The 60s were a period of great change in the history of the British people and therefore also in Wales.
Traditional works such as the coalmines in South Wales and the slate industry in North Wales were gradually coming to an end.
There was concern regarding the Welsh language following the 1961 census. In an annual lecture to the BBC Saunders Lewis warned the nation about this in his speech 'The Fate of the Language' and subsequently Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) was established. There was a great deal of protest and by 1967 the very first Welsh Language Act was passed which gave Welsh official status.
All this protest prompted musical artists to write songs in the popular style of the period and musicians such as Dafydd Iwan and Huw Jones began composing recordings on Welsh labels.
Designers like Laura Ashley and Mary Quant had a major influence on the world of fashion in Wales and beyond.
Car sales were developing and there were major changes in the way we travelled across the country. Many of the railways were closed and the Severn bridge was built to facilitate travel between England and Wales.
This was the decade when machines began to help with housework and television commonly allowed people to enjoy entertainment at home.
I can't believe my luck. This ‘twin tub’ washing machine has completely changed my life. It really has. It's the best Christmas present I've ever had!
No more scrubbing clothes and squeezing water from them until my fingers bleed. This does the job.
I feel like a queen with a maid to do the washing for her. Fair play to Len for buying it for me. I'm sure he's been saving his money for months. The machines are so expensive.
Ones like this cost a fortune! I saw a similar one advertised in the Corner Shop when I was passing yesterday. That cost almost £40. Dear Me! A week's salary! I can't wait to show this to Olwen when she comes over next. I know she'll be jealous.
She’ll have to try and persuade Gwil to buy one for her. Megan next door said that they were producing hundreds of them at the new factory in Merthyr.
May the Language endure for ever
The census is a survey of national data conducted every decade since 1801. It gives us a lot of information about the country and its people.
This information includes the percentage of the population that speaks Welsh. In the 1800s most people in Wales spoke Welsh but by the 1911 census it had become a minority language for the first time with only 43.5% speaking Welsh.
The proportion of Welsh speakers has declined since then.
|
1901 |
49.9% |
|
1911 |
43.5% |
|
1921 |
37.1% |
|
1931 |
36.8% |
|
1951 |
28.9% |
|
1961 |
26.0% |
|
1971 |
20.8% |
|
1981 |
18.9% |
|
1991 |
18.5% |
|
2001 |
20.8% |
|
2011 |
19.0% |
Have you noticed that there is one year missing from this list?
Which year is it? Why do you think there was no census in that year?
Following the result of the 1961 census Saunders Lewis, a renowned Welsh playwright and poet, gave a radio lecture in 1962 that gave Wales a shock. He warned that the Welsh language would be dead by the beginning of the 21st Century.
After this in 1963 the movement called Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) was established and many people campaigned for equal rights for the Welsh language.
In 1967 the first Welsh Language Act was passed.
Welsh Language Television of the 60s
In the 60s more and more people were beginning to own a television set. Around 85% of the population owned a television set in the early sixties and by the end of the decade colour television was becoming popular.
Family habits were beginning to change and people enjoyed sitting together in the evening in the lounge watching the television screen. There were all sorts of English language programmes available for them to watch from quiz programmes to soap opera and musical entertainment programmes. Programmes were also produced in Welsh during this period. There were two news programmes 'Y Dydd’ and ‘Heddiw’. Pop and quiz programmes also began to become popular as well, programmes such as 'Hob y Deri Dando' and 'Siôn a Siân'.
There were not many Welsh language programmes for children but 'Lili Lon' for children became popular towards the end of the decade.
Welsh language artists were given a platform to show their musical talents on early 60s Welsh-language television programmes.
Swyddfeydd y Cyngor
Cyngor Plwyf,
Llanuwchllyn,
Y Bala
01/07/1962
Dear Dr. Beeching,
It is with disappointment that we heard in the local Community Council meeting your proposal to close the railway between Ruabon and Barmouth, which runs through our village. A large percentage of the residents of our village depend on the railway for their livelihood. Closing 338 stations will be the end of our rural communities in Wales. The station here is an important commercial Centre for the distribution of coal, animal foodstuffs, household goods and hardware. Also, the train delivers the Royal Mail to the Post Office every day. It is a vital link of our economy. In fact, there are five members of one family working for the GWR in one capacity or another. The Station Master also lives in the village. The railway is a vital source of work to our young men and there are no other prospects of securing other jobs locally. Your decision does not make any economic sense.
In our MP’s election campaign recently, he assured the community that the railway would remain open for future generations. Obviously, this is not the case, and they were nothing but empty promises to gain votes. We would welcome an opportunity of a face to face meeting for you to see for yourself the negative effects of your proposed decision to close the line.
We therefore ask you to reconsider as we as a community parish disagree fiercely with your ill thought out proposals.
Yours faithfully,
Arthur Edwards, Parish Council Clark, Llanuwchllyn.
