Cymdeithas Cymreigyddion y Fenni, which translates as the Abergavenny Welsh Society, is a Welsh language society in Abergavenny. Early in its history it was very influential in the survival of the language in Monmouthshire, and in Welsh intellectual life more broadly. [1]
The society's motto is Oes y byd i'r iaith Gymraeg, which translates as "long live the Welsh language", or more literally "the age of the world to the Welsh language".
The society was founded on 2 November 1833, in the Sun Inn, Abergavenny, with the purpose of providing its members with the opportunity to socialise in Welsh, and to secure the use of the language more broadly in the town. It was one of several Welsh societies in this period to adopt the name "Cymreigyddion", seemingly in imitation of the London-based Cymreigyddion Society. [2]
The society's founding members were:
The society soon attracted the attention of various members of the local aristocracy. These included Charles Morgan, Benjamin Hall, his wife Augusta, Georgina Waddington, and Lady Elizabeth Coffin-Greenly of Titley Court, Hereford.
Another early member of the society was the Welsh poet and scholar, Rev. Thomas Price, known better today by his bardic name Carnhuanawc.
The society was fundamental in the establishment of the Welsh Manuscripts Society in 1837. [3]
The society still meets several times a year in Llanfoist, and is now one of several Welsh language groups locally, including Cymdeithas Gwenynen Gwent and Merched y Wawr.
Parts of the Bible have been translated into Welsh since at least the 15th century, but the most widely used translation of the Bible into Welsh for several centuries was the 1588 translation by William Morgan, Y Beibl cyssegr-lan sef Yr Hen Destament, a'r Newydd as revised in 1620. The Beibl Cymraeg Newydd was published in 1988 and revised in 2004. Beibl.net is a translation in colloquial Welsh which was completed in 2013.
Owen Jones, known by his bardic name of Owain Myfyr, was a Welsh antiquarian.
The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, often called simply the Cymmrodorion, is a London-based Welsh learned society, with membership open to all. It was first established in 1751 as a social, cultural, literary and philanthropic institution. It fell into abeyance between 1787 and 1820, and again between 1843 and 1873. In its second and third incarnations its interests have been predominantly cultural and antiquarian. The present society claims continuity from that founded in 1751, although the three successive societies have in fact been slightly different in character and aims.
The Reverend Thomas Price was a historian and a major Welsh literary figure of the early 19th century. Price was also "an essayist, orator, naturalist, educationalist, linguist, antiquarian, artist and musician". He contributed to learned and popular journals and was a leading figure in the revival of the Eisteddfod.
Richard Morris was a Welsh writer and editor, a younger brother of Lewis Morris.
John Jones, known by his bardic name of Talhaiarn, was a Welsh poet and architect.
Jane Williams was a Welsh writer, often known by her bardic name of Ysgafell. She is sometimes confused with her contemporary, Maria Jane Williams.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1771 to Wales and its people.
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The Cambrian Archaeological Association was founded in 1846 to examine, preserve and illustrate the ancient monuments and remains of the history, language, manners, customs, arts and industries of Wales and the Welsh Marches and to educate the public in such matters. The association's activities include sponsoring lectures, field visits, and study tours; as well as publishing its journal, Archaeologia Cambrensis, and monographs. It also provides grants to support research and publications.
Robert Thomas Jenkins CBE was a Welsh historian and academic.
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Events from the year 1755 in Wales.
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The Gwyneddigion Society was a London-based Welsh literary and cultural society. The original society was founded in 1770 and wound up in 1843. It was briefly revived in 1978. Its proceedings were conducted through the medium of Welsh.
The Honourable and Loyal Society of Antient Britons was a London-based Welsh social, cultural, and philanthropic society, which was in existence from 1715 until the end of the 18th century.
The Cymreigyddion Society was a London-based Welsh social, cultural and debating society, which existed from 1794 or 1795 until about 1855.
Edward Jones, nicknamed "Ginshop" Jones, was a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist "exhorter" and lay preacher in London, who ended his life in disgrace.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1715 to Wales and its people.
"The Poet and the Grey Friar" is a satirical poem in the form of a traethodl by the 14th-century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, widely seen as the greatest of the Welsh-language poets. In it he relates an imaginary conversation with a Franciscan friar in which, rejecting the ascetic philosophy of the friar, he sets out a defence of love, poetry and the worldly life. It was included in The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse and The Penguin Book of Welsh Verse.