Y Cymry ym Mhatagonia
[English] Y mis hwn rydym trafod sefydlu gwladfa Gymreig ym Mhatagonia yng nghanol y 19eg ganrif. Ceir yma hefyd linciau i nifer o wefannau dethol a rhestr ddarllen. listed on 
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Lluniau hawlfraint © Prifysgol Bangor. Mae’r rhain yn linciau i ddelweddau mwy a rhagor o wybodaeth
Yn ystod y 19eg ganrif dechreuodd rai unigolion yng Nghymru a’r Unol Daleithiau gredu yn y welediaeth o greu Gwladfa Gymreig. Eu gobaith oedd y byddai modd i Gymry gael byw ac addoli a chadw eu hiaith a’u traddodiadau yn fyw heb unrhyw ddylanwadau estron.
Ymysg y gŵyr mwyaf blaenllaw a oedd o blaid gweld Gwladfa yn cael ei sefydlu oedd y Parchedig Michael D. Jones, a oedd yn weinidog gyda’r Annibynwyr. Treuliodd ef gyfnod yn yr Unol Daleithiau fel gweinidog, a buan y sylweddolodd Michael D. Jones pa mor gyflym y byddai’r Cymry yn ymgynefino mewn gwlad newydd gan golli eu hiaith. Roedd ef o’r farn y byddai’n well i’r Cymry ymfudo i wlad lle nad oedd Saesneg yn brif iaith. Edrychwyd ar sawl ardal cyn penderfyny ar Batagonia yn yr Ariannin fel lle delfrydol i ymsefydlu.
Ar y cychwyn, cafwyd problemau i ariannu’r fenter a chasglu digon o gefnogaeth. Roedd y trafodaethau gyda llywodraeth Ariannin hefyd yn drafferthus.
Fodd bynnag, cychwynodd y grwp cyntaf o ymfudwyr ar yr 28ain o Fai 1865. Hwyliodd 150 o Lerpwl ar y Mimosa. Cymerodd ddau fis iddynt gyrraedd New Bay (a enwyd yn ddiweddarach yn Porth Madryn / Puerto Madryn).
Mewn gwirionedd, nid oedd bywyd ym Mhatagonia yn hawdd. Roedd yna dlodi a chaledi wrth iddynt geisio gwneud bywoliaeth o’r tir. Ond, yn raddol, sefydlwyd cymdeithasau Cymraeg eu hiaith ac adeiladwyd capeli ac ysgolion.
Yn ystod yr 20ed ganrif, gwelwyd dirywiad yn yr iaith a’r diwylliant Cymreig, fel y daeth Sbaeneg yn iaith swyddogol yn y wlad. Ond, yn y 60au atgyfnerthwyd y cysylltiadau rhwng Cymru a’r Wladfa ac fe arweiniodd hyn at adfywiad yn yr iaith a’r diwylliant ymysg disgynyddion yr ymfydwyr cyntaf.
Ganed Michael D. Jones yn Llanuwchllyn ger y Bala. Roedd yn genedlaetholwr ac yn weinidog gyda’r Annibynwyr. Ond fe’i adwaenir yn bennaf fel sefydlydd y Wladfa ym Mhatagonia.
Yn dilyn cyfnod o astudiaeth yng Nghaerfyrddin a Llundain, aeth i weithio i Ohio ym 1848, lle’r oedd ei chwaer wedi ymsefydlu er 1837. Fe’i ordeinwyd yn weinidog yn Cincinnati, lle yr oedd yn dyst i’r holl galedi a wynebodd y Cymry yn eu cymunedau newydd. Arhosodd Michael D. Jones yno am ddwy flynedd. Dychwelodd i Gymru gyda’r bwriad o sefydlu Gwladfa a fyddai’n bell oddi wrth dylanwadau Seisnig ac Americanaidd.
Yng Nghymru daeth yn Brifathro Coleg Annibynol y Bala. Priododd Ann Lloyd ym 1859 gan ymgartrefu yn Bodiwan, Bala. Cawsant bedwar o blant, Llwyd, Mihangel, Myfanwy a Maironwen.
Er i Michael D. Jones ymweld â’r Wladfa ym 1882, ni symudodd yno i fyw. Yn hytrach, ymfudodd ei feibion i’r Ariannin. Lladdwyd un ohonynt, Llwyd ap Iwan, ym 1909.
- Elen Wyn Simpson, Archifydd Cynorthwyol, Archifdy, Prifysgol Bangor.
Disgrifiad o gasgliadau
- Michael D. Jones (1822-1898): minister and Principal of the Bala Independent College; played an important role in establishing a Welsh colony in Patagonia, including investing financially.
- Michael D Jones: letters to a Liverpool firm regarding the passage of Welsh emigrants to Patagonia.
- E. Pan Jones (1834-1922): preacher, poet, satirist, and debater; collection includes notes and ephemera on the Welsh in Patagonia.
- Lewis Jones (1836-1904): one of the pioneers of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia; correspondence concerning supplies to the colony.
- E. J. Williams (1857-1932): engineer who emigrated to the Welsh colony in Patagonia
- D. G. Goodwin: (1863-1912) bibliographer and researcher; collection includes newscuttings, 1863-1883, on the Welsh in Patagonia.
- John Williams Jones (20th century): collection includes letters from correspondents in Patagonia.
- Nefydd Hughes Cadfan (20th century): research notes for an MA on the history and literature, beginnings and development of the Welsh colony in Patagonia.
- R. Bryn Williams (1902-1981): historian of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia, author of Y Wladfa, 1962.
- Class and Community: The Welsh Experience (late 1970s): videos of lectures organised by Llafur (the society for the study of Welsh labour history) and the Welsh Trades Union Congress; includes a presentation on the Welsh in Patagonia.
- Welsh Colonising and General Trading Company Limited (19th century): Michael D. Jones was the Chairman of the company, and invested in the scheme financially.
- Society for the Assistance of Church Causes (19th century): the Society collected for the Welsh Mission in Patagonia, amongst others.
Linciau perthnasol
- Manuscripts, letters and theses relating to the Welsh Colony in Patagonia (National Library of Wales website)
- Welsh Colony in Patagonia (The National Archives website)
- The Welsh in Patagonia (BBC website)
- Glaniad: photographs, images of manuscripts and ephemera at Bangor University relating to the Welsh Settlement in Patagonia (Gathering the Jewels website)
- The Cardiff Centre for Welsh American Studies: founded at Cardiff University in 2001 to promote the study of the culture, language, literature and history of the Welsh in the America.
- Welsh books en route to Patagonia: over a thousand Welsh-language books are being sent to Welsh schools in Patagonia by the Welsh Book Council.
- Welsh-Argentina Society: Cymdeithas Cymru-Ariannin is a charity founded in 1939 to arrange exchanges for teachers, students and ministers of religion between Wales and Argentina.
- Chapels, tea houses and gauchos: The Welsh in Patagonia (BBC website)
- Your Archives: Migration: these pages are for you to contribute your knowledge of archival sources held by The National Archives and by other archives throughout the UK. These pages includes details of ships' logs and of passenger lists.
Rhestr ddarllen
Links
are provided to records on Copac for these items. Copac
is the free, web based national union catalogue, containing the holdings
of many of the major university and National Libraries in UK and Ireland
plus a number of special libraries. For more information about accessing
items see the FAQs
on the Copac website.
- "The first Welsh footstep in Patagonia: the primitive location of Port Madryn" by Fernando R.Coronato in Welsh History Review, 18:4 (1997) Records on Copac
- Catalogue of an exhibition of paintings of Patagonia by Kyffin Williams, with a poem "The Settlers" by John Ormond and a short historical article "The Welsh in Patagonia" by the artist.Kyffin Williams (1970) Records on Copac
- Crisis in Chubut: A chapter in the history of the Welsh colony in Patagonia by Geraint Dyfnallt Owen (1977) Records on Copac
- A Welsh Song In Patagonia: memories of the Welsh colonization in Patagonia by William Casnodyn Rhys (2005) Records on Copac
- Rocky Trip: The route of the Welsh in Patagonia by Sergio Sepiurka and Jorge Miglioli (2004) Records on Copac
- Daniel Evans in Patagonia (Welsh History Stories) by John Evans and illustrated by Malcolm Stokes (1996) Records on Copac
- The Welsh in Patagonia: a Critical Bibliographic Review by Glyn Williams (1979) Records on Copac
- Gwladfa Patagonia / La Colonia Galesa De Patagonia / The Welsh Colony in Patagonia 1865-2000 by R. Bryn Williams (2000) Records on Copac
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