REYNOLDS
,
JONATHAN OWAIN
(
Nathan Dyfed
,
1814
-
1891
),
author
;
son of
Dafydd
and
Mary
Reynolds
, b.
28 April 1814
in the parish of
Llanwinio, Carms.
He could read
Welsh
when 5 years old, having been taught by his
mother. Nine weeks at a day school was all the education he had. At first a
farm labourer
, he afterwards became a
wheelwright
, with his father, and practised that trade at
Merthyr Tydfil
until his death. He left home to work near
Llanelly
, and moved to
Merthyr
in
1835
, where he m.
Martha
Reynolds
(not related) in
1842
, and had nine children.
Welsh
movements had his ready support, and he was
secretary
of the
Cymreigyddion Society
that met at the
White Lion Inn
. For many years he
edited the Welsh columns in weekly newspapers
, including the
Merthyr Express
. He was an ardent
eisteddfodwr
, and gained over 100 prizes, chiefly for
englynion
and
tribannau
, of which he made a large collection. His compositions contained an excessive number of obsolete words. He
translated
some of
Shakespeare
's tragedies into
Welsh
. He d.
17 July 1891
and was buried in
Cefncoedcymer
cemetery.
His eldest son,
LLYWARCH
REYNOLDS
(
1843
-
1916
), was a
Celtic scholar
, whose professional work was of secondary importance to him. He was educated at
Llandovery College
, was articled to a firm of
Merthyr
solicitors
, and in
1868
proceeded to
Jesus College
,
Oxford
, where he graduated in
1875
. Then he returned to practice with the same
solicitors
, afterwards practising on his own. He was
clerk
to
Rhymney District Council
. The most notable of his valuable collection of books and manuscripts was
Llyuyr Hir Llywarch Reynolds
(
Merthyr Tydfil MS. 1
, now
N.L.W. MS. 970
), a
17th-cent.
collection of
Welsh
poems in the hand of
Llywelyn Siôn
(q.v.)
,
Llangewydd
; they are described in
J. Gwenogvryn
Evans
's
Reports on MSS. in the Welsh Language
, II, i, 372-94. Besides the above volume, twenty-seven other volumes belonging to
Llywarch
Reynolds
and his father came to
N.L.W.
in
1916
; see
N.L.W. Handlist of MSS.
i, 77-9 (these should be studied side by side with the
Thomas
Stephens
MSS. described on pages 66, 71-7 in the same volume). These manuscripts are evidence of
Reynolds
's great services to
Welsh and Celtic studies
. He was on friendly terms with
(
Sir
)
John
Rhys
(see, e.g.,
N.L.W. MS. 988
) and other
Celtic scholars
. It was he who saw through the press (
1893
) the famous essay written in
1858
by
Thomas
Stephens
(q.v.)
on the
Madoc
legend.
N.L.W. MSS. 986-7
contain hundreds of letters written to
Jonathan
and
Llywarch
Reynolds
.
Llywarch
Reynolds
and his wife
Elsa
Irene
copied much Welsh poetry and prose
, and also
translated
much
German
literature. He d. at
Brislington
,
Bristol
, on
12 March 1916
, when on a visit, and was buried there.
Bibliography:
-
Y Geninen
(Gŵyl Dewi),
1894
, 31;
-
South Wales Daily News
,
20 July 1891
;
-
T. E. Clarke
,
A Guide to Merthyr-Tydfil, and the
traveller's companion, in visiting the iron works, and the
various interesting localities of the surrounding
neighbourhood … with brief notices of Glamorgan, and its
antitquities
, Merthyr Tydfil, 1848
, 74-5;
-
The Merthyr Express
,
16 March 1916
;
-
National Library of Wales
Manuscripts
970-97.
Author:
Edward Ivor Williams, (1885-1958), Newbridge, Monmouth
