DAFYDD TREFOR, ' Syr,' alias David ap Hoell ap Ieuan ap Iorwerth (died 1528?), cleric and bard

Born in the parish of Llanddeiniolen, Caernarfonshire, according to a statement by John Jones (Myrddin Fardd) in Cwrtmawr MS 561C . In one of his poems, 'Cywydd i ofyn geifr,' he speaks of Morgan ap Hywel, Llanddeiniolen, as his uncle. A summarized account by Irene George (Lloyd-Williams) giving particulars about the bard's history and his poems appears in Transactions of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society, 1934. In a list of clergy in the diocese of Bangor in the year 1504 Dafydd Trevor is described as rector of Llanygrad, i.e. Llaneugrad-cum-Llanallgo, Anglesey, and as a canon. This is how he describes himself in a deed (dated 1524 and signed by himself) by which he transfers ' Tyddyn Hwfa ' near Llangeinwen church, Anglesey, to Owen Holland and others - 'Ego dominus david Trevor clericus alias dictus dominus david ap hoell ap Ieuan ap Iorwerth Rector ecclesie pariochialis de llanallgo in comitatu anglesega' (N.L.W. Carreglwyd document 1824). An elegy on him by Ieuan ap Madoc seems to suggest that he died in 1527 or early in 1528 - Ieuan ap Madoc refers in his elegy to the death of two other contemporary bards, Tudur Aled (died 1526) and Lewis Môn (died 1527). Edward Lhuyd says that Dafydd Trevor was buried in Llanallgo and added that some of the parishioners could then indicate the site of his grave.

His poems - they are all in the cywydd form - consist of eight 'petitions' (the one in which a request is made for a concubine and a harp is, perhaps, the best known), four 'eulogies' (among them is one to ' Deiniol Bangor,' i.e. bishop Daniel), three religious or philosophical cywyddau, three elegies (one on the death of king Henry VII), a cywydd describing ' Ysgraff Porthaethwy,' i.e. the ferry over the Menai Straits, and two 'flyting' poems; sixteen of the above are printed in Transactions of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society and Field Club, 1935.

Author

• Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)

Sources

• To the references given above add M.A. thesis by Irene George (Lloyd-Williams) now deposited at N.L.W.

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Dafydd Trefor

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20732761

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/