Dr Sioned Davies introduces us to Lady Charlotte Guest, one of the most formidable women of the 19th century. Originally from Lincolnshire, she married the ironmaster John Guest and moved to Dowlais, South Wales, where she became a successful businesswoman and an educational reformer. She is best remembered for her translation into English of the tales of The Mabinogion. Her journal, which she kept for almost 70 years, gives a fascinating insight into the world of the 19th century. Interwoven with descriptions of balls at Buckingham Palace and riots at Merthyr are the tensions, the questions, the doubts and the joys of this extraordinary woman.
