Born 26 October 1861, son of Morris and Mary Griffith in Carneddi, a small mountain farm in the parish of Nantmor, Caernarfonshire, and not far from Beddgelert. ' Carneddog ' spent the whole of his life up to 1945 (when he and his wife went to live with their son in Hinckley, Leicestershire) in Carneddi, where his ancestors had lived for several generations.
He was educated in local schools at Nantmor (under William Ellis) and Beddgelert (under George Thomas). He was a sheep farmer but he became better known as a poet, prose writer, and journalist. An eisteddfod competitor early in life, he also began to contribute to Welsh weekly newspapers, e.g. Baner ac Amserau Cymru, Y Genedl Gymreig, and Yr Herald Cymraeg, c. 1881; his weekly column ('Manion y Mynydd') in Yr Herald Cymraeg was very widely read over a number of years. He contributed articles and notes to Cymru, Bye-Gones, etc., wrote biographies of Richard Jones Owen ('Glaslyn'), Richard Morris ('Yr Hên Lanc'), ' Tegfelyn ', and John Jones ('Jac Glanygors'); he prepared three selections for reciters (he often adjudicated in eisteddfodau) and also published Blodau'r Gynghanedd, Cerddi Eryri, and Ceinion y Cwm. He had an inexhaustible store of local lore, collected books and manuscripts (see NLW MS 7234-7253 and NLW MS 8404B ), and was always ready to give information to inquirers and to his numerous correspondents - he was, in short, an excellent example of the knowledgeable and cultured country-man writer. He married 11 January 1889 Catherine, daughter of Cadwaladr Owen, Nantmor and they had 2 sons. He died 23 May 1947 at Hinckley and was buried at Beddgelert.
Published date: 2001
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