Carneddog Manuscripts

A bound volume of manuscripts containing letters written by Carneddog to Thomas Richards, Librarian of the University College of North Wales, 1937; poetry and notes; an account of the building cost of Bethania chapel in Beddgelert, 1822; the hymns of Rev. Peter Williams, Carmarthen; miscellaneous papers regarding Llanfrothen parish, Merioneth and Beddgelert parish, Caernarfonshire,1839, 1840, 1847; receipts of rent paid for Gwastad Agnes farm, Beddgelert, 1849-1850; a collection of autographs of eminent Welsh figures; letters to Carneddog from various correspondents.

25 scrapbooks, mainly of newspaper cuttings, divided into poetry, gleanings, genealogy and death notices.

A printed publication O Greigiau'r Grug signed and presented by Carneddog to J.W. Jones of Blaenau Ffestiniog, together with an accompanying letters in which Carneddog complains of ill health and troubles relating the publication of the volume aforementioned.

Richard Morris Griffith, poet and local historian, lived at Carneddi, a farm of about 83 acres standing on the slopes above the village of Nanmor in Caernarfonshire. Born in 1861, one of eight children, he describes himself in a forward to one of his books as a troublous mountain farmer. He attended the Board School in the village of Nanmor, and following the deaths of four of his brothers and sisters, he took on the responsibility of running the family farm. He married Catrin Owen in 1889 and they had six children, four of which died at a young age.

Despite the toil and trial of everyday life, he was a prolific writer, contributing to the journal Bye-gones relating to Wales and the border countries and corresponding with various weekly newspapers regularly for over 30 years e.g. Y Genedl, Y Faner and Yr Herald Cymraeg. His contributions chronicled many local stories and events.

Amongst his publications are compilations of his own poetry e.g. O Greigiau'r Grug (1930) and collections of the works of other poets e.g. Tannau Tegfelyn; detholiad o'i waith barddonol (1924)

Items were received at different occasions and have thus been catalogued separately and incorporated into the General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts.

Open to all users.

Item 2382 presented by Carneddog in 1937.

Items 33072-33073 were donated by Mr Elwyn Roberts.

Description compiled by Elen Wyn Hughes, December 2001.

An item level catalogue is available at the Archives Department of the University of Wales Bangor. Reference numbers : General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts 2382, 5647-5671, 33072-33073

Usual copyright conditions apply. Reprographics are made at the discretion of the Archivist.

A collection of Carneddog Papers are also held at the National Library of Wales.

Williams, E. Namora, Carneddog a'i deulu (1985)