John Davies (

bardic name A bardic name (, ) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. The Welsh term bardd ("poet") originally referred to the Welsh poets of the Middle Ages, who m ...

: Taliesin Hiraethog; 2 October 1841 – 20 March 1894) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

farmer and poet. He was born in the

Cerrigydrudion Cerrigydrudion, sometimes spelt ''Cerrig-y-drudion'', () is a village and community in Conwy, Wales. Until 1974 it was part of the historic county Denbighshire, when it became part of the newly formed county of Clwyd. When the county of Clwyd wa ...

area of

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

. He was educated at the school in Pentre-llyn-cymer, and then at Cerrigydrudion, where he was taught by his cousin Huw Huws. Completing his education, he returned to farm his parents' farm, Creigiau'r Bleiddiau. He remained there until his mother's death, when he moved, and for a period worked as a bailiff for C. S. Mainwaring of Llaethwryd, Cerrigydrudion. On marrying, he then moved to Shotton Farm,

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

, but following the death of his wife and their son there, he married again and moved to a small farm near

Denbigh Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills. History ...

. Unfortunately, when his daughter Alwen died in 1891, age 17, he was much affected, and his own health rapidly deteriorated. He died in March 1894 and was buried at Whitchurch, Denbigh. His writings include a number of poems in classical metres, and some free verse, such as "Pryddest Llywarch Hen" and "Rhieingerdd Elwy ac Alwen", he also wrote a novel, ''Y Sesiwn yng Nghymru'' ("On the Great Sessions of Wales"), which won an

eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

prize. A number of his poems were written for the Voelas family, and he may have been considered their household

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...

References

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* 1841 births 1894 deaths People from Denbighshire Welsh poets Welsh writers Welsh farmers {{Wales-bio-stub