EDWARDS
,
WILLIAM THOMAS
(
Gwilym Deudraeth
;
1863
-
1940
),
poet
;
b.
21 Nov. 1863
in a house in a row called ‘
Hen Walia
’ in the town of
Caernarvon
, he was one of the twelve children of
William
and
Jane
Edwards
, who afterwards lived in
Penrhyndeudraeth
. He had some little education at the day school there, but used to say that the best education he ever had was the
Sunday school
. As his father was a
sea-captain
, and his brothers too were
seafaring men
, he intended to become a
mariner
, but had enough of the sea after one voyage. He went to work at the
Oakeley quarry
,
Blaenau Ffestiniog
, and subsequently on the
Ffestiniog railway
, becoming
stationmaster
at
Tan-y-bwlch
and
Dduallt
(or
Rhosllyn
). During that period he composed many striking
englynion
. He m.
Harriet
Williams
of
Llanferres
, near
Mold
; they had four children. Two volumes of his poetical works were published:
Chydig ar Gof a Chadw
, ed. by
Isaac
Davies
,
Birkenhead
, in
1926
, and
Yr Awen Barod
, ed. by
J. W.
Jones
,
Blaenau Ffestiniog
, in
1943
. He was one of
Wales
's most original and dexterous
writers of
englynion
. He d.
20 March 1940
and was buried in
Allerton cemetery
,
Liverpool
.
Bibliography:
-
Y Cymro
,
1940
;
-
Y Rhedegydd
,
1940
.
Author:
John William Jones, (1884-1954), Blaenau Ffestiniog
