PHILLIPS
,
JOHN
(
Tegidon
;
1810
-
1877
)
printer and poet
;
b.
12 April 1810
at
Bala
. He was educated at
Bala
, where he was also apprenticed as a
printer
with
Robert
Saunderson
(q.v.)
. He later moved to
Chester
where for a period he
supervised the printing works
of
John
Parry
(
1775
-
1846
) (q.v.)
, who published
Y Drysorfa
and
Goleuad Cymru
, to which
Tegidon
contributed many articles. About
1850
he moved to
Portmadoc
as
secretary
to the
Welsh Slate Company
; later he became the
chief agent of the Company
, a position he retained for twenty years. As a
printer
he helped
Robert Isaac
Jones
(
Alltud Eifion
, q.v.)
, to
establish his printing press
at
Tremadoc
in
1854
. He wrote much to
Y Drysorfa
,
Y Gwyliedydd
,
Y Geiniogwerth
,
Seren Gomer
,
Y Methodist
, and
Y Traethodydd
(
1849-54
). He was
sub-editor
of
Y Gwyliedydd
, and was
editor of the poetry
in
Goleuad Cymru
,
1822-38
. He did much to
promote the study of Welsh literature and music
at
Portmadoc
, and was a prominent
public speaker
. He
wrote a good deal of poetry in free metre
, and some of his poems, also his translation of
Wordsworth
's ‘
We Are Seven
,’ became popular. He also
composed hymns
for special occasions; some of these are included in the
Welsh Congregational Hymn Book
and the
Methodist Hymn Book
. He
wrote many songs for children and young people
, and published several popular books, e.g.
Y Ddeilen ar y Traeth
,
1868
;
Y Tlws Arian
;
Y Gelyn a'r Frwydr
;
Y Cenhadwr
;
Yr Eglwys yn y Tŷ
(a translation of a book by
J.
Hamilton
);
Seppely Bach a'i Feibl
(translation of a
Swiss
tale). He d.
28 May 1877
at
Portmadoc
, and was buried at
Llanycil
.
Bibliography:
-
Hanes Porthmadog
. [1913.]
, 187-8;
-
Cymru
, vi, 111-3, xi, 121-3, lix, 30;
-
Y Gestiana
, Tremadog, 1892
, 88;
-
Beirdd y Bala.
Cyfres y Fil 28,
1911
, 93-8;
-
Eminent Welshmen
, 1908
.
Author:
William Rowlands, M.A., Porthmadog
