ANNIE HARRIET HUGHES : GWYNETH VAUGHAN (1852-1910)
Annie Harriet Hughes, who is better known by her poetic name - Gwyneth Vaughan, was a Welsh novelist and poet.
She was born in Bryn y Felin, Eisingrug, Talsarnau, Meirionnydd, on the 5th of July 1852, the first of five children to Laura and Bennet Jones. Her father was a miller and merchant who had an excellent library in terms of quality of books, almost entirely in Welsh. A diligent and smart man, of strong mental ability. He was a devout Calvin and an elder at Capel yr Hen Gorff - Bethel Chapel, in Talsarnau.
Gwyneth Vaughan's mother and grandmother were remarkable for their piety and her mother was a very beautiful woman. She didn't get much education but she lived by her Bible and was a lady in the true sense of the word. In her novel "O Gorlannau'r Defaid" there is an immortal picture of her parents by Gwyneth Vaughan. They were Robert and Luned Fychan.
Her quick mind was an advantage for Gwyneth Vaughan when she started her education at Ty'n Llan school near Llandecwyn Church. She walked there from Bryn y Felin every Monday morning, and stayed with the headmaster and his family until Friday morning every week. The headmaster Mr Edwards came from Aberaeron, Ceredigion. He had two daughters and English was the language of the household. Gwyneth Vaughan learned how to write very well while at that school, and it was in his company that she learned the English language fluently and he was certainly a great asset to start her on her way to being a writer. Gwyneth Vaughan talks about stories at the school in her book 'Bryn Ardudwy a i Bobl' and how the headmaster, although excellent in his work, was a relentless beater of bad children. Then when her little brother was born she went to Talsarnau British School to keep an eye on him.
During her youth, she learned a lot about the traditions and culture of her local area - at home and also at the mill, where the people of the area would come in turn to buy flour and Gwyneth would like to listen to the residents' conversations on the topics of the day and to collect a store of stories.
After eight years of scholarship, she left school and went to Llan Ffestiniog to learn to make hats. She followed her occupation at home in Talsarnau for some time, before moving to the Coed Helen House shop in Clwt y Bont, near Deiniolen, Caernarfonshire, and following the death of her mother and father in 1874, she married the son of the shop where she worked.
She persuaded her husband, John Hughes Jones, to go on to college to study medicine. He graduated as a doctor and they lived for a while in London while he completed his studies at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He was a capable and kind man, but like many of the same profession as him, he took to drinking and this was the beginning of their troubles in London.
They dropped the surname 'Jones' using only 'Hughes'. During her time in London, Gwyneth learned French, Italian and German and three of their four children were born there - Arthur, Gwilym (Guy) and Laura.
Following the decline in her husband's health, due to an addiction to alcohol, they came back to Wales in 1888 and lived in Treherbert, Glamorganshire and there Roy, their young son, was born. By now Gwyneth had gathered enough information about medicine to give some the impression that it was her profession and some had asked her advice about medical matters. John Hughes worked as one of the doctors of the coal works and here Gwyneth focused on increasing her knowledge further. The family lived in Treherbert between 1888 and 1891 and during these years she studied the Welsh language in depth. After this she was physically and mentally ready to improve the condition of her nation and she did not stop speaking, or writing, until her death in 1910.
Her husband's health deteriorated and he died young in 1902; Gwyneth moved to live in Bangor and began writing professionally at the encouragement of her friends, and despite her poverty, she managed to give her children the best education.
In 1876, exactly when Gwyneth Vaughan's troubles began, the British Women's Temperance Association was founded in Newcastle in England. It is not known exactly when her tireless campaign for temperance began throughout her life.
Between 1893 and 1896 she founded 143 branches of the 'British Women's Temperance Association'. She spoke out publicly against the alcoholic drink, because this had slowly killed her husband. She made speeches throughout Wales, when it was not customary for women to do public work. She was honorary secretary of the 'Welsh Union of Women's Liberal Association' for 10 years, one of the founders of 'Undeb y Ddraig Goch' and 'Cymru Fydd' and vice-president of 'An Comunn Gaedlealach' in Scotland in 1903.
She was a member of Gorsedd y Beirdd and the Eisteddfod was very close to her heart. She judged at the Caernarfon Eisteddfod in 1906 and enjoyed doing the work. She was the only woman on the board of guardians of Caernarfon and Gwyrfai District Council from 1894 to 1901.
Gwyneth Vaughan became famous as a writer and wrote for local papers and magazines such as 'Cymru'r Plant', 'Perl y Plant', 'Y Genhinen', 'Papur Pawb' and 'Cymru'. From around 1897 onwards she edited the Women's Column in 'Yr Eryr' 1894-95, 'Y Cymro' 1906-07 and the 'Welsh Weekly' 1892. She was a member of many committees and was secretary of Cymdeithas Rhydfrydwyr Cymru for 10 years. She was one of the founders of the Red Dragon Union and Free Wales. Among her works are four novels - O Gorlannau'r Defaid 1905, Plant y Gorthrwm 1908, Cysgodau y Blynoeddoed Gynt (in the Brython 1907-08) and Troad y Rhod (in the Brython again 1909 - not finished).
She was a popular author in her time and her work was approved by literary critics such as O M Edwards. Her literary talent was inherited by her son Arthur, 1878 to 1965, who migrated to the Patagonia in 1911 and was a poetry editor there. He married Ana Maria Ulson, Erw Fair and wrote regularly for the Welsh paper 'Y Dyfodol'. He was the father of Irma and Arel Hughes.
One of Gwyneth Vaughan's quotes is "Take care of parents, raise warriors and future leaders in your households here, and remember the old proverb - 'no country rises higher than its hearthstone.'"
She died on 25 April 1910 in Pwllheli, aged 58, and was buried in the Llanfihangel y Traethau Church cemetery, Ynys, Talsarnau on 29 April. Her daughter, Laura Kathleen, who was born in 1885 and died in August 1920, is buried in the same grave with her.