'Welsh Not' Wooden Badge

“My attention was attracted to a piece of wood, suspended by a string around a boy’s neck, and on the wood were the words ‘Welsh stick’… This, I was told, was a stigma for speaking Welsh.”

This pin badge recreates one of the most malicious tools ever used against us: the Welsh Not — a chunk of wood carved with W.N., hung around a child’s neck as punishment for speaking their own language.

Throughout the 19th century, schools across Wales - pushed by English authorities and their obsession with “civilising” us - tried to kill the Welsh language in the classroom. Children who dared to speak Welsh were shamed, humiliated, beaten. The Welsh Not was passed from pupil to pupil, and whoever wore it last was punished the hardest. The message was clear: your language is wrong, your culture is worthless, and you should be ashamed of who you are.

The impact was devastating. Generations grew up believing Welsh had no place in education, work, or public life. Families stopped passing the language on out of fear. Entire communities were silenced.

But the plan failed. The language lived. We’re still here - speaking, singing, shouting - because our ancestors refused to let it die.

Add this badge to your collection as a small act of defiance and remembrance. A symbol of everything they tried to destroy - and everything we’ve reclaimed.