Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [1897x1927] / (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
11 vols.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Dyer Richards, Congregational minister and eisteddfodwr, was born near Saron, Carmarthenshire to a cultured and devoutly Independent family. His father died when he was thirteen years old and Richards went to work in one of the local coal mines. He began preaching at Gellimanwydd chapel, Ammanford in May 1896 and around this time began also writing poetry and prose, his early poetical writings appearing in the periodical Tarian y Gweithiwr. A little later he attended Gwynfryn School in Ammanford, during which time he contributed essays and articles to the Independent periodical Y Diwygiwr. In 1899 Richards enrolled as a student at Brecon Theological College and, in August 1903, was ordained minister at Trawsfynydd. His period at Trawsfynydd was probably the highlight of Richards's career as a poet and eisteddfodwr and it was here that he met the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans ('Hedd Wyn'), who became a close friend. He thereafter served as minister at Bedlinog from 1917 to 1922 and at Maen-y-groes and Nanternis from 1922 until his death in 1927. Richards was a typical product of the literary chapel-going community in which he grew up. He won several eisteddfodic chairs, including Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1909, Corwen and London in 1913 and Ammanford in 1922.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Mrs Griffith Evans; Cardiff; Presentation; 1935
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers, [1897x1927], from the library of John Dyer Richards. They include autograph poetry by Richards, many of which was written for competition at eisteddfodau; autograph sermon notes; material relating to Ellis Humphrey Evans ('Hedd Wyn') comprising transcripts by Richards of letters and poetry, 1917, by 'Hedd Wyn' and an essay and biographical notes on 'Hedd Wyn'; together with an autograph letter, 1917, from R. Williams Parry.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Arranged according to NLW MSS reference numbers: NLW MSS 10314-10324.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to abide by the conditions set out in information provided when applying for their Readers' Tickets, whereby the reader shall become responsible for compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 in relation to any processing by them of personal data obtained from modern records held at the Library. = Disgwylir i ddarllenwyr sydd am ddefnyddio papurau modern yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru gydymffurfio รข Deddf Gwarchod Data 1998 yng nghyd-destun unrhyw brosesu ganddynt o ddata personol a gasglwyd o gofnodion modern sydd ar gadw yn y Llyfrgell. Nodir y manylion yn yr wybodaeth a roddir wrth wneud cais am Docyn Darllen.
Conditions governing reproduction
Usual copyright laws apply.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Welsh.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume III (Aberystwyth, 1961), pp. 212-213.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Publication note
See Huw Walters, John Dyer Richards a'i gysylltiadau in Barddas 200/201 (Dec./Jan. 1993/94), pp. 6-9, which, as well as outlining Richards's literary merits, mentions his friendship with 'Hedd Wyn'.
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents.
Note
Formerly J. D. Richards MSS 1-11.
Note
Preferred citation: NLW MSS 10314-10324.
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Description follows NLW guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd ed.; AACR2; and LCSH.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
September 2008 & June 2011.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Description compiled by Bethan Ifan for the retrospective conversion project of NLW MSS, and revised by Bethan Ifan. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume III (Aberystwyth, 1961); NLW Full Catalogue on-line; The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941-1970 (London, 2001); Barddas No. 200/201 (Dec./Jan. 1993/4), pp. 6-9;