:''Distinguish from Rhys Goch ap Rhicert and Rhys Goch Glyndyfrdwy (fl. 1460)'' Rhys Goch Eryri (or Rhys ab Dafydd) (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1385 – 1448), was a 15th-century

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 lived at Hafod Garegog, near

Beddgelert Beddgelert () is a village and community (Wales), community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census was 460 (rounded to the nearest 10). This includes Nan ...

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 ...

. He was acquainted with Dafydd Nanmor, who lived in neighbouring

Nantmor Nantmor is a hamlet which lies about 1½ miles to the south of the village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd, Wales. The current spelling of the name Nantmor is more modernmost old documents from the 16th to the 18th century record the name as Nanmor. I ...

, and it is possible that Rhys Goch was a teacher to him. One of his poems urges a fox to kill Dafydd Nanmor's peacock. About 30 of his poems on various subjects are preserved. He was reputed to be a friend and strong supporter of

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 ...

, though no poetry to him has survived.

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 ...

, in his book

Wild Wales ''Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery'' is a travel book by the English Victorian gentleman writer George Borrow (1803–1881), first published in 1862. The book recounts Borrow's personal experiences and insights while touring Wales ...

, reports that Festiniog was his birthplace : According to tradition Rhys Goch spent his whole life in Eryri (

Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

), and was buried in Beddgelert churchyard.

External links

A biography
Welsh-language poets 15th-century Welsh poets People from Beddgelert {{Wales-poet-stub