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LEWIS, LEWIS WILLIAM (Llew Llwyfo ; 1831-1901), poet, novelist, and journalist; b. 31 March 1831 in the village of Pen-sarn, Llanwenllwyfo, Anglesey. As a boy he worked in the Parys copper mines near Amlwch, and was later apprenticed to a Bangor draper. He then opened his own shop at Tal-sarn and after that a school in the same place. In 1852 he was sub-editor of Y Cymro (Holywell). In 1855 he went to Liverpool to edit the Amserau, in 1858 to Aberdare as editor of the Gwladgarwr and the Glorian, later to Denbigh where he was on the staff of Y Faner and, later still, to the Herald office at Caernarvon. He was also connected with the Gwron, the Gwalia, and the Genedl. In 1870 he went to the U.S.A. where he remained for some four years as joint editor of the Welsh newspaper, Y Wasg. Subsequently, he paid a second visit to the U.S.A. He organized many concerts both in Wales and in the U.S.A. — as a singer, Llew Llwyfo swept everything before him; he was also an eisteddfod conductor. In one way or another, he was one of the most gifted Welshmen of the 19th cent. He d. 23 March 1901 at Rhyl, and was buried in Llanbeblig cemetery, Caernarvon.

Llew Llwyfo was a writer of ‘heroic’ verse. He won the chair with his ‘Gwenhwyfar’ in the Merthyr Tydfil eisteddfod, 1859; with ‘Caradog’ in the national eisteddfod held at Aberdare, 1861; with ‘Llewelyn’ in the Rhyl eisteddfod, 1863; with ‘Dafydd’ in the national eisteddfod held at Aberystwyth, 1865; with ‘Arthur y Ford Gron’ in the Chester national eisteddfod, 1866; with ‘Elias y Thespiad’ in Ruthin eisteddfod, 1868; with ‘Gruffydd ap Cynan’ in the Wrexham national eisteddfod, 1888; and with ‘Ioan y Disgybl Anwyl’ in the Llanelly national eisteddfod, 1895. Besides these major awards he won a large number of lesser prizes at various eisteddfodau in Wales and the U.S.A. Here are his principal publications: Awen Ieuanc, 1851; Llewelyn Parri: neu y Meddwyn Diwygiedig (novel), 1855; Huw Huws neu y llafurwr Cymreig (novel), 1860; Llyfr y Llais, 1865; Troadau yr Olwyn, 1865; Gemau Llwyfo, 1868; Y Creawdwr, Cerdd ddysg (didactic poem), 1871; Cyfrinach Cwm Erfin and Y Wledd a'r Wyrth (two novels, undated); Buddugoliaeth y Groes (epic poem), 1880; Cydymaith yr herwheliwr: neu a gollwyd ac a gafwyd. Chwedl Wledig, 1882; Drych y Prif Oesoedd … ynghyd a rhagdraith gan Llew Llwyfo, 1883; A Selection of Sacred and Secular Lyrics from the Welsh with English versions by Llew Llwyfo.

Bibliography:

Bywgraffiad Llew Llwyfo, yn llenyddol, cerddorol, ac eisteddfodol, wedi ei ysrifennu ganddo ef ei hun (Llyfrau Ceiniog Humphreys, Caernarvon);
articles about him will be found in Gen., 1901, 1902,
and in Y Traethodydd, 1911, 1921.

Author:

David Gwenallt Jones, M.A., (1899-1968), Aberystwyth

Corrections and additions:

LEWIS, LEWIS WILLIAM (‘Llew Llwyfo ’; DWB, 557-8). He was the second of six children. At the age of eight he worked in the Parys copper mines. The draper to whom he was apprenticed in ‘Siop Goch’, Dean-street, Bangor (1845) was Edward Evans, father of Llewellyn Ioan Evans (1833-1892; DWB, 247); when Evans emigrated to America (April 1850), Llew went to work with John Lewis, clothier at Holyhead, and he married there. Later, he opened a shop at Pen-y-sarn (not Tal-y-sarn), and was there when he published Awen Ieuanc (1851). He kept a school at Llanallgo for a short while, but in 1852 he went to live in Llaneilian, as a weigher in a storehouse at Porth Amlwch — before the end of 1852 he went to Holywell, to the office of Y Cymro; afterwards he went to Wrexham as some kind of ‘visitor’ for the parish priest; then he went to a clothiers shop in Liverpool. When John Lloyd (see under Lloyd, Evan and John, DWB, 1141) began publishing Y Cronicl Wythnosol (not Yr Amserau) in 1855 Llew was appointed editor. This Cronicl ceased in 1857, and Llew returned to the Cymro at Holywell; but was soon on the staff of Y Gwron at Aberdare, under Josiah T. Jones (1799-1873; DWB, 491-2). He quarrelled with his employer before the end of the year, but continued with the Gwladgarwr to the end of 1858. Then he was employed by Thomas Gee (1815-1898; DWB, 274); and was at Denbigh in 1862. During 1863-65 he lived at Rhyl, but was back again at Denbigh by May 1866. He moved to Newport, Mon., in 1867 as editor of Y Glorian, in succession to Glasynys (Owen Wynne Jones, 1828-1870; DWB, 501). In September 1868 he sailed to America, on a singing tour; he was also for a short period editor of Y Wasg (Pittsburg). He returned in 1874, and by 1875 he worked in the Herald office at Caernarfon. His whereabouts thereafter are obscure; it is not certain whether he went to America a second time; he worked some time or other on Gwalia at Caernarfon, but by July 1885 that ceased and he is found writing to several persons (such as W.J. Parry, 1842-1927; DWB, 742) seeking employment or financial support. His health deteriorated. He was maintained at Llan-rug for some years by friends. On his return from Liverpool eisteddfod (1900), he stayed with his son at Rhyl, and d. there 23 Mar. 1901; he was buried at Llanbeblig. Append to the sources for his history: Adgofion Llew Llwyfo o'i Ymdaith yn America, ganddo ef ei hun (Hugh Humphreys, Penny books, second series, no. 63), and letters at N.L.W. and the library of the University College of North Wales; [Hywel Teifi Edwards, Llew Llwyfo: arwr gwlad a'i arwrgerdd (1999); E.W. Rowlands, Y Llew oedd ar y llwyfan (2001)].

Author:

Bedwyr Lewis Jones (1933-92), Bangor