Y Ferch o Gefn Ydfa

Isaac Hughes was a miner and novelist. Of his six novels ‘Y Ferch o Gefn Ydfa’ was his most popular in terms of sales. It tells the story of Ann Maddocks, a tragic heroine from the house of Cefn Ydfa, Morganwg. When Ann was twenty-one years old she unwillingly married Anthony Maddocks, a successful lawyer. This fact inspired a romanticised and popular myth in the area, and was the basis for Hughes’s novel. Ann was in love with a young poet called Wil Hopcyn, who, it is believed, dedicated his poem ‘Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn’ to her. According to the story, Ann died from a broken heart soon after her marriage ceremony to Anthony Maddocks. Isaac Hughes’s version of this tale is emotive and decorated with sentimental details and descriptions. A translation of his novel was later published under the title ‘The Maid of Cefn Ydfa’