WIL HOPKIN OF LLANGYNWYD.

Cadrawd has collected nearly all that is known of Wil Hopkin, and has published most of it in his excellent History of Llangynwyd, pp. 89-132.

The Margam MSS. contain two items with regard to him which do not seem to have been recorded elsewhere, and one of which proves Iolo's tradition that he had another brother.

“ 4409. Counterpart of a successive Lease by the Rt. Ho. Thomas, Lord Mansel, Baron of Margam, to Diana Thomas, of Langonoyd, co. Glam., widow, William Hopkin and Jenkin Hopkin of the same her sons, of meadow land called Gwayne-y-llan, 8 acr-in Langonoyd, and a house and land near the Church there, with right of pasture on Margam Mountain, for their lives at a yearly rent of £4, with royalties reserved and special service.

Dated: 25th March 8 George I. A.D. 1722."
(Ibid vol. v, p. 16, see also p. 104, and vol. iv, pp. 261, 323).

The next item is his appointment as Collector of Taxes.

“ 4865. Cumdy Hamlett in Langonwyd. An Assessment of two shillings per pound, being his Majesties Land Tax for this present year, as followeth 27 May, 1723.
Assessor: David J enkin. Collector: William Hopkin."

There are, however, some "englynion" by him, which do not seem to have ever been printed, in MS. 67 p. (105), 441 at Llanover. These he recited at the Pyle Eisteddfod held at Whitsuntide “after the great frost." The first is a retort to a brother bard Nicholas Rhys of Bridgend, for some acrid words he had used at the Eisteddfod:

“ Niclas y diflas ei dôn-anhynod
Yn banes prydyddion
'Y ng'lanas ar d'englynion
Y clwt sych, clyw taw y sôn,"

The next englyn is his welcome to a stranger, Sion Rhydderch, the bard from Anglesea, who attended the Pyle Eisteddfod :

“Brwnt yw'r Dyn, ge\yn pob golau - na rydd
Air addas heb ammau,
I'r Dierth na ry'r dëau
A glân gyfarch clodbarch clan."

WIL HOPCIN AI CANT.

Ceiriog gives an account of him in Welsh in " Y Bardd a'r Cerddor" (pp, 67-79) which makes very pleasant reading. His love song will be sung where- ever the language of his fatherland is spoken, It has formed the subject of the romance " The Maid of Cefn Ydfa" (published in En~lish and Welsh by the Western Mail. Cardiff) and well does Craigfryn its author say:

" Pwy yn ‘Nghymru lân, gwlad y gân' nad ydyw yn gwybod rhywbeth am helbulon a thrallodion y ‘ Wyryf Dêg o Gefn Ydfa,' yn nghyda'i chariadfab anffodus, Will Hopkin y Bardd ? Tra y golchir gwadnau mynyddoedd Gwalia Wen gan donau ei hafonydd grisialaidd a'i chornentydd troellog, a thra y byddo I Cymru, Cymro, a Chymraeg' mewn bodolaeth, nid anghofir cân felusber a nef-awenyddol y ‘Gwenith Gwyn.' "

Dr. Joseph Parry, in conjunction with Mr. Joseph Bennett, has also written a popular opera on this romantic episode.

Gwae fi na bawni'n meddu
Y ferch ag wy'n ei garu
Cawn fyw'n gyttun a theg ei gwedd
Nes yn y bedd 'y ngh1addu.

 

WIL HOPKIN AI CANT

(Iolo MS. 59. p. 184).

Thanks to Hugh Richards (Baritone) for this extract who claims to have a Hopkin great grandmother!

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