Dictionary of Welsh Biography

DAVIES, JAMES EIRIAN (1918 - 1998), poet and minister Eirian Davies was born on 28 May 1918, the son of Rachel and Dafydd Davies, both natives of Brechfa who had settled at a farm called Llain near Nantgaredig. His father was prominent in the religious life of the region and an elder at the local Presbyterian chapel. Eirian was educated at Nantgaredig Primary School and the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Carmarthen. The tragedy of losing his
DAVIES, RHYS JOHN (1877 - 1954), politician and trade union official Born 16 April 1877 at Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, son of Rhys Davies, tinplate worker, a native of Abergorlech, and Ann (née Griffiths), his wife, who came from Brechfa. In all she gave birth to 11 children, but died at the age of 34. Rhys John was educated at Church of England and British elementary schools at Llangennech. On leaving school he worked for three years as a farm labourer in the
DWNN, LEWYS (c. 1550 - c. 1616) Betws Cedewain, genealogist old, grey-headed bards of undoubted reliability whom he knew and the earlier generation of bards such as Gutun Owain, Ieuan Brechfa, and Hywel Swrdwal, with whose works he was acquainted. There is evidence to show that Hywel ap Syr Mathew, Wiliam Llŷn, and Owain Gwynedd (fl. 1550-90), were his teachers and that Rhys Cain was one of his fellow-pupils. In February 1585 he obtained through the
EVANS, DAVID CLEDLYN (1858 - 1940), schoolmaster, geologist, antiquary and a two-page list of fossils discovered in the Bala-limestone of Robeston Wathen and Sholeshook. He later examined the geology of the area from Brechfa to Glog and Llanybydder to Llangrannog, and discovered that the stones at Stonehenge were identical with those found on the Prescelly hills. On his map of the area he was able to delineate the boundary between Ordovician and Silurian rocks and
IEUAN BRECHFA (c.1430 - 1500), poet and genealogist A native of Brechfa, Carmarthenshire. No details concerning him are known, but a number of his poems remain in manuscript, and part of a pedigree manuscript is apparently in his hand (Peniarth MS 131 (199-308)). Various other manuscripts contain references to his pedigree manuscript (Peniarth MS 128, Peniarth MS 132, Peniarth MS 133, Peniarth MS 139i, Peniarth MS 139ii Peniarth MS 139iii
LEWIS, RICHARD MORRIS (1847 - 1918), scholar and littérateur Born 1847 at Forest Arms, Brechfa, Carmarthenshire, son of John and Leisa Lewis. He became principal clerk in H.M. Inland Revenue offices, Swansea. Translations by him appear in Welsh hymnaries; he also made metrical renderings in Welsh of passages from Homer's ' Iliad.' Perhaps his most important contribution is his translation of Gray's Elegy. He died 20 September 1918, and was buried in
PRYTHERCH, WILLIAM (1804 - 1888), Calvinistic Methodist minister ), Calvinistic Methodist minister Religion He was born 28 June 1846 at Llwyn Owen, a farm in the parish of Cil-y-cwm. He had been a schoolmaster at Ty-croes, Garn-swllt, and Pentre-bach, and began to preach 10 September 1863 at Pentre-bach, a school-room which was under the aegis of Gopa church at Pontardulais. In October 1868 he took charge of the churches at Brechfa and Pont-ynys-wen, and in the summer of
THOMAS, WILLIAM (Gwilym Marles; 1834 - 1879), Unitarian minister, social reformer, writer, and schoolmaster Born at Glan Rhyd y Gwiail, near Brechfa, Carmarthenshire, son of William and Ann Thomas (née Jones), but adopted by his father's sister. He was educated at Ffrwd-y-fâl school, 1851, Carmarthen College, 1852-6, and Glasgow University, 1856-60, where he graduated M.A. He was an Independent when he went to Carmarthen College, but a Unitarian when he left it, and when he had completed his course at
WILLIAMS, WILLIAM NANTLAIS (1874 - 1959), minister (Presb.), editor, poet and hymn writer Maud Jones (granddaughter of the eccentric Thomas Job, Cynwyl), and they had three sons and two daughters; she died in 1911; (2) in 1916, Annie Price (head-mistress of Mountain Ash school and daughter of T. Price, minister of Brechfa). He died 18 June 1959, and his remains were buried in front of the new chapel of Bethany. After the Revival Nantlais became associated with the leading personalities

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