Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 28.djvu/189

Hughes  his first satiric verses in `Yr Arweinydd,' of which Tegai [see Hughes, Hugh (1805-1864) (DNB00), 1805-1864] was editor. In 1856 he won a prize of 10l. for his pastoral poem 'Owain Wyn,' which is now recognised as the best pastoral in the language, although it failed to win a prize at an eisteddfod the year before. At the Llangollen Eisteddfod in 1858 he secured the prize for 'Myfanwy Fychan,' which raised him to the first rank among Welsh bards. His first volume of poetry, `Oriau'r Hwyr' (Evening Hours), was published in 1860, Ruthyn, 2nd edit. 1861; 10l. was paid him for the copyright. His biographer says that between twenty-five thousand and thirty thousand copies were sold. In the same year he won seven prizes at the Merthyr Eisteddfod for seven temperance songs. His second volume of poetry, `Oriau'r Bore' (Morning Hours), appeared in 1862, Wrexham; his third, `Cant o Ganeuon' (A Hundred Songs), in 1863; 'Bardd a'r Cerddor, gyda Hen Ystraeon am danynt,' and 'Gemau'r Adroddwr' soon afterwards; `Oriau Eraill' (Other Hours) in 1868; `Oriau'r Haf (Summer Hours), in 1870; `Oriau Olaf (Last Hours) posthumously, edited by Isaac Foulkes, in 1888. The volumes published in his lifetime contain about six hundred songs. Of these a hundred are adapted to older Welsh airs, and modern composers have set the rest to music. He also wrote fifty songs for Brinley Richards's 'Songs of Wales,' London, 1873, and composed twenty-five sacred songs at the request of Ieuan Gwyllt and Owain Alaw. Ceiriog was the author of the original song for which Brinley Richards wrote the popular air `God bless the Prince of Wales.' Many of the articles in the 'Gwyddoniadur' (Welsh Encyclopædia) were written by him, notably that on Dafydd ab Gwilym, and he contributed four articles to the 'Traethodydd' (Welsh quarterly). He also wrote weekly for the 'Baner' for twenty-seven years, at first as Manchester correspondent.

Ceiriog is the best lyric poet that Wales has produced. His verse is always true to nature, always pure, always simple. Feeling that he owed much to the eisteddfod, he vigorously supported the institution to the last, and helped to improve its position in public estimation. There was hardly any eisteddfod of importance in recent years with which his name was not associated either as competitor or adjudicator. His adjudications were as a rule carefully written out, and are still greatly valued (see Cardiff Eisteddfod Transactions, 1883, pp. 126-45).

[Memoir by 'Llyfrbryf,' i.e. Isaac Foulkes, Liverpool; four papers, 'Ar Fywyd ac Athrylith Ceiriog,' in Y Geninen, 1887-8, by 'Llew Llwyfo; `Preface to Brinley Richards's Songs of Wales, iii; prize essay by the Rev. Elved Lewis in Wrexham Eisteddfod Trans. 1888.]  HUGHES, JOSHUA (1807–1889), bishop of St. Asaph, son of C. Hughes, esq., of Newport, Pembrokeshire, was born at Nevern, Pembrokeshire, in 1807. He was educated at Ystradmeurig grammar school, and at St. David's College, Lampeter; at both `his performances gave promise of future distinction. With two brothers, Hughes took orders in the church of England, being ordained deacon in 1830, and priest in 1831. His first curacy was at Aberystwith, whence he passed to St. David's, Carmarthen, and to Abergwilly. At Abergwilly he first enjoyed the intimacy of Bishop Thirlwall, whose influence left its mark upon his character. At Abergwilly Hughes worked with conspicuous zeal until 1846, when he was presented to the vicarage of Llandovery. For the twenty-four years of his residence there Hughes was one of the most laborious of Welsh clergy. He thought little of riding twenty-five miles on Sunday in order to conduct four services in his parish. His bishop made him rural dean, and his fellow clergy sent him to convocation. In 1870 Mr. Gladstone, at the suggestion, it is said, of Dr. Thirlwall, offered the vacant bishopric of St. Asaph to the Welsh-speaking vicar of Llandovery. The appointment was criticised somewhat adversely because Hughes was not a university man, was practically unknown outside the Principality, and had had exclusively parochial experience. Events justified the choice. Hughes (who was made D.D. by the Archbishop of Canterbury) administered his diocese with vigour and impartiality. Exacting a high standard from candidates for holy orders, and strenuously upholding the prerogatives of the church, he still cultivated friendly relations with nonconformity. He favoured all reasonable measures of church reform; laboured hard to secure Welsh-speaking clergy for Welsh and bi-lingual parishes; promoted the provision of services in Welsh for Welsh residents in English towns; and was one of the first as well as warmest supporters of the movement for promoting higher education in Wales. In August 1888 Hughes was struck with paralysis while at Crieff in Perthshire. He never rallied, and died there on 21 Jan. 1889. Hughes married in 1832 Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas McKenny, and widow of Captain Gun, by whom he had three sons and five daughters.

Hughes was the author of several charges, sermons, and pamphlets. One of the latter,