WILLIAMSON, ROBERT (MONA) Bardd Du Môn (1807-1852), teacher and poet

Born at Helygen ('Halkin'), Flintshire, the son of Owen Williamson, gardener, and his wife Dorothy. The family moved to Llanwnda, Caernarfonshire, when the son was about 12 years old. He went to no school, but received some instruction at the hand of the vicar and learnt English and French tolerably well. He kept school in various places in Caernarvonshire and Denbighshire, and, afterwards at Newborough, Anglesey, where he married Jane Roberts, and became friendly with the incumbent Henry Rowlands, a descendant of Henry Rowlands, author of Mona Antiqua. He competed on the subject of the awdl at the Aberffraw eisteddfod, 1849, but was not awarded the prize; his poem was published at Caernarvon that year under the title of Awdl y Greadigaeth. Other published works by him were Awdl ar yr Adgyfodiad (Caernarvon, 1851); Y Nadolig: Pryddest ar Enedigaeth Crist (Rhyl, 1854); Y Garddwr Cymreig (Caernarvon, n.d.); Pryddest ar Ddoethineb Duw (Caernarvon, n.d.); Hunan-Gyfarwyddyd i Gymro ddysgu Darllen, Ysgrifennu, a Deall yr iaith Seisoneg (Caernarvon - at least three eds.); Ieithiadur Cymraeg-Saesonaeg-Ffrancaeg. He died 20 May 1852, and was buried in S. Peter's churchyard, Newborough.

He had a son, OWEN WILLISON (1840 - 1910), who was also a schoolmaster and writer; he was born at Newborough 21 November 1840. After being in the training college at Caernarvon, he became headmaster of the church school and later of the British school in the parish of Llangeinwen. He died at Newborough, 22 December 1910; there he was buried. He was a frequent contributor to the various periodicals, and left a number of unpublished books. He published a history of Newborough (c. 1895) and a historical novel, Ceris y Pwll, 1908. The dates have been taken from his tombstone, but the rector of Newborough states that the only Owen Williamson recorded in the church registers was christened 26 February 1837. Perhaps this was a brother of the writer, who died before the latter was born; an ' Owen Williams,' aged 3, was buried in August 1840. The writer was buried 24 December 1910, his age being given as 70 - thus agreeing with the tombstone. If this is correct, he was christened somewhere else.

Author

• Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)

Sources

• T. R. Roberts, Eminent Welshmen: a short biographical dictionary of Welshmen... from the earliest times to the present (1908)
• Y Geninen (Gwyl Dewi) 1895, 9-13
• Cymru (O.M.E.), in, 197 et seq

Published date: 1959

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