Rowland Williams (Hwfa Môn) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Y Prifardd Hwfa Môn
Portrait by Christopher Williams (1905)
Born	Rowland Williams March 1823 Pen y Graig, Trefdraeth, Anglesey, Wales
Died	10 November 1905 Llys Hwfa, 11 River Street, Rhyl, Flintshire, Wales
Resting place	Municipal Cemetery, Rhyl, Flintshire, Wales
Occupation	Christian Minister. Avocation: poet and "Archdruid", (head of the Eisteddfod national arts festival)
Style	Cynghanedd
Spouse(s)	Mary Evans née Williams
Parent(s)	Robert and Gwen Williams
Awards	National Eisteddfod Chair (1862, 1873 & 1878); National Eisteddfod Crown (1867)

Rowland Williams (born March 1823, died November 1905) was a Welsh minister and poet. He was better known by his special poet name, Hwfa Môn. He was also the head of a big Welsh arts festival called the National Eisteddfod of Wales for many years. He served as the Archdruid of the Eisteddfod from 1895 to 1905.

Early Life and Learning

Rowland Williams was born in 1823 in a place called Pen y Graig, on Anglesey island in Wales. His father, Robert, worked on farms. His mother's name was Gwen. When Rowland was five years old, his family moved to a village called Rhostrehwfa.

At 14, Rowland started training to be a carpenter in Llangefni. After learning his trade, he worked as a carpenter near Bangor for a few years. In 1847, he became a lay preacher in the Independent church in Llangefni. Later that same year, he went to Bala Theological College. He studied there until 1851 to become a minister.

His Work as a Minister

Photograph by John Thomas, around 1875

On June 4, 1851, Rowland became a Congregationalist minister in Flint. He worked for churches in Flint and Bagillt. In 1855, he moved to lead churches in Wrexham and Brymbo. From there, he went to Bethesda in 1852.

After five years in Bethesda, he became the minister of the Welsh Congregationalist Chapel in Fetter Lane, London, in 1862. He stayed there until 1881. Then he returned to Anglesey to be a minister at Llanerchymedd. His last job was in Llangollen in 1888. He worked there until he retired in 1893.

Hwfa Môn, the Poet

It's not known when or how Hwfa Môn learned cynghanedd. This is a special, strict form of Welsh poetry. But he was very good at it. He became a bard (a poet) at the Aberffraw Eisteddfod in 1849. He was only 26 years old then. He chose the poet name Hwfa Môn. This name means "The Wise Owl of Anglesey." He picked it because he lived in Rhostrehwfa.

He won the special "Chairing of the Bard" award three times. He won at the Caernarfon Eisteddfod in 1862. He also won at the Mold Eisteddfod in 1873 and the Birkenhead Eisteddfod in 1878. He was also the very first poet to win the "Crowning of the Bard" award. He won this honor in Carmarthen in 1867.

Many people thought Hwfa Môn was very skilled at the rules of cynghanedd. However, some felt his poems weren't always very deep or creative. A famous poet, R. Williams Parry, once said that Hwfa Môn was "the creature most like a bard ever bred in Wales." But he also joked that Hwfa Môn could "never be found guilty of writing a single line of poetry." This meant his poems followed the rules perfectly but lacked true poetic feeling.

Today, not many of his poems are considered very important. But poets like Hwfa Môn were very important for keeping the tradition of cynghanedd alive. Without them, this special Welsh poetry style might have been lost. Because they kept it going, it could become popular again in the 20th century.

The Gorsedd and the Eisteddfod

Hwfa Môn is most famous for his connection to the National Eisteddfod of Wales. He helped make the Gorsedd of Bards a key part of the Eisteddfod's ceremonies. The Gorsedd is a group of Welsh poets, writers, musicians, and artists. Hwfa Môn, along with Iolo Morganwg and Cynan, helped create the modern Gorsedd.

In 1905, a portrait of Hwfa Môn was painted by Christopher Williams. The painting shows him wearing his special Gorsedd robes as Archdruid.

Family and Later Life

Hwfa Môn married Mrs. Mary Evans in 1853. She was a widow whose maiden name was Williams. He retired to Rhyl in 1893. He passed away there on November 10, 1905. He is buried in Rhyl's town cemetery.