Ruth Bidgood
Encyclopedia
Ruth Bidgood is a British
poet.
She was born at Blaendulais, Seven Sisters near Neath
. Her Welsh-speaking father was a priest in Port Talbot
, where Ruth was brought up. She was educated at a grammar school in Port Talbot, and went on to read English at St Hugh's College in the University of Oxford
.
During World War II
, she served as a Wren
as a coder in Egypt, at Alexandria.
After the war she worked in London helping to prepare a new edition of Chambers's Encyclopaedia
, but eventually she and her husband moved to Coulsdon in Surrey. She and her husband had two sons and one daughter.
She and her husband bought a bungalow at Abergwesyn, near Llanwrtyd Wells in Powys. In the 1970s she made her home there, and began publishing poetry and researches into local history.
In April 2011 her collection, Time Being, was awarded the Roland Mathias Prize.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
poet.
She was born at Blaendulais, Seven Sisters near Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
. Her Welsh-speaking father was a priest in Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
, where Ruth was brought up. She was educated at a grammar school in Port Talbot, and went on to read English at St Hugh's College in the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she served as a Wren
Women's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
as a coder in Egypt, at Alexandria.
After the war she worked in London helping to prepare a new edition of Chambers's Encyclopaedia
Chambers's Encyclopaedia
Chambers's Encyclopaedia was founded in 1860 by W. & R. Chambers. It has no relationship with the Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences of Ephraim Chambers in the 18th century, except that the latter shared the same name as the publisher of this.-History:The first...
, but eventually she and her husband moved to Coulsdon in Surrey. She and her husband had two sons and one daughter.
She and her husband bought a bungalow at Abergwesyn, near Llanwrtyd Wells in Powys. In the 1970s she made her home there, and began publishing poetry and researches into local history.
In April 2011 her collection, Time Being, was awarded the Roland Mathias Prize.
Works
- The Given Time (1972)
- seven articles in Transactions of the Radnorshire Society (1974-1980) [on Llandewi Hall]
- Not Without Homage (1975)
- The Print of Miracle (1978)
- Lighting Candles (1982)
- Kindred 1986)
- The Fluent Moment (1996)
- Singing to Wolves (2000)
- Parishes of the Buzzard [local history of Abergwesyn]
- New and Selected Poems (2004)
- Symbols of Plenty (2006)
- Hearing Voices (2008)
- Time Being (2009)