Helyntion bywyd hen deiliwr

William Rees, also known as Gwilym Hiraethog, was an editor, prolific writer, Independent minister and influential radical leader. He founded ‘Yr Amserau’, a Welsh liberal weekly, in Liverpool in 1843 and remained its editor until 1852. He also attempted to write a novel, under the title ‘Helyntion bywyd hen deiliwr’, however this work did not possess the attributes of a novel. It first appeared, chapter by chapter, in the weekly paper ‘Y Tyst’.  ‘Helyntion bywyd hen deiliwr’ tells the tale of an old tailor, reminiscing over his career. Recalling the visits he conducted with his master across Wales, the tailor describes the various families he served. Hiraethog’s chapters eventually focus on the religious conversion of the Hafod Uchaf family. The author effectively conveys the social and religious state of Wales through the old tailors’ memories in ‘Helyntion bywyd hen deiliwr’. Gwilym Hiraethog’s tales are therefore not only of a literary significance, but are of a historic and social importance within the context of the early nineteenth century.