MEIRIONNYDD pupils have been investigating a notorious 19th century murder in Harlech.

Year 9 pupils at Ysgol Ardudwy were recently given a fascinating insight into how criminal investigations have changed over 200 years when local ex-detective sergeant Gwil Thomas, a former pupil at the school himself, compared the 1812 murder of local housemaid Mary Jones by Thomas Edwards - or ‘Hwntw Mawr’ as he was labelled at the time - with more recent murder investigations.

Interestingly, the ex-detective sergeant grew up in the actual house where the murder took place and where ‘Hwntw Mawr’ is alleged to have washed his blood-stained hands in the family well, and consequently has indepth knowledge about the intriguing case.

As part of the Art Council of Wales Lead Creative Schools scheme, ‘creative practitioners’ have been helping Year 9 pupils with work based on the story of Thomas Edwards and his role in the murder of Mary Jones in 1812.

The idea is to improve the pupils’ written and spoken language skills and to introduce some of the concepts and practice of forensic science, as well as having some creative fun outside the normal curriculum.

The case of Mary Jones is of particular interest to the school, not just because it was a ‘local’ murder and Thomas Edwards was one of the last executions in north Wales, but local legend suggests a skull kept at the school is that of Hwntw Mawr.

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