Martha Llwyd
Martha Llwyd (1766 – 16 October 1845), born Martha Williams, was a Welsh poet and Methodist hymnwriter. Due to health problems, Llwyd was unable to walk. She was carried aloft in her chair.
Also recorded as Martha Williams
Martha Llwyd
- Name
- Martha Llwyd
- Birth Name
- Martha Williams
- Born
- 1766
- Birthplace
- Cynwyl Elfed
- Died
- 16 October 1845
- Place of death
- Llanpumsaint
- Known for
- Hymnwriter
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Great Britain · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- poet · composer · writer
- Languages
- Welsh
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wikidata · Q6774469 · wikipedia · Martha Llwyd
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Martha Llwyd • Birth Name — Martha Williams • Born — 1766 • Birthplace — Cynwyl Elfed • Died — 16 October 1845 • Place of death — Llanpumsaint • Known for — Hymnwriter
Early life
Early life
Martha Williams was born at Nantbendigaid Farm in Cynwyl Elfed, Carmarthenshire. Her family moved to Y Felin farm in the neighbouring parish of Llanpumsaint when she was a baby.
Writing
Writing
Although she had limited schooling, Martha Llwyd composed many hymns and poems, and taught them to others. Her hymns became very popular and were sung far and wide during her lifetime. She was regularly visited by the Methodist leader and fellow hymnwriter William Williams Pantycelyn to discuss their work, and it is alleged that some of her hymns were published under his name. Very little of Martha Llwyd's work remains, and most of her hymns have been lost to posterity. Some of Llywd's hymns were published in 1925, as recalled by John Evan Davies (Rhuddwawr). Welsh novelist and singer-songwriter Fflur Dafydd, a descendant of Llwyd's, wrote a song about her, titled "Martha Llwyd". Another descendant is Dafydd's mother, poet Menna Elfyn.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1785 Martha Williams married Dafydd Llwyd, a local blacksmith and prominent member of the village's Methodist community. The couple lived together in the centre of the village and had nine children, six boys and three girls, born between 1787 and 1807. The rigours of raising such a large family took its toll on her health and with time she became unable to walk. Nevertheless, she was a faithful member of Bethel Methodist Chapel in the village of Llanpumsaint and was often seen outdoors, carried aloft in her chair by her children or neighbours.
Death
Death
Llwyd died in 1845, aged 79 years, one year after the death of her husband. They share a grave under the yew tree at the parish church in Llanpumsaint. It is inscribed with the anglicised form of their names, David and Martha Lloyd. The Carmarthen County Council installed a historical plaque about Martha Llwyd in Llampusaint in 2011, and hymns by Llwyd were sung at a chapel service of commemoration that year.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Cynwyl Elfed.
Birth place
Llanpumsaint.
Death place
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Martha Llwyd, revision 1358172972 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Aaron, Jane. Nineteenth-Century Women's Writing in Wales: Nation, Gender and Identity. University of Wales Press. 22. 2010-02-01. 978-0-7083-2287-1.
- 2.Carmarthenshire County Council, Martha Llwyd plaque in Llanpumsaint village park
- 3.E. Wyn James, "Merched a'r Emyn yn Sir Gâr", Barn, 402/3 (July/August 1996), p. 29; Thomas, Arwyn (2004) Hanes Llanpumsaint, Carmarthenshire County Council Libraries and Community Learning Section
- 4.Merched y gân. BBC Cymru Fyw. 2017-05-30.
- 5."Cofeb Martha/Honoured at Last" Llais y Pentref/Village Voice (December 2011).
- 6.Thomas, Arwyn (2004) Hanes Llanpumsaint, Carmarthenshire County Council Libraries and Community Learning Section
- 7.Davies, Damian Walford. The poets graves / Beddau'r beirdd. Gomer Press. 2014. 978-1-84851-739-4.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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