Susannah Berrington Gruffydd Richards

Susannah Berrington Gruffydd Richards (also known as SB Gruffydd Richards or Mrs Gruffydd Richards, 1854-1952) was a Welsh Harpist. She was an important figure in the revival of Welsh dance, specifically the Llanover Dances in the early twentieth century.

Early life

Gruffydd Richards's father, Thomas Gruffydd of Llangynidr, moved to Llanover to become the Court harpist at Llanover House and she was said to be the seventh generation of renowned Welsh harpists in her family and the third to be employed at Llanover. ^[1]

Work at Llanover House

Llanover House, Monmouthshire

While an accomplished harpist in her own right, Lady Llanover (1802 – 1896) employed a professional Harpist at her estate throughout her long life. The first such harpist, John Wood Jones was followed in the role by his student, Thomas Gruffydd of Llangynidr who in turn, was followed by his daughter, on his passing in 1887. ^[2]

While her partially blind father, Thomas Gruffydd is said to have trained eighteen harpists as part of the cultural revival instigated by Lady Llanover, Gruffydd Richards was also paid a monthly salary as a harp teacher and continued to be employed by the family after Lady Llanover's death. ^[3]

Later life

Delegates at the Pan-Celtic Congress, Caernarfon, 1904. Gruffydd Richards is in the back row, second from left

Gruffydd Richards would go on to be recognised as the "chief harpist of Gwent" and by teaching the Llanover dances to local villagers and school children as late as 1918, she was responsible for their continuation as a living tradition into the twentieth century. ^[4]

Her continuation of the dances her father had composed and the traditions revived at Llanover House during her youth was invaluable to the renaissance of Welsh dance and Welsh culture in the mid-twentieth century. Indeed, as Gruffydd-Richards was an important source of Welsh music and dances, she was responsible for their distributed to publishers and academics. Hugh Mellor's 1935 book, Welsh Folk Dance was primarily based on information he had obtained from Mrs Gruffydd Richards in 1926. While the version of Rhif Wyth published by Ann Griffiths was from a manuscript Gruffydd Richards had gifted to a resident of Llanover decades earlier. ^{[5] [6]}

References

1. The Routledge handbook on women's work in music. Abingdon, Oxon & New York, NY: Routledge. 2022. p. 409. ISBN   042957715X.
2. Griffiths, Ann. "Adlais 040: Telyn Llanofer, more about this publication". Adlais. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
3. Löffler, Marion. "HALL, AUGUSTA, Lady Llanover ('Gwenynen Gwent') (1802-1896), patron of Welsh culture and inventor of the Welsh national costume". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
4. "The Llanofer Reel – The Welsh Reel". Welsh Folk Dance Society. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
5. James, Angharad (2002). "A short history of Welsh dancing". 16th International Congress on Dance Research. Corfu, Greece.
6. Griffiths, Ann. "Adlais 040: Telyn Llanofer, more about this publication". Adlais. Retrieved 25 August 2025.