Portrait of Joseph Harris, 'Gomer' (4670840)

Joseph Harris (1773 – 10 August 1825) was a Welsh

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

minister, author, and journal editor. A

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

poet, he took the Biblical name of

Gomer Gomer ( he, ''Gōmer'', ; el, Γαμὲρ, translit=Gamér) was the eldest son of Japheth (and of the Japhetic line), and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 10). The ...

as his

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, w ...

. On 1 January 1814 he launched the first Welsh-language weekly '' Seren Gomer'' ("Star of Gomer") in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

. Gomer was born on a farm in Wolf's Castle,

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The county is home to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Park ...

, where a plaque was unveiled in his memory, making the 200th anniversary of the launch of ''Seren Gomer''. Gomer himself became a preacher during the religious revival of 1795. He married Martha Symons, and took on Back Street chapel. One of his best-known works, ''Cofiant Ieuan Ddu'', was a biography of his son, John Ryland Harris, who worked as a typesetter for his father's printing press and died at the age of twenty. The name of the

Gomer Press Gomer Press ( Welsh: ''Gwasg Gomer'') is a family printing (and formerly publishing) company based in Llandysul, west Wales. It was the largest publishing house in Wales. History The company was first established in 1892 and began as a general st ...

was almost certainly chosen because of its founder J.D. Lewis' high regard for Joseph Harris.
History of Gomer Press

Works

*''Casgliad o Hymnau'' (1796) *''Yr Anghyffelyb Broffeswr'' (1802) *''Bwyall Grist yng Nghoed Anghrist'' (1804) *''Traethawd ar Briodol Dduwdod ein Harglwydd Iesu Grist'' (1816–17) *''Cofiant Ieuan Ddu''

References

External links

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''Seren Gomer - the first Welsh weekly'' at the National Library of Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Joseph 1773 births 1825 deaths Welsh-language writers 19th-century Welsh writers 19th-century Welsh Baptist ministers People from Pembrokeshire Welsh-language poets

Works

See also

References

External links