Amgueddfa Cymru — Museum Wales
Forensic assessment · v0.2.0 · updated 1 November 2026
Translation pending: the assessment text below is in English, the authoritative record.
- Response status
- Not held / refused → Asked for clarification or fee
- Last contact
- 29 October 2026
- Next date on file
- None on file
- Earlier version
- v0.1.1, published 18 October 2026 on the Legal Wiki
Since last assessment
18 October 2026 to 1 November 2026
Our reading: Since 18 October 2026, 7 emails are on file: 6 sent, 1 received (1 with content, 0 automatic acknowledgements). The latest reply moves the response status from “Not held / refused” to “Asked for clarification or fee”. Most material: 20 October 2026, received, fee or clarification demand (ref FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036): Requests clarification on the scope of the ironwork search before proceeding and places the request on hold. Nothing here changes the earlier current finding unless stated above; this is a log of contact, not a finding about any person.
- Sentrequestref FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036
Requests records reconciling prior responses with published sources describing medieval ironwork from Great House Farm held by the museum.
- Receivedfee or clarification demandref FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036
Requests clarification on the scope of the ironwork search before proceeding and places the request on hold.
- Sentclarificationref FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036
Clarifies point 2 of FOI 2026-024/032/036: records of the c.1880 ironwork discovery at Great House Farm only, identified from two published sources.
- Sentclarification given
Further search terms for FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 (medieval ironwork).
- Sentclarification given
Farm-names schedule (CSV) to be linked with the open requests, as a search aid.
- Sentclarification given
Further search terms for the 2 Jul 2026 Cardiff Castle furniture request: historical and descriptive names for the farm.
- Sentclarification given
Text copy of the farm-names schedule for FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036, for use as a search aid.
The assessment as last published
Carried over unchanged from v0.1.1 (18 October 2026). Links point inside this site.
Email dialogue evidence: every email exchanged with Amgueddfa Cymru about Great House Farm is catalogued word for word, by thread and date, at Amgueddfa Cymru — Email Correspondence Catalogue.
Chronology and catalogue links — assessed 10-10-2026: Use the Institutional Involvement Roadmap (1877–2026) for the date-ordered institution/people/evidence sequence. The reported 1988 Cadw-to-Minister spot-listing letter has its own catalogue placeholder at GHF-E152; the original has not been attached to that page as at 10-10-2026. A placeholder records an evidence gap; it does not establish the letter’s contents or misconduct.
Forensic Assessment — Amgueddfa Cymru
Scope: This page assesses only Amgueddfa Cymru — Museum Wales. It is not a finding against the Museum and does not merge its role with Cadw, GGAT, the Council, police, courts or private parties. 🕒10-10-2026
Role actually supported by the record
The Museum is relevant principally to the artefact / provenance / present-remedy workstream. The project’s 2026 FOI search (2026-020) is recorded as a negative search. The Museum was not the body that made the 1988 listing, possession or demolition decisions.
Forensic control test
The relevant questions are narrower than title: what Great House Farm objects or records are held; how each item entered the Museum; whether accession/provenance records survive; whether an object can be linked to the farmhouse; and what current trustee/Charter powers are available if family provenance is established.
Current finding
As at 10-10-2026, the material reviewed does not establish institution-specific wrongdoing. This does not mean the institution had no involvement; the finding is limited to the particular acts and records assessed here. A negative FOI response establishes only the scope/result of that search, not that material never existed elsewhere or was never transferred.
Human action
Run object-by-object provenance requests only where a specific artefact is identified. Preserve accession numbers, acquisition documents, donor correspondence and catalogue history. Do not ask the Museum to adjudicate private land title.
Acceptance: each object has a provenance status, custodian, evidence source and proposed remedy.
Institutional appearance timeline — linked source index
Coverage rule: this is a chronological navigation map of published Wiki source pages found by searching the current site index for “Amgueddfa Cymru”. Every event label links directly to the page containing the source. It avoids duplicating source narratives. It records mention/appearance, not culpability. Dates are transcribed from page titles where available; “Date not explicit in title” means the linked source must be consulted. Search indexing is a discovery aid, not proof of exhaustive external coverage. 🕒10-10-2026
| Date shown by source title | Event / source — open evidence | Record class |
|---|---|---|
| 1858 | GHF-E106-R33-A2 — Museum Wales collections record 63.24/1: medieval iron rowel spur, Llandough Church Farm, 1858 | Published Wiki evidence page |
| 1858 | GHF-E106-R33-A3 — Museum Wales collections record 63.24/2: medieval iron spearhead, Llandough Church Farm, c. 1858 | Published Wiki evidence page |
| 22 November 1931 | GHF-E106-R33-A1 — Letter, Cogan Pill, 22 November 1931: spearhead, spur and skeletons found at Llandough Church Farm c. 1858 (Museum Wales file 63.24) | Published Wiki evidence page |
| 29 September 2026 | GHF-E106-R01 — Royal Commission (RCAHMW) reply RC26-0375, 29 September 2026 | Records-access response |
| 7 October 2026 | GHF-E106-R33 — Amgueddfa Cymru reply to FOI 2026-036 (5 & 7 October 2026): further collections search | Records-access response |
| Date not explicit in title | Evidence Library | Published Wiki evidence page |
Records-access register appearances — direct row links
Rows below match the institution’s name or an alias in the reply register. A match establishes an appearance in the records trail, not necessarily a substantive act by the institution.
| Date | Correspondence / register item (click to open) | Reading rule |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul, 3 Aug and 14 Aug 2026 | R21 — Amgueddfa Cymru. FOI 2026-020 (furniture and movable property). | Name/alias match in the reply register; open the row to distinguish sender, recipient and incidental reference. |
| 27 Jul, 25 Aug and 26 Aug 2026 | R20 — Amgueddfa Cymru. FOI 2026-024 (the reported find under the dining-room floor). | Name/alias match in the reply register; open the row to distinguish sender, recipient and incidental reference. |
| 8 Sep 2026 | R19 — Amgueddfa Cymru. FOI 2026-036 and internal review FOI 2026-020 . | Name/alias match in the reply register; open the row to distinguish sender, recipient and incidental reference. |
| 22 Sep 2026 | R18 — Amgueddfa Cymru. Internal review FOI 2026-024 . | Name/alias match in the reply register; open the row to distinguish sender, recipient and incidental reference. |
| 22 Sep and 28 Sep 2026 | R17 — Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. FOI 2026-032 . | Name/alias match in the reply register; open the row to distinguish sender, recipient and incidental reference. |
| 5 Oct 2026 | R33 — Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, FOI Team. FOI 2026-036 (request of 8 September 2026; acknowledged at R19 ). | Name/alias match in the reply register; open the row to distinguish sender, recipient and incidental reference. |
Related navigation: FOI & Public-Authority Reply Register · Records Access Chronology · Evidence Library
Response Friction Score — October search and scope replies
The 7, 8 and 12 October replies are scored individually. They acknowledge that no separate search/exclusion log or contemporaneous rationale exists, explain what staff did and why records were treated as outside scope, and say no records remain withheld. These are record-trail gaps but comparatively low-friction replies because the gaps are expressly admitted and the reasoning is provided. See the scores, sources and scoring rules.
Page version & change log
Current version: 0.1.1
| Version | Date (UTC) | Editor (human or agent name) | Change | Source / evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1.1 | 2026-10-18T15:28Z | the editors | Footer standardised; earlier log rows carried into this table; no content change | Editing Protocol, 18 Oct 2026 |
| 0.1.0 | 2026-10-18T14:27:00+01:00 | OpenAI-assisted maintenance agent (GPT-6) | Installed footer log and began semantic-version tracking at 0.1.0; this is not a reconstruction of earlier revisions. CURRENT VERSION: 0.1.0. | Saved through WordPress content API; original content preserved. Public rendering not individually checked. |
Agents and editors: follow the Editing Protocol.
Case file
This file is built for a future reparations claim. Facts are as the records show them; interpretation is labelled “our reading”. Items marked “not checked” have not been compared with the original record.
(a) Conduct timeline
38 dated interactions, oldest first; 3 automatic acknowledgements are left out. Quotations are verbatim from the institution’s email; where the reply’s substance was an attachment, the email subject is quoted instead.
Show the timeline
| Date | Direction | Reference | Type | Verbatim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 July 2026 | received | — | fee or clarification demand | Please confirm whether you intended this request to be made to Amgueddfa Cymru as well. |
| 13 July 2026 | sent | — | clarification given | Subject: Re: ALLANOL/EXTERNAL - Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff Castle Furniture |
| 27 July 2026 | sent | — | request | Subject: FOI - Great House Farm, Llandough |
| 3 August 2026 | received | FOI 2026-020 | not held | * We have not identified inventories, catalogues, acquisition records, disposal records, loan records, provenance files, ownership records, photographs, correspondence, reports, memoranda or related records concerning such objects within the scope of your request. |
| 3 August 2026 | sent | — | other | Subject: Re: FOI 2026-020 - Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff Castle Furniture |
| 14 August 2026 | received | FOI 2026-020 | not held | We did not identify any inventories, catalogues, acquisition records, disposal records, loan records, provenance files, ownership records, photographs, correspondence or other records falling within categories 1 to 9 of your request. |
| 14 August 2026 | sent | — | internal review request | Subject: Re: FOI 2026-020 - Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff Castle Furniture |
| 25 August 2026 | received | 2026-024 | not held | We have also not identified records relating to the specific discovery described in your request, including records of associated human or animal remains, reburial records, excavation reports, watching briefs or discovery reports. |
| 26 August 2026 | sent | 2026-024 | internal review request | Subject: Re: FOI - 2026-024 - Great House Farm, Llandough |
| 8 September 2026 | sent | — | request | Subject: Great House Farm, Llandough, Cardiff |
| 8 September 2026 | received | FOI 2026-020 | complaint outcome | The review therefore upholds the original decision that Amgueddfa Cymru does not hold recorded information concerning furniture, furnishings, antiques, fixtures, heirlooms or other movable property originating from Great House Farm (Ty Mawr), Llandough falling within categories 1 to 9 of your… |
| 8 September 2026 | received | FOI 2026-036; FOI 2026-032 | correspondence (no disclosure) | Please note that your request for an internal review of FOI:2026-024 remains a separate matter and will continue to be considered independently. |
| 8 September 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-020 | complaint | Subject: Re: Internal Review: FOI 2026-020 - Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff Castle Furniture |
| 8 September 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-032; FOI 2026-036 | other | Subject: Re: FOI: 2026-036 - Great House Farm, Llandough, Cardiff |
| 8 September 2026 | received | FOI 2026-032; FOI 2026-036; FOI 2026-024 | correspondence (no disclosure) | In all honesty, my suggestion that FOI:2026-036 replace FOI:2026-032 was not made with a view to aggregating the requests or considering the application of a section 12 exemption. |
| 9 September 2026 | sent | — | other | Subject: FOI: 2026-036 - Great House Farm, Llandough, Cardiff |
| 22 September 2026 | received | FOI 2026-024 | complaint outcome | Having reviewed the original request, the searches conducted and the response provided, I am satisfied that the request was handled appropriately and that reasonable and proportionate searches were undertaken in those locations where information falling within the scope of the request would… |
| 22 September 2026 | received | FOI 2026-032 | partial | To assist interpretation, we have also included a brief descriptor for each record, together with any available reference or catalogue information held within the Museum's records. |
| 27 September 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-032 | request | Subject: RE: FOI - 2026-032 - Great House Farm, Llandough |
| 28 September 2026 | received | — | not held | We are not aware of any recorded information showing that records for Great House Farm, Llandough […] or Great House Farm, Llandow were ever catalogued or treated within the collections system as relating to Great House Farm, Llandough (near Penarth/Cardiff). |
| 5 October 2026 | received | FOI 2026-036 | substantive disclosure | Collections staff reviewed records identified through references to Great House Farm, Ty Mawr and Llandough Farm, Llandough (Vale of Glamorgan), together with records returned through associated place-name searches. |
| 7 October 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-036 | chase | Subject: RE: FOI 2026-036 – Great House Farm, Llandough – filtered schedule still not supplied; unanswered points from FOI 2026-032 correction |
| 7 October 2026 | received | FOI 2026-036 | partial | In relation to the filtered schedule, Amgueddfa Cymru does not hold a separate recorded document identifying, item by item, which search results were excluded following review. |
| 7 October 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-036 | request | Subject: Re: FOI 2026-036 – Great House Farm, Llandough – filtered schedule still not supplied; unanswered points from FOI 2026-032 correction |
| 8 October 2026 | received | FOI 2026-036 | not held | The Museum has reviewed the material held under reference MS 3360/3 and has already provided the relevant page identified during that review. |
| 10 October 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 | request | Subject: FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 – outstanding item 7: recorded basis for treating already-found records as “unrelated / not in scope” |
| 10 October 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-036 | chase | Subject: RE: FOI 2026-036 – Great House Farm, Llandough – filtered schedule still not supplied; unanswered points from FOI 2026-032 correction |
| 12 October 2026 | received | FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 | not held | In relation to your request for the recorded basis on which records were treated as outside the scope of FOI 2026-024, Amgueddfa Cymru does not hold a separate search log, file note, internal note or other recorded document setting out the rationale for that assessment. |
| 12 October 2026 | received | FOI 2026-036 | not held | In relation to the "filtered schedule", as previously explained, Amgueddfa Cymru does not hold a separate recorded document identifying, item by item, which search results were excluded following review. |
| 16 October 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 | chase | Subject: Re: ALLANOL/EXTERNAL - FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 – outstanding item 7: recorded basis for treating already-found records as “unrelated / not in scope” |
| 16 October 2026 | received | FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 | not held | As explained in that response, Collections staff reviewed records identified through references to Great House Farm, Ty Mawr Farm and Llandough, together with records returned through associated place-name searches. |
| 19 October 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 | request | Subject: FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 — c.1880 medieval ironwork from Great House Farm, Llandough: published sources say it is in the National Museum |
| 20 October 2026 | received | FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 | fee or clarification demand | The searches undertaken in relation to FOI 2026-024, FOI 2026-032 and FOI 2026-036 were directed at specific records, locations and objects associated with the matters raised in those requests. |
| 22 October 2026 | sent | FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 | clarification | Subject: RE: FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 — c.1880 medieval ironwork from Great House Farm, Llandough: published sources say it is in the National Museum |
| 29 October 2026 | sent | — | clarification given | Subject: RE: FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 — c.1880 medieval ironwork from Great House Farm, Llandough: published sources say it is in the National Museum |
| 29 October 2026 | sent | — | clarification given | Subject: Supplemental nomenclature schedule — Great House Farm / Tŷ Mawr, Llandough-juxta-Penarth |
| 29 October 2026 | sent | — | clarification given | Subject: Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff Castle Furniture |
| 29 October 2026 | sent | — | clarification given | Subject: Text copy of nomenclature supplement — FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036 |
(b) Inconsistencies and gaps
“Not held” answers set against the duty below
- 3 August 2026: “not held” answer (ref FOI 2026-020): The FOI officer states no furniture or movable property records from Great House Farm are held, excluding archaeological material.
- 14 August 2026: “not held” answer (ref FOI 2026-020): The FOI officer describes further searches of collections and archived systems and reaffirms that no relevant records are held.
- 25 August 2026: “not held” answer (ref 2026-024): The FOI officer states no records of the visor, lance, or related discovery are held, aside from unrelated archaeological finds.
- 28 September 2026: “not held” answer: The FOI officer states no recorded cross-attribution links the two Llandough farms and no separate record explains the earlier 'unrelated' conclusion.
- 8 October 2026: “not held” answer (ref FOI 2026-036): The FOI officer states no further recorded information identifying Great House Farm exists within MS 3360/3 beyond what was disclosed.
- 12 October 2026: “not held” answer (ref FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036): States no separate record exists documenting why certain findings were excluded from FOI 2026-024's scope, and confirms nothing withheld.
- 12 October 2026: “not held” answer (ref FOI 2026-036): States no separate exclusion schedule exists, reclassifies MS 3360/3 as unrelated to the Llandough property, and maintains prior position on Ref 13.2.
- 16 October 2026: “not held” answer (ref FOI 2026-024 / 032 / 036): Describes the search methodology used, confirms predecessor accession registers were included, and states no further search log exists.
Contradictions between replies, or between institutions
- 16 October 2026: Discrepancy: a “not held” answer on 16 October 2026 and a disclosure or partial disclosure on 7 October 2026; how both stand together is not explained.
Missed deadlines
- 24 August 2026: Statutory deadline 24 August 2026 for the request of 27 July 2026: missed (replied late).
(c) Quarantined-name links
Records on the quarantine register (Kissed Frogs) that sit in, or came from, this institution’s holdings. None is treated as settled.
- KF-50 · Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, replies to FOI 2026-036 (5 and 7 Oct 2026); EV-0190 — quarantined: may be a mislabelled Great House Farm (Llandough/Leckwith) record until a physical check.
(d) Duty and liability — our reading
Liability indicators (our reading): strong
- Duty
- Custody and cataloguing of deposited records (Public Records Act 1958 for public records and places of deposit; the deposit terms for private collections); FOIA 2000 / EIR 2004 for information about holdings; an accurate catalogue is the finding aid the public relies on.
- Indicators the duty was not met
- missed statutory deadlines; replies that do not agree; “not held” answers.
- Evidence still needed to confirm
- the institution’s retention schedule and disposal record for the series in question; the catalogue or file list it searched; the original items on the quarantine register; any internal review or complaint outcome.
- Likely extent of exposure if confirmed
- Limited to the custodial record unless a mis-catalogued or withheld item is shown to have kept evidence from a decision-maker; then it may extend to the cost of putting the record right.
(e) Evidence still needed
- View the original items and the accession / deposit file at the search room. for paid visit list
- View the original of KF-50 (Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, replies to FOI 2026-036 (5 and 7 Oct 2026); EV-0190) and check the place, parties and plan against Great House Farm, Llandough/Leckwith. for paid visit list
- Check, in person, the series that would hold what the 3 August 2026 answer covers. for paid visit list
- Check, in person, the series that would hold what the 14 August 2026 answer covers. for paid visit list
- Check, in person, the series that would hold what the 25 August 2026 answer covers. for paid visit list
- Check, in person, the series that would hold what the 28 September 2026 answer covers. for paid visit list
- Check, in person, the series that would hold what the 8 October 2026 answer covers. for paid visit list
- Check, in person, the series that would hold what the 12 October 2026 answer covers. for paid visit list
- Check, in person, the series that would hold what the 16 October 2026 answer covers. for paid visit list
Versions
| 0.2.0 | 2026-11-01 | Moved to the Forensic Assessments webapp; dated “Since last assessment” section added; response status re-read. |
| 0.1.1 | 2026-10-18 | As published on the Legal Wiki. |