William Saunders (January 17, 1806 – June 30, 1851) was a poet and writer in Welsh, whose work won prizes at

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 ...

au in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

and elsewhere. He was a printer by trade.Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
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Birth and education

William Saunders was born on 17 January 1806 at Gwarcwm,

Llanllwni Llanllwni is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the A485 road south-west of Llanybydder. To the south lies the mountain, Mynydd Llanllwni. The population of 638 recorded in the 2011 Census was estimated to be 692 in 2019. Th ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

, the son of a farmer, Evan Saunders. He went to school in the local village of Castellhywel and then to

Carmarthen Grammar School Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Carmarthen was a selective secondary school in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire. It closed in 1978. Former students Among the school's former pupils were the educationalist Griffith Jones; the early Methodist leader an ...

. After completing school, he became apprenticed to a printer in Carmarthen. He later joined the workforce of Samuel Williams, a printer in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

Cardiganshire Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

Poetry and printing

While working in Aberystwyth, Saunders gained prominence for his nature poems and for metrical translations. He won eisteddfod prizes in Carmarthen and other places. His titles included "Y Gwanwyn" (Spring), "Yr Haf" (Summer), "Yr Hydref" (Autumn), "Y Gaeaf" (Winter), "Y Daran" (Clap) and "Y Môr" (The Sea). In 1830 Saunders moved to the printing and publishing firm of William Rees (1808–1873) in the smaller market town of

Llandovery Llandovery (; cy, Llanymddyfri ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 and A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and west of Brecon. Histo ...

, Carmarthenshire. He continued to work there until his death, on 30 June 1851.

Namesake

Another poet and author named William Saunders, not known to be related to him, wrote in English in the mid-20th century.Mothering Sunday. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, William (poet) 1806 births 1851 deaths Welsh-language poets 19th-century Welsh poets Welsh male poets Welsh translators People from Carmarthenshire People from Aberystwyth People from Llandovery 19th-century British translators