Gwili Letters

Letters addressed to Gwili from various correspondents, including Ifan ab Owen, Edward Anwyl, Mary Davies, W. J. Gruffydd, Saunders Lewis, D. Lleufer Thomas to name but a few. The correspondents congratulate Gwili on his various achievements and discuss poetry and published works. The compositions entered for several National Eisteddfod competitions are mentioned, including the free meter poems in the Birkenhead Eisteddfod in 1917.

John Jenkins, poet and theologian, was born in 1872 at Hendy, Carmarthenshire. He received his education at the Baptist College in Bangor, the University College Cardiff and Jesus College, Oxford.

As well as being a lecturer at Bangor Theological School, he also served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod between 1932 and 1936 and was the Crowned Bard of the 1901 National Eisteddfod.

He is the author of Hanfod Duw a Pherson Crist (1931), a history of theology in Wales and also of Caniadau (1934) and Poems (1920) - two collections of poetry, one in Welsh, the other in English.

Rev. John Jenkins died in 1936.

For further biographical information consult Gwili : Cofiant a Phregethau by E. Cefni Jones (1937)

Arranged alphabetically, according to correspondent, and incorporated into the General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts

Open to all users.

Description compiled by Elen Wyn Hughes, April 2002.

An item level typescript catalogue is available at the Archives Department of the University of Wales Bangor. Reference number : General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts 20784

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

The papers of Gwili are held at the National Library of Wales. Also, amongst the David Thomas, Bangor Papers, held at the Archives Department of the University of Wales Bangor, is a letter written by Gwili. Reference number : General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts 19738