HUGHES, JONATHAN (1721 - 1805), poet
Date of birth: 1721
Date of death: 1805
Child: Jonathan Hughes
Gender: Male
Occupation: poet
Area of activity: Eisteddfod; Poetry
Author: Thomas Parry
Born 17 March 1721 at Pengwern, near Llangollen. He is said to have written poetry at the age of fifteen, and in the course of a long life he produced a large number of poems, mainly of the type common in the 18th century, i.e. poems containing a good deal of cynghanedd and intended to be sung to the popular melodies of the time. Such poems by him appear regularly in the almanacs published by Cain Jones, Philomath, and others from 1755 to the end of the century. He also composed in the traditional strict metres; he wrote an elegy on Richard Morris, in the form of an awdl, in 1780. An interlude by him, Y Dywysoges Genefetha, was published in 1744, and a volume of his poetry, called Bardd a Byrddau , appeared in 1778. As an enthusiastic supporter of eisteddfodau in the 18th century, we find him mentioned in connection with the eisteddfod held at Selattyn in 1748, and naturally he was prominent at the eisteddfod held at Llangollen in January 1789. At the eisteddfod held at Corwen in May of the same year he was one of the three (Twm o'r Nant and Gwallter Mechain being the other two) upon whose works the panel of adjudicators failed to reach a decision, with the result that the compositions were sent to London to be adjudicated by the Gwyneddigion Society. He was also present at the Bala eisteddfod in September 1789. His eisteddfodic efforts however were not very successful; he was more skilled in the 'carol' type of poetry prevalent in the 18th century. He died 25 November 1805. A son of his of the same name (1753 - 1834?), was also a poet, and published Gemwaith Awen, Gwaith Beirdd Collen in 1806. The contents of the volume were for the most part his own compositions. He, in turn, had a son called Jonathan Hughes (1797 - 1860?), who was one of the poets present at an eisteddfod held at Llangollen in 1833.
Author
- Sir Thomas Parry, (1904 - 1985)
- Hanes llenyddiaeth Gymreig o 1651 O.C. hyd 1850 (1893), 407
- Cymru (O.M.E.), 1897, 94
- Yr Haul, 1893, 165
- Bye-Gones, relating to Wales and the Border Counties, 1891-2, 128
- Y Llenor: cylchgrawn chwarterol dan nawdd cymdeithasau Cymraeg y colegau cenedlaethol, xiv, ll, xv, 88
Sources
- Wikipedia Article: Jonathan Hughes
Further Reading
Published date: 1959
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
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