Ebenezer Thomas

Who was Ebenezer Thomas?

Ebenezer Thomas, better known to Welsh speakers by his bardic name of Eben Fardd, was a Welsh teacher and poet.

Eben Fardd was born in Llanarmon, Caernarvonshire, the son of a weaver, and educated at local schools. His elder brother, William, was a schoolmaster, and when William died, Eben Fardd took over his school at Llangybi. He won a prize for his poetry at the 1824 eisteddfod in Welshpool. In 1830, he married Mary Williams; they had three daughters and a son. In 1840, he won another prize at the Liverpool eisteddfod, and in 1841, his first volume of poetry, Caniadau, was published. In 1850, he was given a grant by the Calvinistic Methodist Church to run a school on its behalf. He had gained such respect as a poet and eisteddfod competitor that he also became an adjudicator. He also wrote numerous hymns. His collected works were published in 1873 under the title Gweithiau Barddonol Eben Fardd.