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Edgar Phillips

1889 – 1962

Welsh poet

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About Edgar Phillips

Lived 1889 – 1962 (aged 72). Edgar Phillips was a poet.

Edgar Phillips (8 October 1889 – 30 August 1962), known by the bardic name "Trefin", was a Welsh poet and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1960 until his death.

Phillips took his bardic name from his birthplace, the village of Trefin in Pembrokeshire. He did not learn Welsh until his family moved to Cardiff when he was aged eleven. Whilst working as an apprentice tailor back in his native county, he mastered the art of cynghanedd. After running his own tailoring business in Cardiff, he joined the Royal Garrison Artillery during World War I, and was seriously wounded. In 1921, he took a teaching course at Caerleon, and taught at Pengam and Pontllanfraith. In 1933, he won the chair at the National Eisteddfod held in Wrexham.

His third wife, whom he married in 1951, was the travel writer Maxwell Fraser (real name Dorothy Phillips).

A memorial was erected within the chapel grounds of Rehoboth chapel.

Works Trysor o gân, in four volumes (1930–36) Caniadau Trefîn (1950) Edmund Jones, the Old Prophet (1959)

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Positions held
Archdruid
Also known as
Trefin

People in Edgar Phillips's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Edgar Phillips's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Edgar Phillips?

Welsh poet (1889-1962)

When was Edgar Phillips born?

Edgar Phillips was born on 8 October 1889 in Trefin.

When did Edgar Phillips die?

Edgar Phillips died on 30 August 1962.

What was Edgar Phillips's occupation?

Edgar Phillips was a poet.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Edgar Phillips

· Wikidata: Q5337422

· DBpedia: Edgar Phillips

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Edgar Phillips. https://biography.guide/edgar-phillips/

MLA: "Edgar Phillips." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/edgar-phillips/.

Chicago: "Edgar Phillips." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/edgar-phillips/.

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