Community theatre to bring 18th century ghostly tale to life

Powys County Times

6 days ago

A ghostly tale from 18th-century Radnorshire is set to be brought to life in a play.
The story of Charles Lewis, an unscrupulous tanner whose ghost reportedly haunted the lanes of Disserth, will take centre stage in a Builth Wells Community ArtS (BWCAS) production.
Mr Lewis, a tanner, was known for using different sets of scales when buying and selling, and was believed to have met a gruesome end.
The community of Disserth, who claimed to have been terrorised by his ghost, decided to put an end to the haunting in a rather unique way.
Four clergymen, including the Reverend Jones, were called upon to 'read the spirit down.'
The ghost of the tanner reportedly rushed into St Cewydd's Church and extinguished the lights carried by three of the clergymen.
However, Reverend Jones had cleverly concealed his light in his boot and continued reading the Bible until the ghost shrunk into a bluebottle fly.
The fly was trapped in a goose-quill, folded up, and pushed into a snuff-box, which was buried in a nearby bog.
BWCAS is now bringing this peculiar tale to the stage in a comedy drama with music, set to be performed at Wyeside on March 14 and 15, 2026.
The production will mark the end of nearly 700 years of St Cewydd's being used as a parish church.
Charity Friends of Friendless Churches will soon be taking over the management of the church, which will still host up to six services per year and other community events.
To prepare for the play, a workshop was recently held at Newbridge on Wye School where pupils in years five and six worked with artist Geraint Edwards to create four giant bluebottles, which will be displayed in the Arts Centre foyer.
In addition to the play, a country walk celebrating the interment of the fly took place on July 13, the Sunday closest to St Cewydd's feast day.
The group of villagers, in high spirits, made their way from the church to nearby Aberithon Nature Reserve, where a dead fly was ceremoniously immersed.
BWCAS will be hosting a series of workshops related to different aspects of theatre before the rehearsals start in November.
These workshops will cover acting, singing, dance, and set-design.