Walter Davies (15 July 1761 – 5 December 1849), commonly known by his

bardic name A bardic name (, ) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. The Welsh language, Welsh term bardd ('poet') originally referred to the Welsh poets of the M ...

Gwallter Mechain ("Walter of

Mechain Mechain was a medieval cantref in the Kingdom of Powys. This cantref has also been referred to as Y Fyrnwy (''Vyrnwy''). Mechain may owe its name to the River Cain which flows through it on its way to join the River Vyrnwy; 'Me' or 'Mach' (cf. ...

"), was a Welsh poet, editor, translator,

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

clergyman. Davies was born at Y Wern, near Tomen y Castell,

Llanfechain Llanfechain is a village and community in Powys, Wales, on the B4393 road between Llanfyllin and Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain. Historically it belonged to Montgomeryshire. The River Cain runs through. The population of 465 at the 2011 Census was ...

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

. He was educated at the village school and was to become a cooper, but with the help of the poet Owain Myfyr went to

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...

, graduating in 1795. He took

Holy Orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

and became a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

curate in the parish of

Meifod Meifod, formerly also written Meivod (), is a small village, Community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward north-west of Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, on the A495 road and loca ...

, Montgomeryshire, moving in 1799 to

Ysbyty Ifan Ysbyty Ifan (formerly anglicised as ''Yspytty Ifan'') is a small, historic village and community (Wales), community in the Conwy County Borough of Wales. The population in 2011 was 196 in 76 households (29 household spaces had no usual resident ...

, Denbighshire where he met and married his wife Mary. He went on to study at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, gaining his MA in 1803. He was awarded the living of Llanwyddelan, Montgomeryshire and became rector of

Manafon Manafon is a small rural Community (Wales), community located in the hills of Montgomeryshire, the Northern part of the Welsh county of Powys. The Parish focuses on the valley of the River Rhiew that runs west to east into the River Severn". The ...

, Montgomeryshire where he remained for 30 years and did most of his literary work. In 1797 he had begun a survey of the agriculture and economy of

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

, which was published in two volumes in 1810 and 1813. This was followed in 1815 by a report on

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

in collaboration with

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 ...

(Edward Williams). He contributed to Samuel Lewis's ''Topographical Dictionary of Wales'' (1833). In 1837, he moved to the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant () is a village and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales; about 9 miles west of Oswestry and 12 miles south of Llangollen, on the B4580 road. It lies near the foothills of the Berwyn range, Berwyn mountains on the r ...

, where he died in 1849 and lies buried in the parish churchyard. Davies was closely associated with the London Welsh, especially the

Gwyneddigion Society The Gwyneddigion Society () was a London-based Welsh literary and cultural society. The original society was founded in 1770 and wound up in 1843. It was briefly revived in 1978. Its proceedings were conducted through the medium of Welsh. Histo ...

, and the revival of the Cymmrodorion Society in 1820. He was a keen supporter of

eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

au, where he won many prizes, and he played an important role in establishing provincial eisteddfodic societies.

References

External links

Welsh Biography OnlineGwallter Mechain and Iolo Morganwg (University of Wales)Gwallter Mechain's reports for the Board of AgricultureNotes made by Walter Davies "Gwallter Mechain" (1761-1849) on his journey in Monmouthshire, Brecknockshire and Glamorganshire on behalf of the Board of Agriculture in 1811
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwallter Mechain 1761 births 1849 deaths Anglican poets Eisteddfod People from Powys Alumni of All Souls College, Oxford Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Welsh Anglicans Welsh antiquarians Welsh-language poets Welsh poets Welsh male poets