WILLIAMS
,
WILLIAM
(
Myfyr Wyn
;
1849
-
1900
),
blacksmith, poet, local historian, and a regular contributor of articles to the Welsh press
,
especially to
Tarian y Gweithiwr
in the ‘nineties.’. He was born on
Twyn Star
,
Tredegar
, and was the son of
John
and
Hannah
Williams
. His father, a
coalminer
, was a native of the
Cardigan
district, who died following an accident in the
Bryn Bach mine
,
Tredegar
, when
Myfyr Wyn
was a boy, one of four children. His mother was born at
Nant-y-bwch
in
1819
, her parents having moved there from the
Neath Valley
. She was a sister to
William
Hopkin
,
coalminer
, who wrote several of the articles in
Mathetes
's (q.v.)
theological dictionary. The family were
Baptists
, and
Myfyr Wyn
was brought up in
Carmel church
,
Sirhowy
.
Robert
Ellis
(
Cynddelw
, q.v.)
, was a
minister
there during his boyhood, and had a life-long influence over him.
Myfyr Wyn
learnt his trade as a
blacksmith
in the smithy of the
Sirhowy iron-works
, where he also moved among several local poets, such as
Joseph
Bevan
(
Gwentydd
), and
Ezechiel
Davies
(
Gwentwyson
); but his chief
teacher in the art of poetry
was
Evan
Powell
(
Ap Hywel
). Towards the middle of his life he moved to
Glamorgan
, and pursued his trade at
Porth
, and elsewhere, and finally at
Aberdare
. His health weakened, and in his latter years he
kept a newsagent's shop
at
Aberaman
, where he d.,
5 June 1900
, and was buried on the 9th at
Aberdare
. He left a widow and a son.
Myfyr Wyn
competed in various eisteddfodau
in strict and free metre, but excelled in short pieces in a light vein. He published two volumes of popular verse,
Gwreichion yr Eingion
(
Tredegar
,
1887
), and
Y Trwmpyn neu Bartnar Piwr i Fechgyn a
Merched gan ‘Y Bachan Ifanc’
(
Aberdare
,
1896
, 2nd ed.
1906
). His ‘
Llythyra Bachan Ifanc
’ in
Y Darian
were very popular articles written in
Gwentian dialect
, and the
editor
compared them in their effect on the circulation of the paper to ‘
Llythyrau Hen Ffarmwr
’ (by
Hiraethog
, q.v.
) in
Yr Amserau
. His brother,
D.
Williams
(
Myfyr Ddu
), made a selection of his articles and poems, which he published in
1908
, as a volume entitled
Cân, Llên, a Gwerin
. This book contains his valuable reminiscences of
Sirhowy
and district, a selection of which was published in
1951
by the
University of Wales Press
.
Bibliography:
-
Cân, Llên, a Gwerin sef cynhyrchion y
diweddar Myfyr Wyn
, Aberdâr, 1908
;
-
Tarian y Gweithiwr
, Aberdâr
,
14 June and 5 July 1900
;
-
Ben Morus
,
Enwogion Aberdâr
, 1910
;
-
a letter by
Mr. W. W. Price
, Aberdare.
Author:
David Myrddin Lloyd, M.A., (1909-81), Aberystwyth / Scotland
