b. in
Glandŵr
near
Swansea
on
17 Aug. 1863
. After studying at
Arnold College
, a preparatory school, he entered the
Presbyterian College
at
Carmarthen
. Although he had been raised a
Calvinistic Methodist
, his love of liberty brought him to the
Congregational church
at
Priory Street
and it was as a member there that he was received into the college in
1881
. He left the college in
1884
and spent some time at the
Lancashire College
in
Manchester
. By
1887
he had returned to
Carmarthen
as a
teacher
under
J.C.
Thomas
at
Parcfelfed school
. In
1888
, he was ordained as the
minister
of the
English congregational church
,
Mount Pleasant
,
Hirwaun
. He resigned his ministry in
1892
when he won a
science scholarship
to the
University College
,
Cardiff
. He probably went with
J.C.
Thomas
to
Weston
in
1894
, but by
1895
he had returned again to
Carmarthen
where, with
W.
Roberts
and
T. Wedros
Jones
, he sought to keep the
Old College School
open. He was the
headmaster
of the school from
1885 to 1913
and he encouraged generations of young boys into the ministry and into the professions. He accepted the
pastorate
of
Salem congregational church
,
Llandovery
, in
1913
and he remained there until his retirement,
on medical grounds, in
1922
. Every spring, he lost his voice. After retiring, he lived with his daughter and her husband,
Dan
Davies
, in
Mansfield Road
,
Ilford
. He was held in high esteem in
Llandovery
, as he had been in
Carmarthen
. On his departure from
Llandovery
, he was presented with a set of the
Encyclopaedia Britannica
. He took a leading part in the public life of the town of
Carmarthen
and he served as a
member of the council
and as a
J.P.
After he moved to
London
, he
ministered at the congregational church
in
Thames Ditton
from
1925
until his health forced him to give up this charge in
1930
.
His chief interest, after he retired to
England
, was
literary composition
. He participated in
eisteddfod
competitions from early in the century and he took part in the debates held in the pages of
Y Tyst
on
Welsh
orthography. He won
chairs
and
crowns
at the
Meirionydd
,
London
,
Powys
and
Birkenhead
eisteddfodau
. He was a
frequent competitor for the crown and for the chair at the national
eisteddfod
. Some of his publications are the products of competition, e.g.
Orgraff y Gymraeg: llawlyfr i blant ysgol
(
1925
);
Anfarwoldeb
(
1925
), the poem which won the
Crown
at the
Powys
eisteddfod
of
1925
;
Priod-ddulliau'r Gymraeg
(
1927
), which won a prize at the
Swansea
eisteddfod
of
1926
; and,
Elfennau beirniadaeth lenorol
(second to the essay by
D.J.
Davies
,
Treorchy
, at the
Treorchy
eisteddfod
in
1928
, but it was
Harry
's essay that
Foyles
chose to publish in
1929
). He won a prize at the
Pontypool
eisteddfod
for translating 3 lyrics from
German
into
Welsh
, and
Cynan
praised his lyrics at the
Dolgellau
eisteddfod
of
1949
. He was a thoughtful
preacher
but he shone as a
teacher
and guide of the young. He had an attractive personality which combined, in a natural manner, scholarship, patience and a sense of humour.
Between
1940
and
1949
,
Harry
lived at
Llandrindod
but by
1950
he was back in
London
. He died on his holidays at
Westcliffe-on-Sea
,
23 June 1950
, and he was buried in
Surbiton
.
