Iolo Goch (c. 1320 – c. 1398) (meaning ''Iolo the Red'' in
English) was a medieval
Welsh bard
In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...
who composed poems addressed to
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
, among others.
Lineage
Iolo was the son of Ithel Goch ap Cynwrig ap Iorwerth Ddu ap Cynwrig Ddewis Herod ap Cywryd and was born in the manor of Lleweni in the
Vale of Clwyd where his father rented a small portion of the family's ancient patrimony, possessed a dwelling house and also rented small parcels of land belonging to the manors of Llechryd and Berain, near
Denbigh
Denbigh ( ; ) is a market town and a community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. It was the original county town of the Denbighshire (historic), historic county of Denbighshire created in 1536. Denbigh's Welsh name () translates to ...
. A local 19th-century source says Iolo lived at a certain "Coed y Pantwn in Llechryd".
George Borrow
George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...
refers to this but mislocates it in the upper Clwyd valley.
[Borrow, George H. ''Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery'' (1934), p. 61, Oxford University Press] There is no medieval evidence for the local tradition.
Patrons
He is notable as one of the finest exponents of the metrical form known as the ''
cywydd
The cywydd (; plural ) is one of the most important metrical forms in traditional Welsh poetry ( cerdd dafod).
There are a variety of forms of the cywydd, but the word on its own is generally used to refer to the ("long-lined couplet") as it is ...
''. He composed poems to a number of Welsh noblemen, notably to his chief patron
Ithel ap Robert, an
archdeacon of St Asaph who lived near
Caerwys, and also a poem to King
Edward III of England
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
, which shows a detailed knowledge of places and battles in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
during this period and possibly written in 1347.
One of his three poems composed for
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
includes
a vivid description of Owain's hall at
Sycharth
Sycharth was a motte and bailey castle near Llansilin, Powys, Wales. Until 1996 Sycharth was in the historic county of Denbighshire, but was then transferred to the Shire area of Montgomeryshire within Powys. Sycharth was the birthplace of ...
. They were clearly composed before Owain's rebellion. He also composed a notable poem known as ''
Y Llafurwr'' ("The Labourer").
See also
Iolo Goch at Wikisource*
Medieval Welsh literature
Medieval Welsh literature is the literature written in the Welsh language during the Middle Ages. This includes material starting from the 5th century AD, when Welsh was in the process of becoming distinct from Common Brittonic, and continuing t ...
References
*Meic Stephens (ed) ''Companion to Welsh literature'' (University of Wales Press)
External links
Welsh Dictionary of National Biography
1320s births
1390s deaths
Welsh-language poets
People from Denbighshire
14th-century Welsh poets
Bards
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