DWNN
,
JAMES
(
c.
1570
-
c.
1660
),
poet
, from
Montgomeryshire
.
His earliest poem (
Mostyn MS. 148 (692)
) is dated
1594
, and his latest (
B.M. MS. 51 (73)
)
1657
. Accordingly, it is possible that he was the eldest son of
Lewys
Dwnn
(q.v.)
. The two frequently wrote panegyrics in honour of the same people — the families of
Gogerddan
,
Mathafarn
,
Gregynog
, and
the
Plasau Duon
,
Dr.
John
Davies
of
Mallwyd
, etc., but, for the most part,
James
Dwnn
confined himself to his own neighbourhood. Many of his poems are preserved in the ‘
Book of James Dwnn
’ (
Llanst. MS. 53
), but there are many others which are found scattered in other collections, e.g.
N.L.W. MSS. 1560, 2691, 5261, 5269, 6496
;
Pen. MSS. 91, 92, 327
;
Cardiff MSS. 83, 84
, etc. Most of them are panegyrics and elegies, but attention is drawn to his
englynion
on the burning of
Mathafarn House
by
Cromwell
's
soldiers
in
1644
, and to the four
cywyddau
on holy days — ‘
ar yr epistol ddydd gwyl y Gwirionedd
,’ ‘
y Sul gwedi yr Natolig
,’ ‘
ddydd Calan
,’ and ‘
dydd gwyl Ystwyll
’ (
N.L.W. MS. 7191 (262-5)
).
Author:
Garfield Hopkin Hughes, M.A., (1912-69), Aberystwyth
