The Frenchman’s Grave
A Frenchman named Auguste Guyard was given a home by John Ruskin, which was one of Mrs. Fanny Talbot’s former cottages. Auguste Guyard came to Britain with his daughter in 1871 after fleeing the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war. Guyard moved into cottage number 2 Rock Gardens at Dinas Oleu. Previously, Guyard had attempted to create a 'commune modele' in his home village of Frotey-Les-Vesoul, where he was born in 1808. His aims closely resembled those of John Ruskin, which is why he may have been chosen by the charity to take a cottage here. Known locally as The Frenchman, Guyard spent his time carving terraces in the hillside where he grew vegetables, herbs, and medicinal plants, which he shared with the poor. He also had a way with animals and tamed a hawk and a jackdaw. Guyard died in 1882, and his final wish was to be buried on the hillside where he spent so much time. His grave is located in a walled plot near Dinas Oleu. He composed his own epitaph for his gravestone. It's recently been translated from French into English and Welsh and is inscribed on a plaque nearby. 'Here lodged a sower who, to his grave, sowed the seeds, of truth, of right, of beauty, with obsession. In a thousand struggles with pen and body, such labours are not rewarded in this world.'
– Epitaph for the gravestone, Dinas Oleu (Fortress of Light)