Dr William Rees (Gwilym Hiraethog, 1802-83) (1870) NLW3364253

William Rees (8 November 1802 – 8 November 1883), usually known in Wales by 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, who m ...

of Gwilym Hiraethog, was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

poet and author, one of the major figures of Welsh literature during the 19th century. Gwilym Hiraethog took his pseudonym from his birthplace, a farm on the Hiraethog mountain in

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

. Largely self-educated, he was a polymath, who took an interest in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

as well as being a Nonconformist minister and a leading literary figure. In 1843, he founded 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 ...

journal ''Yr Amserau ("The Times")'' in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He used the newspaper to campaign for the

disestablishment The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular stat ...

of the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

in Wales. Rees also penned the hymn text of ''Dyma gariad fel y moroedd'' (''Here is love, vast as the ocean''), which was first published in 1847 but strongly associated with the

1904-1905 Welsh revival Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

. His ''Helyntion Bywyd Hen Deiliwr'' (''Predicaments of an Old Tailor'') (1877) was a pioneering attempt to fashion a Welsh-language novel.Brooks, Simon (2017), ''Why Wales Never Was: The Failure of Welsh Nationalism'', University of Wales Press, Cardiff, p. 63

Works

Poetry

*''Emmanuel'' (1861) *''Tŵr Dafydd sef, Salmau Dafydd'' (1875) (Metrical Psalms) *''Gweithiau Barddonol Gwilym Hiraethog'' (1855)

Prose

*'' Llythyrau 'Rhen Ffarmwr'' (1878)

Novels

*''Aelwyd F'Ewythr Robert'' (1852) *''Helyntion Bywyd Hen Deiliwr'' (1877)

Drama

*''Y Dydd Hwnnw''

References

* D. Ben Rees - ''The Polymath: Reverend William Rees (Gwilym Hiraethog 1802-1883)'' (Modern Welsh Publications)
DNB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, William (Gwilym Hiraethog) 1802 births 1883 deaths People from Denbighshire Welsh-language poets Welsh novelists People from Llansannan 19th-century Welsh poets 19th-century Welsh novelists