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Wyn, Dewi, 1784-1841
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'Cronfa Dafydd Ddu', etc.

A composite volume compiled by Owen Williams, Fronheulog, Waunfawr in 1857. It comprises: I. 'Y Gronfa' (pp. 1-200), largely in the hand of David Thomas ('Dafydd Ddu Eryri'), containing an introduction ('Y Rhagymadrodd') signed 4 October 1790; an English translation by D[avid] T[homas] of two lines of poetry by Gwalchmai; 'Cyfieithiad o Awdl Sibli (Sibyl's Ode, translated by the Revd. Gor[onwy] Owen)' ('See the above, versified in D. Thomas's poetical collection'); etymons of Mr Jones of Llanegryn, Mr L. Morris, and D. Tho[ma]s; extracts from letters from the Revd. Gor[onwy] Owen to Mr Richard Morris of the Navy Office, London, 1753-67; Welsh poetry by Bleddyn, Gwgon, Taliesin, Cynddelw [Brydydd Mawr], 'Guttun Gwrecsam' ('sef John Edwards neu Sion Ceiriog now dead'), Rhisiart Jones 'o Fôn, Syr Thomas Jones ('Iechyd i Galon yr hen offeiriad O na bai Gant o'i fath ynghymru y dydd heddyw'), Hywel ap Reinallt, Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen (with a translation by Evan Evans ['Ieuan Fardd']), Hywel ap Dafydd ap Ieuan ap Rhys, Thomas Celli, Tudur Aled, D[avid] Thomas, Owen Williams (Waunfawr) (c.1820), Rhys Jones 'o'r Blaenau', and Goronwy Owen; English poetry by Alexander Pope, John Dyer, and Thomas Gray; anecdotes and biographical notes relating to Gruffydd Hiraethog, William Phylip, Sion Tudur, William Lleyn, etc.; 'Athrawiaeth y Gorphwysiadau', being rules of punctuation, copied in 1809 ('not intended for public inspection'); observations in verse on 'Barddoniaeth Gymreig', for publication in the North Wales Gazette, 1818; a holograph letter from D. Thomas to Robt. Williams, land surveyor, Bangor, 1820 (plagiarism of one of the writer's poems, comments on the poetry of 'Gutyn P[eris]', results of the Wrexham eisteddfod); 'Sibli's Prophecy. A Fragment from the Welsh', translated by D. Thomas; 'A Discourse between St Kybi and other saints on their passage to the Isle of Bardsey ...'; epithalamia to Dafydd Thomas and Elin, his wife, by [John Roberts] 'Siôn Lleyn', [Griffith Williams] 'Gutyn Peris', [William Williams] 'Gwilym Peris', and Dafydd Owain ('Bardd Gwyn o Eifion', i.e. 'Dewi Wyn o Eifion'), 1803-4; reviews by 'Adolygwr' of 'awdlau' by Walter Davies ['Gwallter Mechain'] and Edward Hughes ['Y Dryw'] on 'Amaethyddiaeth' submitted for competition at Tre Fadog eisteddfod, 1811; and critical observations on Welsh poetry entitled 'Ystyriaethau ar Brydyddiaeth Gymraeg ai pherthynasau yn gynnwysedig mewn rhai nodiadau ar waith Mr. T[homas] Jones ['Y Bardd Cloff'] yn y Greal', by 'Peblig', Glan Gwyrfai [i.e. 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri'] (published in Golud yr Oes, 1863, pp. 118-23), together with copies of two letters, 1806, to the author from 'Padarn' [i.e. 'Gutyn Peris'] and John Roberts ['Sion Lleyn'] containing their observations on the views set forth in the treatise. Pp. 61-8 are in the autograph of Owen Williams, Waunfawr. The compiler has included a few cover papers from manuscripts of 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri' bearing such inscriptions as 'This Morrisian MS (with some others) I found at a Farmhouse called Braint near Penmynydd, Anglesey, Sept. 9th 1793. D. Thomas' (p. 123) and 'This MSS (with several others) has been bequethed to me, by the Rev. David Ellis, late Rector of Cruccaith in Caernarvonshire. D. Thomas' (p. 189). Ii. The works of Griffith Williams ('Gutyn Peris'), Braich Talog, Llandegai, - 'Sef Casgliad, O Ganiadau, Carolau, a Cherddi, Ac awdlau, a Chowyddau, Ac Englynion ...', transcribed by Owen Williams, Ty ycha'r ffordd, Waun fawr, Llanbeblig, 1811, together with a few 'englynion' by Goronwy Owen (pp. 201-48). Iii. 'Bywyd a Marwolaeth Godidog Fardd, Dafydd Thomas; neu Dafydd Ddu, o Eryri', being a biography collected and transcribed by Owen Williams, Waunfawr; 'Casgliad Barddonawl O Waith Dafydd Ddu o Eryri, Y rhai a gyfansoddodd Yn ol ei argraffiad o Gorph y Gaingc' (imperfect) (1 page), 'Englynion ar Fedd Dafydd Thomas' by Dafydd Owen ('Dewi Wynn o Eifion'), Robert Williams ('Robert ap Gwilym Ddu' 'o'r Bettws Bach Eifion'), Griffith Williams ('Guttun Peris'), Richard Jones (Erw), Wm. Edward ('Gwilym Padarn'), and [Owen Williams]; 'englynion' by 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri', 1796-1815 and undated; and extracts from three letters from 'Dafydd Ddu Eryri' to P[eter] B[ailey] W[illiams], 1806-20 (the death of the recipient's parishioners in Llanberis and Llanrug, the death of the recipient's brother the Reverend Eliezer Williams, the displeasure of 'O[wain] Myfyr') (pp. 251-84). Iv. A transcript of Cofrestr o'r holl Lyfrau Printiedig ... (Llundain, 1717) (pp. 287-452). Inset are three leaves containing transcripts of a letter from Edmund Francis to [ ] (the writer's health, the recipient's preaching engagement) (incomplete) and of a letter from D. Thomas ['Dafydd Ddu Eryri'] to [John Roberts, 'Siôn Lleyn'], 1810 (the sale of the writer's [Corph y Gaingc]). Written on the inside lower cover is a long note by O[wen] Williams, Fronheulog, Waunfawr, 1857, of which the following is an extract, - 'Myfi a gesglais gynhwysedd y llyfr hwn o'r hen ysgrifiau a ddaeth i'm dwylaw oeddynt eiddo Dafydd Ddu Eryri ac a delais am eu rhwymo yn nghyd megys y gwelir yma er's llawer o flynyddoedd yn ol ...'.

Poetry, etc.

A composite volume from the collection of John Jones ('Myrddin Fardd') written in several hands of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and comprising ten main sections: (I) The first section (pp. 1-121 and some unnumbered items) contains poetry by Tomas Edwards Nant, S[ion] Owen, [David Owen] 'Dewi Wyn Eifion' [sic] and (mainly) Robert Williams ('Robert ap Gwilym Ddu'), some possibly in his autograph. Other items include a list of books ('Catalek of all ye books that I Have'), some accounts headed 'Cost Capel garn talwyd' and 'heb Daly am Capel garn', observations entitled 'Lwybr Dyn neu Ysdyriaethau ar bedair rhan oes Dyn' by Robert Williams, a letter, 1845, from Ellis Owen, Cefn y Meusydd, to Mr Robert Williams, Bard, Bettws fawr, Llanystumdwy, containing verses by Robert ab Gwilym Ddu entitled 'Pererindod o'r Aipht i Ganaan; and a list of poems by ['Robert ap Gwilym Ddu']. There are also some press cuttings and other additions by John Jones ('Myrddin Fardd'). (Ii) A memoir of David Owen ('Dewi Wyn o Eifion') by and in the autograph of John Thomas ('Siôn Wyn o Eifion'). (Iii) Miscellaneous items including 'Pymtheg Llwyth Gwynedd', poetry by Huw Llwyd Cynfal, Dafydd ap Sion and y Parchedig Mr Goronwy Owen o Fôn, and draft of a letter from 'Dyngarydd' [?David Owen ('Dewi Wyn o Eifion') ] to Mr Gomer' [? for Seren Gomer ], and 'A Memorandum Book' in the autograph of John Thomas ('Siôn Wyn o Eifion') containing notes on natural history, etc. in English transcribed from various printed sources. (Iv) Notes in Welsh in the autograph of John Thomas ('Siôn Wyn o Eifion') on theological subjects including extracts from 'Patrick's Places' i.e. the work of Patrick Hamilton, followed by short accounts of Phoenicia, Palestine, Assyria, Babylon, etc. (V) An incomplete poem entitled 'Carol Plygain am Bwrcas Crist tros eu [sic] Ddyweddi ...... (Vi) Two items in the autograph of John Thomas ('Siôn Wyn o Eifion') entitled 'Cyfrifiad byr am amryw o enwau neu Sectau a ymddangosasant yn y byd' (? incomplete) and 'Ateb i rai holiadau, mewn Llythyr oddi wrth yr Ysgrifennydd at ei ewythr John Roberts', which last item includes observations by Michael Roberts on one of the questions. (Vii) This section consists of sixteen pages and one loose folio. The first fourteen pages are in the autograph of William Elias, c. 1731-44, and contain poetry by Evan ap Llywelyn Vychan (beginning wanting), D. Parry, William Elias, J. Rhydderch, Owen Griffiths and D[afydd] N[anmor]. The next two pages contain verses in English by Gr: Lloyd and the loose folio contains 'englynion', one by Moris ap Evan ap Dafydd ['Morus Dwyfech']. A note at the foot of p. 9 reads 'Oed ein harglwydd, pan dorwyd, y ffordd y mynydd Bwlch Derwin gynta, 1739, y rhan isa, ai gorphen: Mehefin 18: 1740: Wm Ellias, a Griffith Davidd o fodychen, overseers', and there is a recipe for making ink on p. 10. (Viii) 'Englynion' by Edward Charles and a number of Welsh hymns (author's name not given). (Ix) This section is in the autograph of John Roberts [?'Siôn Lleyn'], 1767, and contains poetry by Roger Thomley, Michel Prichiard, Sion Thomas Bod-edern, Gwen Arthur, William Elias, Owen Griffith, John Philip, John Roberts, Hugh Roberts, Thomas Jones, Rich[ar]d Parry niwbwrch, ? W. Ell... and John Rogar [sic]. (X) Veterinary and other recipes, mainly in Welsh.