William John Gruffydd
Encyclopedia
Professor William John Gruffydd (14 February 1881 – 29 September 1954) was a Welsh
academic, poet, writer, and politician.
the son of a quarryman. He went to Bethel primary school and then Caernarfon
School followed by Jesus College, Oxford
. In 1909 he married Gwenda Evans the daughter of a minister of religion from Abercarn
. They had one son. During the First World War he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the North Sea and in Egypt attaining the rank of Lieutenant.
ic culture. He became a schoolteacher and worked in Scarborough and then for two years at Beaumaris Grammar School before taking a post as assistant lecturer in Celtic studies at University College, Cardiff
in 1906; from 1918 until 1946 he was Professor of Celtic. He was President of Council of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
and edited Y Llenor ('The Littérateur', a highly influential Welsh language
journal of literature published by the university). He wrote poetry and prose and contributed to Welsh scholarship by publishing important histories of Welsh literature and legend.
and served as deputy vice-president in 1937. However, Gruffydd voiced disagreement with Plaid Cymru party president Saunders Lewis
, which eventually led to his leaving the party.
Gruffydd was elected to Parliament as a Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for the University of Wales
seat on 29 January 1943 after the sitting MP Ernest Evans
became a County Court
Judge. Gruffydd's opponent in the by-election was Plaid's Saunders Lewis, and he had effectively split the Welsh-speaking community. He was comfortably re-elected in the 1945 general election
and sat until the abolition of University seats in 1950. He did not stand again for Parliament.
, the Chief Whip
Sir Percy Harris and William Beveridge
were also beaten. In fact apart from Gwilym Lloyd-George who was in any case travelling in the direction of the Tories
every Liberal MP who had ever held government office was defeated. This meant a new leader was required. Gruffydd was not a candidate and historians have noted that he was more concerned with his academic work than with trying to make a career in politics but the judgment of one historian of the Liberal Party that he was an academic of extremely limited political experience only sitting in the House because of the University seats, seems unduly harsh in the light of Gruffydd's long-time association with Welsh political and social affairs previous vice-presidency of Plaid Cymru and his managing to be returned to the House of Commons when so many others were falling by the wayside - even candidates for university seats had to win the votes of real voters.
; lecture notes for his Welsh courses at University College of Wales, Cardiff; other lecture notes and articles; BBC broadcast talks; personalia; and a substantial group of correspondence from notable literary figures are deposited in the National Library of Wales
, Aberystwyth
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
academic, poet, writer, and politician.
Family and Education
Gruffydd was born in Gorffwysfa, Bethel, in the parish of Llanddeiniolen, CaernarfonshireCaernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....
the son of a quarryman. He went to Bethel primary school and then Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
School followed by Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
. In 1909 he married Gwenda Evans the daughter of a minister of religion from Abercarn
Abercarn
Abercarn is a small town community in Caerphilly county borough, Wales, 10 miles north-west of Newport on the A467 between Cwmcarn and Newbridge, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire.-History:...
. They had one son. During the First World War he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the North Sea and in Egypt attaining the rank of Lieutenant.
Celtic poet and academic
Gruffydd specialised in CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic culture. He became a schoolteacher and worked in Scarborough and then for two years at Beaumaris Grammar School before taking a post as assistant lecturer in Celtic studies at University College, Cardiff
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
in 1906; from 1918 until 1946 he was Professor of Celtic. He was President of Council of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
National Eisteddfod of Wales
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
and edited Y Llenor ('The Littérateur', a highly influential Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
journal of literature published by the university). He wrote poetry and prose and contributed to Welsh scholarship by publishing important histories of Welsh literature and legend.
Politics
Gruffydd took an interest in Welsh politics and social questions, coming from a nonconformist, radical family. He was a member of Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
and served as deputy vice-president in 1937. However, Gruffydd voiced disagreement with Plaid Cymru party president Saunders Lewis
Saunders Lewis
Saunders Lewis was a Welsh poet, dramatist, historian, literary critic, and political activist. He was a prominent Welsh nationalist and a founder of the Welsh National Party...
, which eventually led to his leaving the party.
Gruffydd was elected to Parliament as a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the University of Wales
University of Wales (UK Parliament constituency)
University of Wales was a university constituency electing one member to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1918 to 1950. It returned one Member of Parliament , elected under the first-past-the-post voting system....
seat on 29 January 1943 after the sitting MP Ernest Evans
Ernest Evans (politician)
Ernest Evans was a Liberal Party politician from Wales.-Family and education:Ernest Evans was born at Aberystwyth, the son of Evan Evans, the Clerk to the Cardiganshire County Council and his wife Annie Davies...
became a County Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
Judge. Gruffydd's opponent in the by-election was Plaid's Saunders Lewis, and he had effectively split the Welsh-speaking community. He was comfortably re-elected in the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
and sat until the abolition of University seats in 1950. He did not stand again for Parliament.
Historians' judgment
The 1945 general election brought a reduction in Liberal strength in the House of Commons and was particularly savage for its leadership. Sir Archibald Sinclair the party leader lost his seat in Caithness and SutherlandCaithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)
Caithness and Sutherland was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, the Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
Sir Percy Harris and William Beveridge
William Beveridge
William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge KCB was a British economist and social reformer. He is best known for his 1942 report Social Insurance and Allied Services which served as the basis for the post-World War II welfare state put in place by the Labour government elected in 1945.Lord...
were also beaten. In fact apart from Gwilym Lloyd-George who was in any case travelling in the direction of the Tories
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
every Liberal MP who had ever held government office was defeated. This meant a new leader was required. Gruffydd was not a candidate and historians have noted that he was more concerned with his academic work than with trying to make a career in politics but the judgment of one historian of the Liberal Party that he was an academic of extremely limited political experience only sitting in the House because of the University seats, seems unduly harsh in the light of Gruffydd's long-time association with Welsh political and social affairs previous vice-presidency of Plaid Cymru and his managing to be returned to the House of Commons when so many others were falling by the wayside - even candidates for university seats had to win the votes of real voters.
Death
Gruffydd died at his home in Bangor Road, Caernarfon, on 29 September 1954. He was buried in the cemetery at Llanddeiniolen near the yew tree about which he composed one of his most famous poems.Additional Sources
- C W Lewis & Clare L Taylor, 'William John Gruffydd' in Dictionary of National Biography, OUP 2004-08
- Who was Who, OUP 2007
Papers
Papers of W. J. Gruffydd, [1903]-[1952], including drafts of articles relating to the MabinogiMabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
; lecture notes for his Welsh courses at University College of Wales, Cardiff; other lecture notes and articles; BBC broadcast talks; personalia; and a substantial group of correspondence from notable literary figures are deposited in the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
.