WILLIAMS
,
WILLIAM
(
Gwilym Peris
;
1769
-
1847
),
poet
;
b. at
Tyn'r-aelgarth
,
Llanberis
. After spending his youth wandering over the slopes of the
Snowdonian range
he went to live at
Waun-fawr
. He was there on
‘All Saints' Day’ (Old Style — 12 Nov.) 1802
, and
Dafydd Ddu Eryri
(q.v.)
mentions him as one of those who had prepared an
awdl
on ‘
Happiness
’ for the poets conference, which took place on that occasion at
Llanddeiniolen
. He is described as ‘a married man, a
slate quarryman
, born in the parish of
Llanberis
but now resident at
Waunfawr
.’ He wrote an
awdl
on ‘
Providence
,’ which was the subject prescribed by
Humphrey
Thomas
, brother of
Dafydd Ddu Eryri
, as a set piece for the poets of
Caernarvonshire
at their meeting at
Bontnewydd
,
Llanwnda
, in
1803
. In
1804
he sent an
awdl
on ‘
Ynys Prydain
’ to the
Gwyneddigion eisteddfod
, but it was
Dewi Wyn o Eifion
(q.v.)
who won the medal on that occasion. In
1813
Gwilym Peris
published his poetical works in a book called
Awengerdd Peris
, which includes all the
awdlau
mentioned above. Later, he went to live at
Llandygài
, where he came into close contact with
Gutyn Peris
(q.v.)
. A of greeting by
Gutyn
to
Gwilym
is included in the
Awengerdd
, and
Gwilym
's in reply is the most interesting piece he ever wrote. In it he describes the
Llanberis
district and
Cwmglas Mawr
, the home of
Abraham
Williams
(q.v.)
, who taught him and
Gutyn
the rudiments of prosody; then comes a description of
Dafydd Ddu
, ‘their second
teacher
,’ and then there is a reference to
John
Morgan
(
1743
-
1801
) (q.v.)
, the
curate
, ‘
yn y lle yn gweini llan
.’
Gwilym Peris
d. in
1847
, and was buried in
Llanllechid
churchyard.
Bibliography:
-
Additional Manuscript in the British
Museum
15027 (75);
-
Hynafiaethau a Thraddodiadau Plwyf Llanberis
a'r Amgylchoedd
. [1892.]
93-5;
-
Llyfr Hanes Llenyddiaeth ac Enwogion
Llanllechid a Llandegai
, 1921
, 103;
-
Awen-gerdd Peris, neu, Gasgliad o ganiadau
sef awdlau, cywyddau, englynion, carolau a cherddi,
etc.
, Trefriw, 1813; 2nd ed. 1843
,
1813
(2nd imp.,
1843
).
Author:
Griffith Thomas Roberts, M.A., Llanrug
