David Griffith (Clwydfardd)
Encyclopedia
David Griffith known by the bardic name
of "Clwydfardd" was a Welsh poet and Archdruid
of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
.
's Deserted Village
. In August of the same year he
won a prize for a poem on Difyrwch Helwriaeth (the Pleasures of Hunting). His subsequent Eisteddfodic successes were numerous, but not of much literary importance, his long winded verbose poems are an example of the output of the typical bardic poet of his age.
There is no extant record of when Clwydfardd was inducted into the Gorsedd, it was probably shortly after his success in the 1824 Eisteddfod. He was first recognised on a national level as a representative of the Gwynedd talaith of the Gorsedd
in the National Eisteddfod of 1834 at Cardiff Castle by Taliesin ab Iolo. According to the Merthyr Guardian newspaper dated 31 August of that year, he had walked all the way from Denbigh to Cardiff (about 160 miles) in order to receive his honour.
The following year (1835) an Eisteddfod was held in the Gwynedd talaith in Llanerchymedd
, Anglesey
, where Clwydfardd was acclaimed to be that Eisteddfod's Chief Bard.
Bardic name
A bardic name is a pseudonym, used in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement....
of "Clwydfardd" was a Welsh poet and Archdruid
Archdruid
The Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd.The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, The Award of the Prose Medal and Chairing of the Bard. From 1932 only former winners of the...
of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
National Eisteddfod of Wales
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
.
Early life
David Griffith was born on 29 November 1800 in Denbigh, Denbighshire, the son Richard Griffith a watchmaker in that town. Clwydfardd was brought up to work in the same trade. In 1826 he became a local preacher with the Wesleyan Methodists.Literary Legacy
Clwydfardd first came into prominence as a bard in 1824, when he won a silver medal at the Denbigh Eisteddfod for an ode on the Vale of Clwyd. In 1827 he won the prize at the Ruthin Eisteddfod for the best translation of Oliver GoldsmithOliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
's Deserted Village
Deserted Village
The Feltville Historic District, located in the Watchung Reservation, Union County, New Jersey, is a historical part of this area which still stands to this day. It includes eight houses, a church, a carriage house and a general house. Over the years this "deserted village of Feltville" has become...
. In August of the same year he
won a prize for a poem on Difyrwch Helwriaeth (the Pleasures of Hunting). His subsequent Eisteddfodic successes were numerous, but not of much literary importance, his long winded verbose poems are an example of the output of the typical bardic poet of his age.
Gorsedd career
When the Gorsedd was first invented by Iolo Morgannwg in 1792 it was split into four regions or talaith Cadair Gwynedd (north Wales), Cadair Powys (mid-Wales) Cadair Dyfed (west Wales) and Cadair Morgannwg Gwent (south east Wales). Clwydfardd was the first person to be acknowledged as an Arch Druid with seniority over all of the Gorsedds, not just of Wales but of the Isle of Britain and, indeed, the World. There is some difficulty in working out when, exactly, he gained this supremacy. Clwydfardd himself stated I was appointed Archdruid … in the year 1860; but it was in the Wrexham Eisteddfod in the year 1876 that I was licensed as the Archdruid of the Gorsedd… of the Bards of the Isle of Britain.' . The Gorsedd's website only acknowledges him as Archdruid from 1888. There is, however little doubt that when he died he was accepted as the one and only Archdruid of Gorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain (The Throne of Bards of the Isle of Britain) and all of his successors have enjoyed the same title.There is no extant record of when Clwydfardd was inducted into the Gorsedd, it was probably shortly after his success in the 1824 Eisteddfod. He was first recognised on a national level as a representative of the Gwynedd talaith of the Gorsedd
Gorsedd
A gorsedd plural gorseddau, is a community or coming together of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is occasionally spelled gorsedh , or goursez in Brittany....
in the National Eisteddfod of 1834 at Cardiff Castle by Taliesin ab Iolo. According to the Merthyr Guardian newspaper dated 31 August of that year, he had walked all the way from Denbigh to Cardiff (about 160 miles) in order to receive his honour.
The following year (1835) an Eisteddfod was held in the Gwynedd talaith in Llanerchymedd
Llanerchymedd
Llannerch-y-medd, sometimes also spelt Llanerch-y-Medd, Llannerch-y-Medd or Llanerchymedd, is a small village and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The Royal Mail postcode is LL71, and it has a population of 1,185....
, Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, where Clwydfardd was acclaimed to be that Eisteddfod's Chief Bard.