Posted on 7 May 2010
Valle Crucis Abbey in Llangollen
Guto’r Glyn (Guto of the Glyn) is widely regarded as being one of the foremost poets of Wales’s golden age of poetry – the period following the end of Owain Glyndwr’s rebellion in the first decades of the 15th century until the Act of Union in 1536.
A legend in his own lifetime and beyond, you can learn more about Guto by visiting the Royal International Pavilion in Llangollen on Saturday May 22nd, where the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), will be holding a one-day forum celebrating the life and work of this unique character in Welsh history.
The Guto’r Glyn project has been operating since 2008, owing largely to a substantial grant awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), that has enabled a team of researchers at CAWCS, based in Aberystwyth, to conduct an extensive reappraisal of Guto’s prolific literary legacy.
Financing his passion for the written word was the famous Welshman, Sir William Herbert of Raglan in Gwent, who sponsored Guto throughout much of his professional life. As a close friend to Sir William’s family, Guto would regularly recite poetry and sing at their home. When Sir William was killed at the Battle of Banbury in 1469, Guto – a staunch supporter of the Yorkist cause - sang his elegy at the funeral. Today, the written record of this poem now stands as a rich historical document tracing the trials and fortunes of Welsh politics during the War of the Roses.
King Edward IV was also another prominent figure to have commissioned Guto’s poems of praise. As well as having travelled extensively throughout the country winning the praise and patronage of noblemen and clergymen, Guto'r Glyn also served as an archer in the English army’s campaign in France during the latter part of the Hundred Years War.
Guto spent his last years as a lay guest at the Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis, near Llangollen. Though blind and deaf, the poems he wrote during this time are among the most powerful poems of the Welsh language. At the end of the forum there will be an opportunity to visit the stiriking abbey itself, no doubt still a great source of inspiration for aspiring poets looking to follow in Guto’s footsteps.
Please note that the closing date for registration is 14 May. The registration fee for the forum, including morning coffee, lunch, and admission to Valle Crucis Abbey is £25 (without lunch, £16.50).
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Notes to Editors
For more information about the Forum please contact Angharad Elias, Administrative Officer, Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, SY23 3HH (01970 636543) email: a.elias@wales.ac.uk
For more information on CAWCS go to: http://www.wales.ac.uk/en/CentreforAdvancedWelshCelticStudies/IntroductiontotheCentre.aspx
For press and media information, please contact Tom Barrett, Communications Officer, University of Wales: t.barrett@wales.ac.uk 02920 376991