BOWEN
,
DAVID
(‘
Myfyr Hefin
’;
1874
-
1955
),
minister (B) and editor
;
b.
20 July 1874
, son of
Thomas
and
Dinah
Bowen
of
Treorchy, Glam.
, elder brother of
Ben
Bowen
(
DWB
, 46)
and
Thomas (Orchwy)
Bowen
(father of the
archdruid
Geraint
Bowen
and the
poet
Euros
Bowen
), and of the mother of
Sir
Ben Bowen
Thomas
. Both parents had moved from
Carmarthenshire
to the coal industry in the
Rhondda
. The family's
Welsh
culture was safeguarded and fostered by the chapel life in
Moriah (B)
,
Pentre
.
David
attended the
Treorchy board school
, and went to work in the
Ty'n-y-bedw pit
at the age of 12. His abilities were nurtured by the chapel, the small
eisteddfodau
and the remarkable success of his brother
Ben
. Compiling the latter's biography and collecting his poetry in
1903
helped his own gifts to mature. He began to
preach
during the
1904-05 Revival
. He went to the preparatory school at
Pontypridd
and to the
University College
at
Cardiff
for the year
1908-09
. He won
the
chair
at the
students'
eisteddfod
in
Jan. 1909
. He was called to the pastorate of
Bethel
,
Lower Chapel
, near
Brecon
and laboured there to restore
Welsh
as he had seen
William
Morris
(
DWB
, 668)
do at
Noddfa
,
Treorchy
. For this period of his life see his booklets
Oriau Hefin
(
1902
),
Emynau pen y mynydd
(
1905
), and
Cerddi Brycheiniog
(
1912
). In
1913
he moved to
Horeb chapel
,
Five Roads
, near
Llanelli
. He was
Welsh editor
of the
Llanelly Mercury
between 1915 and 1942
, and of
Seren yr Ysgol Sul
from the same press,
1916-50
. He established
Urdd y Seren Fore
in
1929
, and the provision of reading material for children in
Welsh
was one of his chief aims. He was a member of the
Gorsedd
of Bards
from
1897
until his death, and was
president
of the
Llanelli Cymrodorion
and the
Awen a Chân
literary circle. He was prominent in all
Welsh
cultural movements. He published five books on his brother,
Ben
, eight booklets of his own, and many contributions to the
Llanelly Mercury
and
Seren yr Ysgol Sul
.
He was twice married. (1) to
Hannah
Jones
of
Treorchy
, in
1901
. She d. young leaving one daughter,
Myfanwy
. In
1909
he m. (2)
Elizabeth
Bowen
,
Halfway, Llanelli
, who d. in
1937
leaving two daughters,
Rhiannon
and
Enid
. He d.
22 Apr. 1955
, and was buried in the new
Horeb cemetery
.
Bibliography:
- Information from his family and from his books.
Author:
Glyn Rhys Hughes, Llanelli
