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Tudur, Siôn
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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 ...'.

Miscellanea,

Miscellaneous papers of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') bound together in one volume. The contents include pp. 13-16, notes on the Welsh bardic order under the heading 'Cadair Tir Iarll'; 21-3, an incomplete, draft or variant version of a 'letter to the reader' [which Edward Williams had written as part of the intended preface to his volume Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain]; 25-8, notes on nine medieval kings of Glewisseg, the country 'lying between the River Usk on the side of Gwent and the River Elerch . . . on the side of Kibor in Glamorgan'; 29-31 and 37, transcripts of a Welsh poem entitled 'Cynneddfau amryw Barthau Cymru' attributed to Aneurin, and of a Welsh poem in the hexameter measure attributed to Dafydd o'r Nant; 34, a copy of a notice announcing that 'eisteddfodau' would be held at Corwen and Bala in [ ]; 39 + 42, a copy of an undated letter from 'D' to the editor of The Cambrian providing 'an English paraphrase' of a Welsh sonnet he had previously sent him; 45, a report in Welsh on opinions expressed by [John Moore] archbishop of Canterbury, and [Samuel Horsley], bishop of St. David's, in a debate in the House of Lords, 5 June 1793, concerning a proposal to send missionaries ? to India; 46, an incomplete copy of a letter in Welsh relating to the Moravian Church; 47-8, a transcript of a 'cywydd' attributed to Siôn Tudur; 49-52, a copy of the rules (English) of a society called the 'Berean Society'; 55, an incomplete list of ? the founders of churches in Glamorgan; 56, a note on Sir Robert Ffitsamon's policies in Glamorgan [late 11th cent.]; 60, a transcript of an English poem ? by E. Williams; 61, an extract relating to a nation of White Indians; 63, brief notes headed 'Bricks and Brickmaking'; 65-6, a transcript of a 'cywydd' attributed to Giles ap John; 67-8, an extract from the Gent[leman]'s Mag[azi]ne, April 1810, relating to the court leet of Pember, co. Hants.; 71-2, extracts relating to the use of a copper and tin alloy for making tools and weapons in ancient times; 73-4, an incomplete copy of a poem entitled 'Pennillion arferedig ym Morganwg ar ddydd Priodas'; 80, notes on the metrical foot in Welsh verse ('Corfannau Cerdd Dafod'); 82, ? an incomplete draft of the proposed title-page of [Edward Williams:] Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain; 85-9, a copy of the rules, etc. (Welsh) of a society called 'Cymdeithas y Bereaid' (see ref. to Berean Society above); 95-7, an incomplete transcript of a letter [1782] from the Rev. David Jones of Langan [co. Glamorgan], to the Countess of Huntingdon published in The Evangelical Magazine, January 1811 [p. 13], with versions of the said letter in English and Welsh verse; 98-100, a copy of an English poem described as the 'Birth day song of the Cardiff Gazette which was intended to be published on Saturday, January 2d 1813'; 107-10, a copy of ? a section of a letter referring to certain Welsh poetic metres, the poetic tradition in Gwynedd, and a book to be published by recipient ?relating to Welsh poetry; 116, brief notes relating to the poets Rhys Goch o Dir Iarll, D[afydd] ap Gwilym, and D[afydd] ap Edmwnd; 117, biographical notes on Thomas ap Evan ap Rhys, poet, born in the parish of Margam [co. Glamorgan] circa 1474; 124, transcripts of two 'englynion' attributed to Benjamin Dafydd 'o Langeinwyr'; 127, draft proposals by Edward Williams for publishing a volume to be called 'The Bardic Triades . . .'; 160, a sketch plan of a 'gorsedd' circle; 161-2, extracts from [David] Powel [: The Historie of Cambria now called] Wales; 168, a transcript of a 'cywydd' attributed to Meiric Dafydd; 175-7, autobiographical notes [by Edward Williams]; and 179-80, notes headed 'Queries in Rural Architecture, oeconomy, &c'. Interspersed among the items already noted are miscellaneous notes relating to Welsh literary, bardic, and antiquarian matters, lists of Welsh words, brief lists of miscellaneous Welsh triads, stanzas of English and Welsh verse, etc. Some of the notes are written on the blank verso, the margins, and even across the face of copies of a printed handbill issued by Henry Walters, March 1784, advertising his printing office in the town of Cowbridge, printed proposals, 1762, for the publication by the Cymmrodorion Society of a 'Natural History of the Quadrupeds and Birds of Great Britain and Ireland', a printed handbill (undated) setting forth the programme, etc. of a 'Society for the preservation of the remains of ancient British Literature . . . and for the encouragement of the National Music', etc.