HUGHES
,
STEPHEN
(
1622
-
1688
),
early Nonconformist
;
son of
John
Hughes
,
mercer
,
Carmarthen
. We know hardly anything of his youth but it is possible that he attended
Carmarthen grammar school
. He received the living of
Meidrym
in
1654
and it has been said that he had been given the living of
Merthyr (Carms.)
earlier. He was a person of influence in the age of
Cromwell
. About
1658
he is found starting on the great work of his life — the
publication of Welsh books for the use of the peasantry
. He issued the first part of the work of
Rhys
Prichard
(of
Llandovery
) (q.v.)
in
1659
and the second part (although no copy is extant) appeared shortly afterwards. An end to the work of publishing came with the
Restoration
and
Hughes
was obliged to leave
Meidrym
. We know little about him in the time of persecution but it is said that he continued to
preach
in
Carmarthenshire
and that he
kept schools
. He m. a woman from
Swansea
and it was there that he made his home from then on. About
1670
he succeeded in resuming the work of
publishing Welsh books
and the third part of the work of
Vicar Prichard
appeared that year. He received the support of
Churchmen
and
Nonconformists
and published four parts of the work of the
vicar
, in one volume, in
1672
, with in addition,
Llyfr y Psalmau, ynghyd â Thestament Newydd ein Harglwydd
, and
Catechism Mr. Perkins
. He was in
London
during this period and met
Thomas
Gouge
and
Charles
Edwards
(qq.v.); he co-operated with these two for over ten years. He was again in
London
in
1677
and published two composite volumes —
Tryssor i'r Cymru
and
Cyfarwydd-deb i'r Anghyfarwydd
. Then, in
1677-8
, he was able to make a reality of one of his dreams — to issue a cheap edition of the
Bible
in
Welsh
. He produced another edition of the work of
Vicar Prichard
in
1681
and, on this occasion, gave it the title of
Canwyll y Cymru
, by which
Prichard
's verses have ever since been known. In
1683
he arranged for the publication of a booklet which was similar to the work of the
vicar
, viz.
Cynghorion Tad i'w Fab
by
Henry
Evans
(q.v.)
. With three other men he translated
John
Bunyan
's famous work and this was published in
1688
under the title of
Taith neu Siwrnai y Pererin
. It is evident that he did very much to help forward the plans of
Thomas
Gouge
in regard to
Wales
whilst continuing to
preach
to the scattered congregations of
Carmarthenshire
and its surrounding district. He d. at
Swansea
in
1688
, his will being proved on
16 July
.
Stephen
Hughes
is important not only as an
apostle of Nonconformity
but as one of the men who began to convert the masses in
Wales
into conservers of the
Welsh
language.
Bibliography:
-
Y Beiriniad
, (1) 1859–71; (2)
1911–19
ii (
1912
), 175-85;
-
Y Cofiadur
, No. 4,
1926
.
Author:
Emeritus Professor Griffith John Williams, M.A., (1892-1963),
Gwaelod-y-garth, Cardiff
