Annie Foulkes (24 March 1877 - 12 November 1962) was a Welsh writer and teacher of French. Her poetry anthology, ''Telyn y dydd'', became part of the curriculum in Welsh schools. Born in 1877 in

Llanberis (; ) is a village, community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking, mo ...

, the daughter of a writer and official of

Dinorwig Dinorwig sometimes spelled Dinorwic ( ; ; ), is a village located high above Llyn Padarn, near Llanberis, in Wales. The name is shared with the fort of Dinas Dinorwig, also within the community of Llanddeiniolen, on a foothill from Dinorwig v ...

slate quarry, she was educated at

Dr Williams School Dr Williams' School was a school founded in Dolgellau in 1875. It opened its doors in 1878 and continued until it was closed in 1975. Samuel Holland was actively involved in setting the school up and became its first Chairman of the Board of Gov ...

Dolgellau Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...

and later at the Collège de Jeunes Filles in

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

, France (1896–97). She taught French after graduating, teaching at Tregaron County School from 1898 to 1905, and

Barry County School Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

from 1905 to 1918. In 1918, she succeeded Robert Silyn Roberts as Executive Secretary of the Appointments Board of the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

. Foulkes spent many years in

Barry, Vale of Glamorgan Barry ( cy, Y Barri; ) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, on the north coast of the Bristol Channel approximately south-southwest of Cardiff. Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the resurrected Bar ...

, where she was an associate of Thomas Jones and his literary circle, and it was Thomas who convinced Foulkes to compile an anthology of modern Welsh poetry, which was first published in 1918 with the title ''Telyn y dydd''. The anthology became a staple in the Welsh school curriculum and was published in many new editions. She also authored a travel book documenting her trip to the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

. She died, unmarried, in

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...

in 1962.

References

1877 births 1962 deaths People from Llanberis Welsh women educators 20th-century Welsh educators 19th-century Welsh educators 19th-century Welsh women 20th-century Welsh women writers 19th-century women educators 20th-century women educators Anthologists Women anthologists Welsh travel writers British women travel writers {{Wales-writer-stub