I remember reading a very old gardening book years ago – it stated the best fertiliser for roses were the old rags from a beggar! The mind boggles that from such filth a beautiful scent could be created...
The gravestones and records locally show that many lived to an old age before the era of modern medicine. Hard work, adequate food to nourish the mind and body and close proximity to a milking cow which meant smallpox was not an issue all helped. Apothecary books show how local herbs were collected and used too.
Life was tough; the community subsisted - just - or emigrated when it got too hard.
Apart from the occasional plunge in Treflach pool on rare summer days, you may wonder about personal hygiene at the time. Apple cider vinegar, as well as being a tonic inside the body, is also a natural deodorant. The old adage "less being more" holds true as a tiny mist of this magic on the skin destroys the bacteria that causes body odour and on hair gives a lustre. No need for roses' scent, just apples in Treflach, then and now!