Thomas (Brynfab) Williams Bardic chairThomas Williams (Brynfab)
Thomas Williams (1848-1927) was apparently born at Y
Fforch Aman, in Cwmaman, Aberdare, although there is no
mention of his family there in the 1851 census. Soon
afterwards they appear at Fforch Orci farm, near Treorci. He
was a farmer at Hendre, in Eglwysilan, for most of his life.
Brynfab was a member of Clic y Bont ('the bridge clique'), a
circle of poets and musicians associated with the Pontypridd
area and the Pontypridd Cymrodorion, edited the poetry
column in 'Tarian y Gweithwyr' for many years, contributed
to several magazines and was a keen eisteddfodwr including
the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol. He wrote a novel Pan oedd
Rhondda'n Bur (1912) describing life in the Rhondda valley
before industrialisation. There is a short entry for him in The
New Companion to the Literature of Wales, ed. Meic
Stephens (Cardiff 1998) and an essay 'Thomas Williams
(Brynfab, 1848-1927)' by Dafydd Morse in Cwm Rhondda,
ed. Hywel Teifi Edwards (Gomer. Llandysul 1995)