MORRIS, EDWARD (1607 - 1689) of Perthi Llwydion, Cerrig-y-drudion, Denbighshire, poet and drover

Eldest son of Morris ab Edward; he was christened 1 October 1607. He was married and had many children, one of them being David Morris, parish priest and schoolmaster of Capel Garmon (1685-1709). He died in 1689 while following his calling, and was buried somewhere in Essex; five of his contemporaries wrote elegies to his memory.

He was one of the best poets of the second half of the 17th century. He refers to himself as the family bard of Thomas Mostyn of Gloddaeth and on festive occasions he was certain of a welcome from the Mostyns and from the Wynn family of Bodysgallen. He was a master of cynghanedd, an able descriptive writer who was acquainted with the essentials of the old bardic fraternity, and a writer of cywyddau in the manner of the master poets. He learned the four and twenty metres and embodied them in his awdlau; he also wrote englynion on a variety of subjects and produced lyrics in the 'free' measures. His poems display a great variety of subjects and forms. Many of them are in lyric form. Some of his poems (his love lyrics in particular) are simple, delicate, and tender; some are didactic, telling people how they should live, and proffering advice; some tell a story and are full of wit and humour. The metre in which he really delighted was the 'three beat' but he did not confine himself to that metre.

At the request, and at the expense, of Margaret Vaughan of Llwydiarth, he translated John Rawlet's Christian Monitor (12th imp)). This book, Y Rhybuddiwr Christnogawl, ran through five editions: 1689, 1699, 1706, 1789, and 1805.

In the Reports on MSS. in the Welsh Language it is suggested that Edward Morris wrote Peniarth MS 200 , Cardiff MS 2.137 , Cardiff MS 1.5 , a page of NLW MS 434B , and two cywyddau in Cardiff MS 5.30 . It is difficult to be certain about these for we have nothing which we can definitely identify as Edward Morris's handwriting, but the various references in Peniarth MS 200 prompt us to accept them as his although we are compelled to doubt that he had anything to do with Cardiff MS 1.5 . There is an elegy to him on p. 364 of that MS.

Author

• Gwenllian Jones

Sources

• T. Parry, Hanes Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg hyd 1900 (1944)
• Cymru (O.M.E.), xxxvii
• Hugh Hughes, Edward Morris, y bardd o Berthi Llwydion, plwyf Cerrig-y-drudion, Sir Ddinbych ei achau yn nghyda'r rhan fwyaf o'i weithiau barddonol (Liverpool 1902)
• O. M. Edwards, Gwaith Edward Morus o'r Perthi Llwydion (1904)
• O. Jones, Ceinion Llenyddiaeth Gymreig (1876)
• Ffoulke Owens, Cerdd-lyfr yr hwn sydd yn cynnwys amryw garolau, a dyrifau o waith amryw awdwyr (Oxford 1686)
• Thomas Jones, Carolau a Dyriau Duwiol. Neu goreuon gwaith y prydyddion goreu yng Nghymru (Amwythig 1696)
• David Jones, Blodeu-Gerdd Cymry (Mwythig 1759)
• Cerrig-y-drudion parish registers, inspected by Mr. Evan Roberts, Llandderfel

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q18730222

Published date: 1959

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