b.
19 Jan. 1810
at the
‘Harp’ inn
,
Llanfairtalhaearn, Denbs.
He was educated at the local school and at schools at
Rhuddlan
and
Abergele
, but returned home to be taught his father's trade — that of a
joiner
. When he was 15 years of age he was apprenticed to an
architect
of the name of
Ward
who was at that time superintendent of
lord Bagot
's mansion,
Pool Park
,
Ruthin
. In
1830
he was employed by
T.
Penson
(see under
Penson
,
R. K.
), who was
in charge of the bridges
of
Denbighshire
and
Montgomeryshire
, and in
1843
as an
assistant
in the firm of
Scott and Moffatt
,
ecclesiastical architects
,
London
. In
1851
he left them to join
Sir
Joseph
Paxton
and was one of the
superintendents of the building
of the
Crystal
Palace
and of the mansion of
baron Meyer de Rothschild
, near
Menton
,
France
. In
1855
he was again sent to
France
to supervise the building of
baron
James
Rothschild
's mansion, but after three years returned home to recuperate. He returned once more to his profession and supervised the building of
earl Russell
's mansion at
Battlesden Park, Beds.
As he suffered severely from
arthritis
he decided to retire and came back home to the
‘Harp,’
where he d.
by his own hand
in [
Oct. 1869
].
His works were
Awdl y Greadigaeth …
1849
;
Eisteddfod Genhedlaethol Abertawe
,
1863
,
Awdl er Coffadwriaeth am y diweddar Dywysog Cydweddog ‘Albert Dda’ …
1863
;
Gwaith Talhaiarn
, the first volume published by
H.
Williams
,
1855
, the second by
T.
Piper
,
1862
, and the third by
W. J.
Roberts
of
Llanrwst
,
1869
. He wrote the
Welsh
words for
Llywelyn, a dramatic cantata
,
1864
, and for
The Bride of Neath Valley
,
1867
. He also wrote lyrics for many of the airs in
Welsh Melodies
by
John
Thomas
(
Pencerdd Gwalia
)
and for songs by
Brinley
Richards
,
Blockley
,
Owain Alaw
, and
J.D.
Jones
.
[In
London
he became in
1843
a member of the
Cymreigyddion Society
, and
president
in
1849
; in
1855
he printed an account of its last days. His fame rests mainly on his songs and light verse, often satirical.]
