WILLIAMS, WILLIAM (Creuddynfab; 1814 - 1869), poet and literary critic
Name: William Williams
Pseudonym: Creuddynfab
Date of birth: 1814
Date of death: 1869
Spouse: Elizabeth Williams (née Hughes)
Parent: Ellin Williams
Parent: Enoch Williams
Gender: Male
Occupation: poet and literary critic
Area of activity: Eisteddfod; Literature and Writing; Poetry
Author: Margaret Beatrice Davies
Born 20 August 1814 at Tŷ Du, Creuddyn, Llandudno, the son of Enoch and Ellin Williams. His father was a stone-mason. As the eldest of a large family, Creuddynfab had very little education but worked at an early age on neighbouring farms, later moving to live with an aunt at Kenyside, near Knutsford, and to assist on a farm there. Afterwards he worked for a while in a warehouse in Manchester.
In 1837 he married Elizabeth Hughes, daughter of David Hughes, Llangollen. He obtained employment under the railway company in the Huddersfield district and was later promoted stationmaster, serving for three years in that capacity at Oldham and sixteen at Stalybridge. It was during his stay at Stalybridge that he became one of the chief members of the Cymreigyddion society at Manchester. It was during this period also that he became friendly with Ceiriog — see Saunders Lewis , Ceiriog (1929), 21-31.
About 1860 he resigned and settled at Llandudno in order to become secretary of the National Eisteddfod Association — the Association’s first paid secretary — a position he had to relinquish five years later (two years according to one source) for reasons of health. Although he has only one publication to his credit, namely a book entitled Y Barddoniadur, published in 1855, he wrote a large number of articles to periodicals and to the press. A keen eisteddfodwr, he competed in many of the chief eisteddfodau of his day, and was often in demand as an adjudicator.
He died at Llandudno 26 August 1869, and was buried in Glanwydden cemetery.
