PARRY
,
RICHARD
(
Gwalchmai
;
1803
-
1897
),
Independent minister, poet, and man of letters
;
b.
19 Jan. 1803
at
Llannerch-y-medd
. His father,
Richard
Parry
, was a
currier
and
leather manufacturer
; his mother (
Margaret
Williams
) was from
Gwalchmai
, and had inherited a fairly considerable portion from her family;
Thomas
Parry
(
1809
-
1874
) (q.v.)
was his brother; all were
Calvinistic Methodists
. He received a sound elementary education at a local church school, but left at the age of 12 to be
apprenticed to a saddler
. He was keenly interested in books, and played a prominent part in the work of the chapel; he was elected a
deacon
while still a
young man, and during this period began to
compete in the eisteddfodau
. In
1829
Caledfryn
(q.v.)
became
Independent minister
at
Llannerch-y-medd
, and the two became great friends; it was
Caledfryn
who taught him the art of
cynghanedd
. Before long he himself joined the
Independents
and began to
preach
in their chapels. In
1836
he was ordained as
joint minister
(with
Robert
Roberts
of
Treban
) at
Bryngwran
; in
1838
he left to take charge of the churches at
Henryd
and
Conway
, where he remained for ten years. In
1848
he went to
Llandovery
, but he does not seem to have been happy there, and in
1850
he returned to
North Wales
and settled at
Ffestiniog
, where he had charge of
Llan-ffestiniog
and
Bethania
churches. Four years later he returned to
Conway
. His mind was now set on
establishing a church
at
Llandudno
which was rapidly developing as a sea-side resort and, with this in view, he moved there. With the support of a number of wealthy
English
people he succeeded in building a chapel for both
English
and
Welsh
services. He retired in
1881
, d.
7 Feb. 1897
, and was buried in
Llan-rhos
churchyard,
Llandudno
. He was one of the
joint editors
of
Y Dysgedydd
from
1853 to 1864
. He won
ten eisteddfod chairs
and a great number of other prizes. He published:
Adgofion am John Elias
,
1859
;
Enwogion Môn
,
1877
;
Glan Geirionydd
, with notes;
Yr Adroddiadur Barddonol
,
1877
; and
History of Ancient Eisteddfodau
. He was one of the most prolific
Welsh
writers of the 19th cent., but not much of his work is of permanent value. He was a representative of his age, which regarded ‘
winning at the eisteddfod as an achievement in itself, and the proof of a poet's greatness as established by his photograph taken with a cluster of medals on his chest
.’
Bibliography:
-
Peris Williams
(ed.),
Cofiant a gweithiau y Parchedig Richard
Parry (Gwalchmai)
and
, Wrexham, 1899
,
1899
;
-
Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru
, ii, 478, iii, 325, 328, 330, 594;
-
Cymru
, xii, 149-52, xvi, 318, xxii, 212-15;
-
T. Parry
,
Hanes Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg
, 1944
, 267;
-
National Library of Wales
Manuscripts
5668-5772.
Author:
Rev. Richard Griffith Owen, M.A., (1890-1973), Bangor
