Dictionary of Welsh Biography

ABADAM, ALICE (1856 - 1940), campaigner for women's rights interests for several generations. Alice's father held radical views and adopted the family name Abadam based on the Welsh patronymic formula when he came to Wales in 1842. The authoress Violet Paget ('Vernon Lee', 1856-1935) was Alice's cousin, the daughter of one of her father's sisters. The library in Middleton Hall was home to a large collection of books in several languages and Alice benefitted from
ABDUL-HAMID, SHEIKH (1900 - 1944), architect and Muslim leader Sheikh Abdul-Hamid was born on 21 January 1900 in Rajputna (roughly coterminous with contemporary Rajasthan) in northern India. He is described as the son of a Rajput clan chief, though details of his family are absent. His first name was Sheikh, which may also have been a reference to his lineage, but it was not a religious title. From the age of fourteen he worked for three years as a draftsman
ADAM OF USK (Adam Usk; 1352? - 1430), lawyer He drew his origin from the town of Usk, on the river of that name. He owed his start in life to Edmund Mortimer, 3rd earl of March, who held the lordship of Usk as part of the inheritance of his wife, Philippa, and who in 1369 gave Adam the means to study civil and canon law at Oxford. In due course, he took the degree of doctor of laws and settled as a teacher of law in the university, where
AELHAEARN (fl. 7th century), patron saint He was, according to the lists, the son of Hygarfael, son of Cyndrwyn of Llystin Wennan, now Moel Feliarth, in the parish of Llangadfan, Montgomeryshire. He is the reputed founder of Guilsfield, Llanaelhaearn, and an extinct chapel of the same name, now covered by Gwyddelwern. His name, which often appears in the form Elhaearn, is also commemorated in Ffynnon Aelhaearn, a holy well, formerly
AFAN (fl. early 6th century), patron saint He is described as the son of Cedig ap Ceredig ap Cunedda Wledig, and is associated, as ' Afan Buellt,' with the cantref of the name in Mid Wales. Here are two of his churches, viz. Llanafan-fawr and Llanafan-fach; the third is Llanafan in the valley of the Ystwyth. An inscription of c. 1300 at Llanafan-fawr runs: 'Hic iacet sanctus Avanus Episcopus'; from this it has been inferred that he ruled
AIDAN (fl. 6th century), saint Known also as Aidus, Maidoc, and Madoc. His 'Life,' as preserved in Cotton. Vesp. MS. A. xiv at the British Museum and as printed in Colgan's Acta Sanctorum, reveals Aidan as a saint connected chiefly with Ireland. His youth was, however, spent in south-west Wales, where he was a pupil of S. David, and where his name has been preserved in church appellations and place-names. Traditionally close
ALLCHURCH, IVOR JOHN (1929 - 1997), footballer 358 appearances, and scoring 134 goals. In October 1958, aged 28 years, he requested a transfer and signed for first-division club Newcastle United for a fee of £28,000. Allchurch would surely have been a more recognisable name today had he moved at an earlier age to play in the first division, but his loyalty to Swansea at the time may well have hindered his career development. During his time with
ALLEN, JOHN ROMILLY (1847 - 1907), archaeologist Born in London 9 June 1847, he came of an old Pembrokeshire family, the Allens of Cresselly, and no doubt owed his middle name to the fact that his grandfather had married a niece of Sir Samuel Romilly. His father was George Baugh Allen, J.P., of Cilrhiw, near Lampeter Velfrey; his mother was a daughter of Roger Eaton of Parc Glas, near Crinow. Deserting his father's profession of barrister (of
ALLGOOD family A family of this name was for more than 150 years identified with the japanning industry at Pontypool and at Usk. The series begins with THOMAS ALLGOOD I (c. 1640 - 1716), a Northants Quaker who was invited by his friend Richard Hanbury to establish copperas works at Pontypool. He turned his attention to the possibility of producing lacquer from the by-products of coal. He died 8 May 1716, and
AMBROSIUS AURELIANUS (fl. ( c. 475)), British leader posterity, but of them Gildas had no good opinion, as can be readily believed, if his Aurelius Caninus was of their number. To Welsh tradition he became known as Emrys Wledig (Ruler), but confusion arose when he was identified with the Ambrosius of Nennius, the boy hero of the folk tale who confounded the magicians of Vortigern and gave his name to Dinas Emrys, near Beddgelert. Geoffrey of Monmouth treats
ANARAWD ap GRUFFYDD (d. 1143), prince He was the eldest son of Gruffydd ap Rhys ap Tewdwr, and, on the death of his father in 1137, stepped into his position as leader of the men of Deheubarth. He had already, in spite of his youth, showed in this year some independence; the S. Davids chronicle records how, without the assent of his father, he slew Letard 'Little King' - a local tyrant, as his name suggests, who from his seat at
ANARAWD ap RHODRI (d. 916), prince alliance with the Danish kingdom of York, but this bore little fruit, and instead he turned to Alfred of Wessex. He was cordially received; honour and gifts were bestowed upon him, and the king stood as his godfather at confirmation. In return, he promised obedience to Alfred as over-king, a position which gave him equality with Ethelred of Mercia. Such was his standing in 893, according to Asser; it was

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