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John Jones (1836 – 27 July 1921), better known under his ''nom de plume'' Myrddin Fardd, was a Welsh writer and antiquarian scholar born at Tan-y-Ffordd in the village of
Mynytho
Mynytho is a small village in the parish of Llanengan near the southern coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in northwestern Wales. It consists of a few houses and some farmland. There are also several campsites on the outskirts of the village. The popu ...
, Llangian
Llangian is a small village and former civil parish on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It is located north west of Abersoch, in the community of Llanengan. The parish was abolished in 1934 and divided between Llanengan ...
, Caernarfonshire. He was a translator and a collector of folklore.
Jones was the son of John and Ann Owen, and had an older brother named Owain, who wrote for periodicals such as ''Y Brython'' and ''Golud yr Oes''. He had an elementary education at Foel-gron School in Mynytho, after which he was apprenticed to a smith at Llanystumdwy. He remained in the blacksmith's trade for most of his life, setting up in business at Chwilog
Chwilog is a village in Eifionydd on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It forms part of the community of Llanystumdwy. The name means 'abounding in beetles' and was perhaps transferred from an earlier name of the river (or a ...
, but from 1861 onwards he was also a regular competitor at eisteddfodau, both as a poet and a prose writer. His first book, ''Golygawd o Ben Carreg yr Imbill, Gerllaw Pwllheli'', was published in 1858.
Owain's death in 1866 left John the task of continuing his research. He researched in parish registers and graveyards throughout Wales, and collected manuscripts and old letters, most of which are now in the collection of the National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...
. Much of the folklore he recorded was a result of oral questioning of individuals. His 1908 book ''Llên Gwerin Sir Gaernarfon'' (''Caernarfonshire Folklore'') is considered his best work; it consists of folk tales from the former Caernarfonshire (now western Conwy and northern Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
), collected from many sources and summarised with his own comments and explanations. However, some of his research is considered by later scholars such as T. Gwynn Jones
Professor Thomas Gwynn Jones C.B.E. (10 October 1871 – 7 March 1949), more widely known as T. Gwynn Jones, was a leading Welsh poet, scholar, literary critic, novelist, translator, and journalist who did important work in Welsh literature, W ...
and Georges Dumézil
Georges Edmond Raoul Dumézil (4 March 189811 October 1986) was a French philologist, linguist, and religious studies scholar who specialized in comparative linguistics and mythology. He was a professor at Istanbul University, École pratique d ...
to have been negligent.
Works
*''Golygawd o Ben Carreg yr Imbill, Gerllaw Pwllheli'' (1858) *'' Adgof Uwch Anghof'' (1883) *''Gleanings from God's Acre'' (1903) *''Cynfeirdd Lleyn'' (1905), *''Gwerin-Eiriau Sir Gaernarfon'' (1907) *''Llên Gwerin Sir Gaernarfon'' (1908) *''Enwogion Sir Gaernarfon'' (1922)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myrddin Fardd 1836 births 1921 deaths Welsh-language writers 19th-century Welsh writers 20th-century Welsh writers People from Gwynedd Welsh antiquarians