Howell Elvet Lewis
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Howell Elvet Lewis (14 April 1860 – 10 December 1953), widely known by his bardic name Elfed, was a Welsh
Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...
minister, hymn-writer, and devotional poet, who served 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 ...
of the
National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...
from 1924 to 1928. Elfed High School in Buckley, Flintshire, was named after him.


Early life

Elfed was born on 14 April 1860, the eldest son of twelve children of James and Anna Lewis, of Y Gangell, near Blaenycoed,
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
. His father was a farm labourer and his mother was a local shopkeeper. He had a very limited early education, but through self-study and attendance at the local chapel schoolroom he managed to gain entry to
Newcastle Emlyn Newcastle Emlyn () is a town and Community (Wales), community on the River Teifi, in West Wales. The community is wholly in Carmarthenshire, but the built up area also includes Adpar north of the Teifi, which is in Ceredigion. Adpar was formerl ...
Grammar School at the age of 14. Two years later he succeeded in an examination for admission to the Presbyterian College, Carmarthen, where he trained for the ministry.


Ministry

Elfed was ordained in 1880 and was made pastor of St John's English Congregational Church in Buckley, Flintshire, where the local
Secondary School A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
Elfed High School is named after him. In 1884 he moved to minister at Fish Street Church, Hull. He returned to Wales in 1891 as minister of the English Congregational Park Chapel,
Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...
. In 1898 he accepted a calling to Harecourt Chapel in London, where he remained until 1904. In 1904 he became minister of Tabernacle Chapel (''Capel y Tabernacl'' in Welsh) – a Welsh-language Congregational chapel in King's Cross, London. This was the first time he undertook a ministry at a Welsh-language chapel. He remained at ''Y Tabernacl'' until his retirement in 1940. He retired to
Penarth Penarth ( , ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a Seaside resort#Brit ...
, where he became a member of Ebeneser Chapel, Cardiff.Jenkins 1957. Apart from serving as a church minister, Elfed's ministry included two periods as chair of the London Missionary Board in 1910 and 1922. He was one of three representatives of the
Congregational Union of England and Wales The Congregational Union of England and Wales brought together churches in England and Wales in the Congregational tradition between 1831 and 1966. Background The Congregational churches emerged from the Puritan movement, each church operating ...
invited to visit
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to celebrate the centenary of the arrival of the first missionaries to the country. He was elected president of the National Free Church Council, 1926–27, president of the Welsh Union of the
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
, 1927–28, and chairman of the Congregational Union in 1933.Davies 1954


Literary legacy

Elfed's literary output was prolific: he wrote essays, historical treaties, obituaries, devotional works and poetry. He won the National Eisteddfod
Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...
consecutively in 1888 (Wrexham) and 1889 (Brecon), and the
Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
in 1894 (Caernarfon). He was inaugurated into the bardic order of the
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 ...
in 1888 and enthroned as its
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 ...
in 1924, a position which he held until 1928. Elfed's greatest contribution to Welsh literature was in the field of
hymnody Robert Gerhard's Hymnody is a contemporary classical work from 1963, which was an assignment from BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, E ...
and
hymnology Hymnology (from Greek ὕμνος ''hymnos'', "song of praise" and -λογία ''-logia'', "study of") is the scholarly study of religious song, or the hymn, in its many aspects, with particular focus on choral and congregational song. It may be m ...
. He published his first hymn, ''O Dywysog Pob Daioni'', in 1881 during the first year of his ministry; he went on to write a large number of original hymns in Welsh and in English and to translate hymns between the two languages, many of which are still popular with congregations today. Among his best-known original Welsh-language hymns is the patriotic hymn ''Cofia'n gwlad Benllywydd tirion'' (described as "a kind of second national anthem"); while his original English hymn ''Lord of Light, Your Name Outshining'' is widely used in hymn books on both sides of the Atlantic. A number of Welsh hymns translated into English appeared in a series of articles published in the magazine '' Sunday at Home'', and were republished in book form in 1889 by the
Religious Tract Society The Religious Tract Society was a British evangelical Christian organization founded in 1799 and known for publishing a variety of popular religious and quasi-religious texts in the 19th century. The society engaged in charity as well as commerc ...
as ''Sweet Singers of Wales''. In 1924 he translated from German into Welsh the play ''
Wilhelm Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...
'' by
Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...
under the title ''Gwilym Tel''.


Awards

The
University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...
awarded Elfed three
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s:
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
(1906),
Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
(1937), and
Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...
(1949). He was the first person to achieve such an honour from the university. He was created a
Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire. The orde ...
in
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
.


Personal life

Elfed married three times. His first wife was Mary Taylor from Buckley. He married her in Stratford in 1887, and had seven children by her, of whom two died young. She died in 1918. His second wife was Elizabeth Lloyd whom he married in 1923, but her health was fragile and she died in 1927 after barely four years of marriage. His third wife was Mary Davies, one of the chapel members at Tabernacl Kings Cross, whom he married in 1930.


Death

Elfed died on 10 December 1953. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in Blaenycoed.


Principal publications


Welsh

*''Caniadau'' (2 vols, 1895–1901) *''Gwilym Tel'' (1924, translation of
William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...
)


English

*''My Christ and other Poems'' (1891) *''Israel and other Poems'' (1930) *''Songs of Assisi'' (1938)


References


Sources

* * * * *


External links

* * *
Welsh Biography Online: Lewis, Howell Elvet ('Elfed'; 1860-1953)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Howell Elvet Eisteddfod Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Welsh Eisteddfod archdruids Welsh Congregationalist ministers Welsh-language poets Welsh-speaking clergy 1953 deaths 1860 births