Taliesin Williams (bardic name Taliesin ab Iolo or Ab Iolo; 9 July 1787 – 16 February 1847) was a Welsh poet and author, and son of the notable

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10March 174718December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia''. R ...

. He was born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, went to school in

Cowbridge Cowbridge () is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for elections to ...

, and became an assistant teacher at a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

run by Reverend David Davies in

Neath Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...

. He gradually took over leading the proceedings of regional

Gorsedd Gorsedd Cymru (), or simply the Gorsedd (), is a society of Welsh-language poets, writers, musicians and others who have contributed to the Welsh language and to public life in Wales. Its aim is to honour such individuals and help develop and p ...

au from 1814, when he was awarded the title of

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

. He worked as a

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

with his father in 1815. In 1816 he opened a school in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

, where he worked as a schoolmaster until the end of his life. He assisted with the publication of his father's work ''Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain'' ("Mystery of the bards of the island of Britain") in 1829. In 1834 he won the bardic chair at the Cardiff Eisteddfod with an

awdl In Welsh poetry, an ''awdl'' () is a long poem in strict metre (i.e. ''cynghanedd''). Originally, an ''awdl'' could be a relatively short poem unified by its use of a single end-rhyme (the word is related to ''odl'', "rhyme"), using cynghanedd; ...

entitled ''Y Derwyddon'' (The

s). In 1838 he won the bardic crown at the Abergavenny Eisteddfod for an essay on the

Coelbren y Beirdd The Coelbren y Beirdd (English: "Bards' lot") is a script created in the late eighteenth century by the Welsh antiquarian and literary forger Edward Williams, best known as Iolo Morganwg. The script, an alphabet compared to that of Ancient Gr ...

(the alleged bardic alphabet) which was published in 1840, defending the authenticity of his father's work.Williams, Taliesin., (ab Iolo), Coelbren Y Beirdd; a Welsh Essay on the Bardic Alphabet, W. Rees, Llandovery, 1840. On his father's death he was left his father's archive of manuscripts, which he believed were all genuine. After much work compiling and editing 26 volumes, a selection was published in 1848 under the title of the

Iolo Manuscripts Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10March 174718December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia''. R ...

by the

Welsh Manuscripts Society The Welsh Manuscripts Society, also known as the Society for the Publication of Ancient Welsh Manuscripts, was an organisation formed in Abergavenny, Wales, in 1837. It was led by prominent members of the clergy and other notables including Tali ...

. Much of Taliesin's work was based on that of his father. After his death in 1847 he was succeeded as

Archdruid Archdruid () is the title used by the presiding official of Gorsedd Cymru, the Gorsedd. The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, the award of the and the C ...

by Evan Davies ( Myfyr Morganwg).

Family tree

References

External links

The Abergavenny Eisteddfod, National Museum Wales

Taliesin Williams (1787-1847), Project at the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, University of Wales

WILLIAMS , TALIESIN ( Taliesin ab Iolo ; 1787 - 1847 )

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Taliesin 1787 births 1847 deaths Writers from Cardiff Welsh-language poets Welsh poets Literary forgeries Neo-druids Chaired bards Crowned bards Bards of the Gorsedd Welsh Eisteddfod archdruids Iolo Morganwg