Cymdeithas Cymreigyddion y Fenni, which translates as the Abergavenny Welsh Society, is 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 ...
society in
Abergavenny. Early in its history it was very influential in the survival of the language in
Monmouthshire, and in Welsh intellectual life more broadly.
Motto
The society's motto is Oes y byd i'r iaith Gymraeg, which translates as "long live the Welsh language", or more literally "the age of the world to the Welsh language".
Founding
The society was founded on 2 November 1833, in the Sun Inn,
Abergavenny, with the purpose of providing its members with the opportunity to socialise in
Welsh, and to secure the use of the language more broadly in the town. It was one of several Welsh societies in this period to adopt the name "Cymreigyddion", seemingly in imitation of the
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
-based
Cymreigyddion Society
The Cymreigyddion Society ( cy, Cymdeithas y Cymreigyddion) was a London-based Welsh social, cultural and debating society, which existed from 1794 or 1795 until about 1855.
History
The Cymreigyddion Society was stated in later accounts to have b ...
.
The society's founding members were:
:President: Rev. John Evans, the vicar of
Llanover
Llanover (; cy, Llanofer) is a village in the community of Goetre Fawr in Monmouthshire, Wales.
Location
Llanover is located four miles south of Abergavenny just off the A4042 road to Pontypool. The community includes the separate hamlets o ...
:Vice-President: William Price, a solicitor in
Abergavenny
:Secretary: Thomas Bevan
:Non-Portfolio Members: T. E. Watkins and Eiddil Ifor.
The society soon attracted the attention of various members of the local aristocracy. These included
Charles Morgan,
Benjamin Hall, his wife
Augusta, Georgina Waddington, and Lady Elizabeth Coffin-Greenly of Titley Court,
Hereford.
Another early member of the society was the Welsh poet and scholar, Rev. Thomas Price, known better today by his bardic name
Carnhuanawc.
The society was fundamental in the establishment of the
Welsh Manuscripts Society
The Welsh Manuscripts Society, also known as the Society for the Publication of Ancient Welsh Manuscripts, was an organisation formed in Abergavenny, Wales, in 1837.
It was led by prominent members of the clergy and other notables including Tal ...
in 1837.
Society Publications
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Today
The society still meets several times a year in Llanfoist, and is now one of several Welsh language groups locally, including Cymdeithas Gwenynen Gwent and Merched y Wawr.
References
{{reflist
External links
Official WebsiteEiddil Ifor's medalsMr. Walter Morgan's Membership CertificateSociety Archives
Notes
Article in Welsh
Welsh language
Celtic language advocacy organizations