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LLEWELYN, SION (1690 - 1776), poet

Name: Sion Llewelyn
Date of birth: 1690
Date of death: 1776
Gender: Male
Occupation: poet
Area of activity: Poetry
Author: Watkin William Price

Born at Cefn Coed y Cymer, Vaynor, Brecknock, 30 November 1690. His educational advantages were meagre, and although he learned to read Welsh, he was totally ignorant of English. Nevertheless, this self-taught bard published a collection of his poetry and hymns in a book of 60 pages, which became so popular as to demand four (possibly five) editions up to the year 1814; the title of the 1791 edition is Difyrrwch diniwaid … sef deunaw o Ganiadau … Gyd a Now o Hymnau duwiol . He was received as a member at the age of 18 into the old Nonconformist chapel of Cwm-y-glo, on the mountain-side between Merthyr and Aberdare by Roger Williams (1667 - 1730), the pastor. This pastor was an Arminian. Ultimately the Arminian members under their minister, Richard Rees, built a new chapel, the Hen Dŷ Cwrdd at Cefn, nearer to the home of Siôn, in 1747, with Siôn as one of the prominent promoters, and first deacon. The poet, a blacksmith by trade (although one manuscript calls him a weaver), died 1 January 1776, and was buried in the grounds of Hen Dŷ Cwrdd, Cefn. A marble memorial tablet was unveiled at the old chapel by his descendants on 17 August 1947. His grandson was William Harri, of Garw Dyle, Penderyn.

Author

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/

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