- Ann Griffiths
Ann Griffiths (née Thomas, 1776 - August, 1805) was a Welsh
poet and writer of Methodist hymns.A tenant farmer's daughter from the village of
Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa , nearLlanfyllin in the former county ofMontgomeryshire inPowys , mid-Wales, she was brought up in the Anglican Church, but joined the Methodist movement after hearing the preaching of Rev. Benjamin Jones ofPwllheli , in 1796. Following the deaths of both her parents, she married Thomas Griffiths, a farmer from the parish ofMeifod and an elder of the Methodist church. She died following childbirth aged 29, and was buried on 12 August 1805 at Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa.She left behind a handful of stanzas in the
Welsh language . These were preserved and published by her mentor, the Calvinistic Methodist minister, John Hughes ofPontrobert , and his wife, Ruth, who had been maid at Ann Griffiths' farm and was a close confidante. Ann's poems are an expression of her fervent evangelical Christian faith, and reflect her incisive intellect and thorough scriptural knowledge. She is the most prominent female hymn-writer in Welsh. Her work is regarded as a highlight ofWelsh literature , and her longest poem was described by the dramatist and literary critic,Saunders Lewis , as 'one of the majestic songs in the religious poetry of Europe'.The service of enthronement of
Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury in February 2003 included Williams' own translation of one of her hymns: "Yr Arglwydd Iesu" ("The Lord Jesus").External links
* [http://www.anngriffiths.cardiff.ac.uk Ann Griffiths Website]
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