Cymdeithas Cymreigyddion y Fenni, which translates as the Abergavenny Welsh Society, is a

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

society in

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

Motto

The society's motto is Oes y byd i'r iaith Gymraeg, which translates as "long live the Welsh language", or more literally "the age of the world to the Welsh language".

History

The society was founded on 2 November 1833, in the Sun Inn,

, with the purpose of providing its members with the opportunity to socialise in Welsh, and to secure the use of the language more broadly in the town. It was one of several Welsh societies in this period to adopt the name "Cymreigyddion", seemingly in imitation of the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

-based Cymreigyddion Society. The society's founding members were: :President: Rev. John Evans, the vicar of

Llanover Llanover (; ; ) is a village in the community of Goetre Fawr in Monmouthshire, Wales. Name The name of the village derives from an earlier Welsh form ''Llanfyfor'', made up of ''llan'' 'enclosure, church' and the personal name ''Myfor''. Lo ...

:Vice-President: William Price, a solicitor in

:Secretary: Thomas Bevan :Non-Portfolio Members: T. E. Watkins and Eiddil Ifor. The society attracted the attention of local aristocrats, including Charles Morgan, Benjamin Hall, his wife Augusta, Georgina Waddington, and Lady Elizabeth Coffin-Greenly of Titley Court,

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

. Another early member of the society was the Welsh poet and scholar, Rev. Thomas Price, known better today by his bardic name Carnhuanawc. The society was fundamental in the establishment of 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 ...

in 1837.Society Publications
/ref> The society still meets several times a year in

Llanfoist Llanfoist () is a village near Abergavenny, in Monmouthshire, Wales, in the community of Llanfoist Fawr. Llanfoist derives from ''Ffwyst'', an early Christian Welsh saint, although the anglicised version of the church patron is ''Saint Faith' ...

, and is now one of several Welsh language groups locally, including

Cymdeithas Gwenynen Gwent The Welsh Language Society (, also often abbreviated to Cymdeithas yr Iaith or just Cymdeithas in English) is a direct action Advocacy group, pressure group in Wales campaigning for the right of Welsh people to use the Welsh language in every a ...

and

Merched y Wawr is a voluntary, non-political, organisation for women in Wales. It is similar to the Women's Institute (WI) but its activities are conducted through the medium of Welsh. Its aims are to promote women's issues and to support culture, educatio ...

References

External links

*
Eiddil Ifor's medalsMr. Walter Morgan's Membership CertificateSociety Archives

Notes

Article in Welsh
{{Welsh language Welsh language Celtic language advocacy organizations