HUGHES
,
JONATHAN
(
1721
-
1805
),
poet
;
b.
17 March 1721
at
Pengwern
, near
Llangollen
. He is said to have written poetry at the age of fifteen, and in the course of a long life he produced a large number of poems, mainly of the type common in the
18th cent.
, i.e. poems containing a good deal of
cynghanedd
and intended to be sung to the popular melodies of the time. Such poems by him appear regularly in the almanacs published by
Cain
Jones
,
Philomath
(qq.v.), and others from
1755
to the end of the century. He also composed in the traditional strict metres; he wrote an elegy on
Richard
Morris
, in the form of an awdl, in
1780
. An interlude by him,
Y Dywysoges Genefetha
, was published in
1744
, and a volume of his poetry, called
Bardd a Byrddau
, appeared in
1778
. As an
enthusiastic supporter of eisteddfodau
in the
18th cent.
, we find him mentioned in connection with the eisteddfod held at
Selattyn
in
1748
, and naturally he was prominent at the eisteddfod held at
Llangollen
in
Jan. 1789
. At the eisteddfod held at
Corwen
in May of the same year he was one of the three (
Twm o'r Nant
and
Gwallter Mechain
being the
other two) upon whose works the panel of adjudicators failed to reach a decision, with the result that the compositions were sent to
London
to be adjudicated by the
Gwyneddigion Society
. He was also present at the
Bala eisteddfod
in
Sept. 1789
. His eisteddfodic efforts however were not very successful; he was more skilled in the ‘carol’ type of poetry prevalent in the
18th cent.
He d.
25 Nov. 1805
. A son of his of the same name (
1753
-
1834?
), was also a
poet
, and published
Gemwaith Awen, Gwaith Beirdd Collen
in
1806
. The contents of the volume were for the most part his own compositions. He, in turn, had a son called
Jonathan
Hughes
(
1797
-
1860?
), who was one of the
poets
present at an eisteddfod held at
Llangollen
in
1833
.
Bibliography:
-
Hanes Llenyddiaeth Gymreig, 1651–1850
.
[1893?]
, 407;
-
Cymru
,
1897
, 94;
-
Yr Haul
,
1893
, 165;
-
Bye–Gones, relating to Wales and the Border
Counties
,
1891-2
, 128;
-
Y Llenor
, xiv, ll, xv, 88.
Author:
Principal / Sir Thomas Parry, D.Litt., (1904-85), Bangor /
Aberystwyth
