater
Pig y golomenPigeon's beak Pembroke Pre 1900Bright green round cookerMid season cooker
Gwell na millseek no further Monmouth 17th centuryNutty and aromatic. Medicinal. Keeps its shape when cooked. Makes a single variety cider.Mid season triple purpose
MachenMachen Caerphilly 19th centuryVery large. Bright red.Mid season cooker and eater
Marged Nicolas-Dinefwr19th centuryLarge yellow russetMid season eater and cider
Brith Mawr- Newport UnknownStriped yellow and red. Juicy.Late triple purpose
-Baker's deliciousSouth Wales1920Original Welsh name lost. Sweet and extremely juicy.Early eater
Cadwaladr- Brecon UnknownBright red. Bittersweet juice.Mid cider
GwŷrChannel Beauty Swansea 1920Savoury taste. Crisp and juicy with a cox like aroma.Early eater
Afal SiampenChampagne apple Bont-Newydd UnknownBright red and juicy. Keeps until November. Origins of name unknown.Early eater
-Morgan SweetSouth Wales18th centuryA large green/yellow September eating apple. Makes a famous sweet cider. Taken down the pits by coal minersEarly eater and cider
Llwyd Hanner GochLeather coat (?)South Wales16th CenturyA very late russet, complex flavour.Late eater
-Monmouth beauty, Tamplin or Cissy Malpas, Newport 1750Crimson flushed, rich scent and texture.Mid season eater
-Rhyl beauty or Kenneth Rhyl 1920A cox seedlingLate eater
Tin yr gwyddGoose's arseDyfed19th centuryBright green, tangy but needs little added sugar. Named after its shape, not its flavour.Early cooker
Perthyre- Monmouth Pre 1910Mild bittersweet juice, cooked fruit have a pear-like flavour.late cider and cooker

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Flower of Kent

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A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to a rhizome or underground stem. In grafting, it refers to a plant, sometimes just a stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, onto which a cutting or a bud from another plant is grafted. In some cases, such as vines of grapes and other berries, cuttings may be used for rootstocks, the roots being established in nursery conditions before planting them out. The plant part grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion. The scion is the plant that has the properties that propagator desires above ground, including the photosynthetic activity and the fruit or decorative properties. The rootstock is selected for its interaction with the soil, providing the roots and the stem to support the new plant, obtaining the necessary soil water and minerals, and resisting the relevant pests and diseases. After a few weeks the tissues of the two parts will have grown together, eventually forming a single plant. After some years it may be difficult to detect the site of the graft although the product always contains the components of two genetically different plants.

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Kingston Black

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Styre

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References

  1. ↑ "Welsh Names of Apples", The Cambrian Journal, Volume 111, 1858, p.145
  2. ↑ The Guardian Weekend , 6 October 2007, p.88
  3. ↑ Smith, Malcolm (22 March 2003). "The Sainted Apple". The Times. p. 12. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Tunstall, Jill (6 October 2007). "The man who rescues trees". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Afan Ynys Enlli - Bardsey Island Apple" . Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Bardsey Island Apple". Ian Sturrock & Sons.
  7. ↑ "National Apple Register of the United Kingdom" Muriel Smith, Langford Press, Scotland 1971
  8. ↑ Hogg, Robert (1884). The Fruit Manual: a guide to the fruits and fruit trees of Great Britain. London: Journal of Horticulture Office.
  9. ↑ "Welsh Perry and Cider Society - Home". Welshcider.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  10. ↑ Researchers uncover 73 ‘new’ Welsh apple and pear varieties, retrieved 19 January 2019
  11. ↑ "Bardsey Island Apple Introduction". Bardseyapple.co.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
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