WATKIN-JONES, ELIZABETH (1887 - 1966), author of children's books
Date of birth: 1887
Date of death: 1966
Spouse: John Watkin-Jones
Parent: Jane Parry
Parent: Henry Parry
Gender: Female
Occupation: author of children's books
Area of activity: Education; Literature and Writing
Author: Bedwyr Lewis Jones
born 13 July 1887 in Nefyn, Caernarfonshire, the only daughter of Henry and Jane Parry. Her father was a sea captain who was drowned in South America before his daughter saw him. She was educated in the school in Nefyn, Pwllheli county school, and in the Normal College, Bangor, and then became an infants teacher in Aberdare, Onllwyn, Porthmadog, Trefriw, and Nefyn. She married John Watkin-Jones in February 1916. After World War I, she lived for a short time in Merthyr before returning to Nefyn in 1920, when her husband was appointed headteacher there.
She started to write stories in English for children's publications, such as Chicks' Own, Bubbles and Fairyland Tales, before she turned to writing in Welsh. Between 1939 and 1949, she won many prizes in the National Eisteddfod for novels and stories and short plays for children: she contributed often to Tywysydd y Plant, Trysorfa'r Plant, Y Winllan, Cymru'r Plant, Yr Athro, and especially to the comic Hwyl. She wrote many scripts for the B.B.C.'s programmes for children, and short plays for the children of Soar Independent chapel, Nefyn. In addition to Pwt a Moi (1953), Onesimus (1947), and three other books of short plays published in 1947, she published seven novels or historical stories for children - Plant y Mynachdy (1939) - (her own favourite), Luned Bengoch (1946), Y Cwlwm Cêl (1947), Y Dryslwyn (1947), Esyllt (1951), Lois (1955), and ' Lowri ' in Storïau Ias a Chyffro (1951). Every one of these, with the exception of Y Dryslwyn, is set in Nefyn, and together they ensure for their author a place in the front rank of authors of books in Welsh for children.
She died on 9 June 1966, and was cremated in the crematorium in Colwyn Bay, where her ashes lie.
Author
- Bedwyr Lewis Jones, (1933 - 1992)
- Yr Herald Cymraeg a'r Genedl, 13 June 1966
- Wenna Davies Hughes in Athro Arfon, No. 3, December 1969, 30-2
- information from H. J. Jones, Llangybi
- Mairwen and Gwynn Jones, Dewiniaid Difyr (Llandysul 1983)
Sources
- Wikipedia Article: Elizabeth Watkin-Jones
Further Reading
Published date: 2001
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
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