Grave of Hugh Emyr Davies

menai_bridge_grave_emyr_daviesHugh Emyr Davies (d.1950)

Hugh Emyr Davies was born in 1878 at Abererch, Pwllheli. His gravestone describes him as Y Prifardd Emyr (“the chief bard Emyr”). He won many bardic chairs and two National Eisteddfod crowns. Chairs are for poetry in cynghanedd (formal alliteration), crowns for free verse. To hear his 1909 poem Cȃn y Gog, see below.

Emyr’s parents were Tudwal and Annie Davies. Tudwal was a farmer, county councillor and poet. After graduating from Aberystwyth, Emyr studied theology in Bala. His ordination was announced in February 1909 during a Methodist gathering in Menai Bridge (a town with which he had little association at the time). Later that month, he accepted an invitation to be minister at the Welsh cmenai_bridge_h_emyr_davieshapel in Oldham, Lancashire. He became minister for Llanddona (south-east Anglesey) in September 1909. His work subsequently took him to other places, including Brymbo, Wrexham.

Emyr won his first local eisteddfod chair aged 16. He won the National Eisteddfod crown in 1906 (when the peripatetic festival was held in Caernarfon) for a poem about the Mabinogion character Branwen. He repeated the feat at the 1908 Eisteddfod, in Llangollen, this time for an 800-line poem on Owain Glyndŵr (leader of the 15th-century Welsh uprising).

He adjudicated in many poetry competitions, including later National Eisteddfodau.

He married Sydney Elizabeth Hughes, of “Stores”, Bala, in 1910. They had one daughter. He was living in the Menai Bridge area when he died in 1950. His wife died in 1955 and is also buried here.

Their grave is a few metres from that of another noted bard, Cynan. Coincidentally, both he and Emyr hailed from Pwllheli, both won the crown at the Eisteddfod when it was in Caernarfon (Cynan in 1921), and both studied theology in Bala and became Methodist ministers.

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Cȃn y Gog
This poem describes the delight of Nan, the narrator’s fiancée, when she hears a cuckoo in early spring, but she sheds a tear of sympathy because her beloved does not share her enthusiasm. To hear the poem, read by Prof Gerwyn Wiliams of Bangor University, press play: Or, download mp3 file (726KB)

 

 

 

Bedd Hugh Emyr Davies

Ganed Hugh Emyr Davies yn 1878 yn Abererch, Pwllheli. Enillodd lawer o gadeiriau barddol a dwy goron Eisteddfod Genedlaethol. I glywed ei gerdd Cȃn y Gog, gwelwch uchod.
Roedd yn fab i Tudwal ac Annie Davies. Roedd Tudwal yn ffermwr, cynghorydd sir a bardd. Ar ôl graddio o Aberystwyth, bu Emyr yn astudio diwinyddiaeth yn y Bala.

Cyhoeddwyd ei ordeinio fis Chwefror 1909 gan y Methodistiaid yn ystod Cymdeithasfa Porthaethwy (tref lle nad oedd ganddo lawer o gysylltiadau ar y pryd). Yn ddiweddarach y mis hwnnw, derbyniodd wahoddiad i fod yn weinidog yng nghapel Cymreig Oldham, Swydd Gaerhirfryn. Daeth yn weinidog dros Llanddona ym mis Medi 1909. Yn hwyrach, aeth i fannau eraill, gan gynnwys Brymbo, Wrecsam, gyda’i waith.

Enillodd Emyr ei gadair eisteddfodol leol gyntaf yn 16 oed, ym Mwllheli. Enillodd Goron yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn 1906 (yng Nghaernarfon) am ei gerdd am chwedl Branwen. Cipiodd y goron eto yn Eisteddfod 1908 (yn Llangollen), y tro hwn am gerdd o 800 o linellau ar Owain Glyndŵr. Bu'n beirniadu mewn nifer o gystadlaethau barddonol, gan gynnwys Eisteddfodau Cenedlaethol diweddarach.

Priododd Sydney Elizabeth Hughes, o "Stores", Bala, yn 1910. Cawsant un ferch. Roedd Emyr yn byw yn ardal Porthaethwy pan fu farw yn 1950. Bu farw ei wraig ym 1955 ac fe’i claddwyd hithau yma hefyd.

Ychydig o fetrau i lawr y llethr y mae bedd prifardd arall, sef Cynan. Trwy cyd-ddigwyddiad, hanai Cynan ac Emyr o Bwllheli, enilloddodd y ddau y goron pay gynhaliwyed yr Eisteddfod yng Nghaernarfon (Cynan yn 1921), a bu'r ddau yn astudio diwinyddiaeth yn y Bala cyn dod yn weinidogion Methodistaidd.

Yn ôl i dudalen mynwent Llandysilio