Angharad James (poet)

Angharad James (16 July 1677 – 25 August 1749) was a Welsh farmer, harpist and poet.

Life

She was born in Gelliffrydau farm at Baladeulyn in the Nantlle Valley, Wales, on 16 July 1677. When still a young woman, she married William Prichard, a man far older than herself, who farmed Cwm Penamnen, a valley to the south of Dolwyddelan. She lived in Parlwr, or Tai Penamnen, a house which had earlier been a home to the Wynn family of Gwydir, for the remainder of her life. She continued to farm the valley after being widowed. As of 2009, the house was being uncovered by archaeologists.

Death

She was buried on 25 August 1749 and is buried within the church of St. Gwyddelan in Dolwyddelan.

Arts

She was a skilled harpist who commanded her workers to dance to her playing as they returned from the milking.

She is notable as an early Welsh female poet. Due in part to the transcription work of one of James's correspondents, the poet and copyist Margaret Davies, manuscripts of James's work have survived and are held at the National Library of Wales. They include an elegy to her son, who had died when 16, and another to her husband, in the form of an imaginary dialogue.

References

1677 births

1749 deaths

17th-century women musicians

18th-century British women musicians

17th-century Welsh musicians

18th-century Welsh musicians

17th-century Welsh poets

18th-century Welsh poets

17th-century Welsh women writers

18th-century Welsh women writers

People from Caernarfonshire

Welsh-language poets

Welsh folk harpists

Women harpists

Welsh women musicians

Welsh women poets

Welsh farmers

British women farmers

17th-century farmers

17th-century women farmers

18th-century women farmers

18th-century British farmers