''Y Traethodydd'' (''The Essayist'') is a quarterly cultural

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

published in the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, 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 P ...

covering historical, literary and theological topics. It is the oldest magazine in Wales and the oldest magazine in the Welsh language still in publication.

History

The journal was originally published in 1845 on behalf of the Welsh

Calvinistic Methodist Church The Presbyterian Church of Wales ( cy, Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), also known as Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity in Wales. History The church was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival and the ...

. It was founded by Roger Edwards and

Lewis Edwards Lewis Edwards (27 October 1809 – 19 July 1887) was a Welsh educator and Nonconformist minister. Life He was born in Pen-llwyn, Ceredigion, Wales, the eldest son of Lewis and Margaret Edward. He was educated at Aberystwyth and at Llangeitho. ...

and was modelled on the influential ''

Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'', ...

''.Davies (2008), pg 243. Both men were Welsh

Calvinistic Methodist Calvinistic Methodists were born out of the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival and survive as a body of Christians now forming the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Calvinistic Methodism became a major denomination in Wales, growing rapidly in the 1 ...

preachers, and Lewis Edwards successfully used the publication to disseminate information on the latest trends in theology, science, literature and philosophy.Davies (2008), pg 739. Edwards edited ''Y Traethodydd'' for its first ten years, when it was published in

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 ...

Thomas Gee Thomas Gee (24 January 181528 September 1898), was a Welsh Nonconformist preacher, journalist and publisher. Gee was born in Denbigh, Wales. At the age of fourteen he went into his father's printing office, Gwasg Gee, but continued to attend ...

,Davies (2008), pg 208. a fellow Nonconformist Welshman who was notable for printing Welsh magazines and journals. Today the magazine claims to "offer discussions on a vast range of topics relating to 'culture', in the widest sense" and is published four times per year.

References

Sources

External links

Editions 1900-2007 online at National Library of Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traethodydd, Y Magazines established in 1845 Religious magazines published in the United Kingdom Literary magazines published in Wales Welsh-language magazines Quarterly magazines published in the United Kingdom