Harvesting seaweed at Mumbles by Carol Powell MA

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The calendar governed everything in life - oysters were dredged from September to April, quarrying was carried our from May to September and ploughing in February, sowing grains from late March, harvesting potatoes in April and hay and grain later in the year.

There were various duties to be paid by the tenants to the Duke of Beaufort, the owner of the whole area, in addition to the rents for their properties, among them, keelage, the duty to be paid by the boat owners at 4d per boat; the right to store oysters in their perches on the shore, 6d yearly; cliffage in order to be able to quarry stone for house building, walls or to be burnt for fertiliser on the fields; pannage to pasture their pigs on the Lord's woods; herbage to graze their animals; Turbary, the right to dig peat and Toll Pixie, a tax to be paid by all Mercers, craftsmen and traders.

Even the gathering of seaweed had its time, although seemingly no duty had to be paid. The ritual was illustrated in this poem,written by Ellen Edmond in March 1857

A sea-side stroll
I must record the memory
our stroll the bright March day;
We gathered sea-weed 'midst the rocks
Of sheltered Bracelet Bay
Women in groups (ere turn of tide)
Were toiling to procure
Fresh sea-weed (for potatoe [sic] fields
An excellent manure)
cheerful the distant sound
Of voices from the busy groups
So widely scattered round . . .

The harvesting of seaweed (once known as 'oar') from the beach had an important part to play in fertilising people's gardens and neighbouring fields and was governed by date. There were various types of seaweed - wrack being the best. Everyone was involved in the harvesting e.g. National School log book recorded on 10 March 1870. 'several boys absent collecting seaweed and planting potatoes'. On 4 March 1870, the Cambrian noted that 'Mumbles oyster dredgers collecting seaweed for gardens due to adverse weather conditions, which had seen large quantities of seaweed being deposited ashore . . . Several made good hauls.'

On 22 February 1875, a Notice was issued, stating that 'No one will be allowed to cut seaweed on the rocks, shore or sands in his Grace the Duke of Beaufort's Manor of Oystermouth before Saturday 5 March next.' Two weeks later, The Cambrian of 19 March 1875 printed an article, which referred to 'the wholesale cutting and carting away of large masses of the rougher seaweed used as manure. The prohibition being removed, large numbers of persons proceeded to the shore with carts or baskets and appropriated as much as they desired.' The Cambrian 28 April 1882 suggested that 'the use of seaweed mixed with manure to grow potatoes would be beneficial.'

I remember my Dad collecting seaweed on the beach at West Cross in the 1950s for our runner-bean trench and sometimes after a storm, there would be quite a race with the neighbours to get down there early to get the best of the haul.

Another weed which was for food and not fertilizer is Laverbread, which is neither a larva (from volcanos) nor a bread. We used to gather it on the rocks at Bracelet Bay and had to cook it seven times to get most of the salt out. It was then served with fried cockles and crispy bacon and was an absolute treat as a Sunday morning breakfast.

Acknowledgements

Gabriel Powell, Survey of Gower, 1764

Our village wants a Church, booklet published in 1859

Cambrian News, 22 February 1875, 4 March 1870, 19 March 1875, 28 April 1882

National School log book, 10 March 1870

Helen Hallesy with thanks