Carmarthenshire Archives

The service is home to our extensive collection of historic documents that date from the 13th century to the present day. The collection includes archives, maps, books, photographs, videos and sound recordings. Our mission is to preserve and make our documents available for general study and research.

Carmarthenshire Archives, Carmarthen Library, 9 St Peter's Street, Carmarthen SA31 1LN
www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/home/council-services/libraries-archives/carmarthenshire-archives/ 01267 228232 Search the catalogue

Opening Hours

Wednesday, Friday: 09:15 – 16.45
Thursday: 14:00 – 18.45
Saturday: 09:15 – 13:00 and 14:00 – 16:45

Aberystwyth University Archives

Anglesey Archives

Bangor University, Archives and Special Collections

Cardiff University Special Collections and Archives

Carmarthenshire Archives

Ceredigion Archives

Conwy Archive Service

Gladstone’s Library

Glamorgan Archives

Gwent Archives

Gwynedd Archives Service – Caernarfon Record Office

Gwynedd Archives Service – Meirionnydd Record Office

North East Wales Archives (Hawarden)

North East Wales Archives (Ruthin)

Pembrokeshire Archives

Powys Archives

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Archives and Library

The National Library of Wales

The Richard Burton Archives, Swansea University

University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Special Collections and Archives

West Glamorgan Archive Service

West Glamorgan Archive Service – Neath Antiquarian Society Archives

Wrexham Archives and Local Studies

Updates from Carmarthenshire Archives

Items from Carmarthenshire Archives

  1. In April 1998 George Abbey, the Director of the Johnson Space Centre, USA, arranged for a photograph of Dylan Thomas to be flown on the shuttle Columbia.

    Borrowed from Carmarthenshire Museums along with a copy of Under Milk Wood, this photograph (taken from Skylab), was presented to Carmarthen Town Council by George Abbey as a gift.

    Most interestingly, since 1998 was also the 40th Anniversary of NASA and the 20th Anniversary of the first female astronaut candidates, this photograph is also signed by 13 of the first 16 US female astronauts!

    1998

  2. A page from an unfinished manuscript entitled “The Anatomy of the Human Figure, Horses and Dogs with an Introduction giving a short view of Picturesque Anatomy”, by Eliza Gulston.

    Dated 1796, it could be argued that the subject of anatomy and the human body was improper for female study, however, it seems that Eliza had inherited her passion for the arts and sciences from her mother, Elizabeth Bridgetta Gulston (nee Stepney) – an artist, astronomer, and poet, who also appears to have neglected social norms concerning women of the time and instead pursued her own passions.

    Line drawing of an anatomically correct human skeleton in profile.

    1796

  3. The aircraft, the Lady Peace, landed in a field near Llandeilo on 3 September 1936. The flight was part of an attempted cross Atlantic round trip from Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn to Croydon, London and back, but the plane had to land owing to lack of fuel. However, despite this a record crossing time of 18 hours and 8 minutes was achieved.

    The pilot was Henry Tindall Merrill, Eastern Airlines No. 1 pilot who by 1936 had flown 2,000,000 miles without injury. He retired in 1961 having reputedly flown more miles than any other pilot in commercial aviation history. The co-pilot was Harry Richman, known for his starring role as Harry Raymond in the 1930 film ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’.

    It was called “The Ping-Pong Flight” because Richman and Merrill had stuffed every nook and cranny of the tail and wings with 41,000 ping-pong balls so that if they had to ditch in the Atlantic there would be enough buoyancy to float the plane. Many of these were autographed by either or both of them and surface occasionally for sale, one was apparently purchased recently by the editor of “The Table Tennis Collector: the Journal of the Table Tennis Collectors’ Society”.

    1936