John James Williams

John James Williams (8 October 1869 – 6 May 1954), commonly known by his bardic name of "J.J.", was a Welsh poet and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1936 to 1939.

Early life Williams was born in Taigwynion, near Tal-y-bont, Cardiganshire. He was the eldest of twelve children born to William and Elizabeth Williams.

In the early years of the twentieth century, he began to compete at the National Eisteddfod and won the most prestigious prize, the bardic chair, on two occasions. The first was at Caernarfon in 1906 for an Awdl (a poem in strict verse) on Y Lloer (The Moon). This poem became popular because of its smooth, rhythmical lines. He won for a second time at Llangollen two years later for a poem in memory of the popular nineteenth century Welsh poet, John Ceiriog Hughes (Ceiriog). His collected poems appeared in 1936 as Y Lloer a cherddi eraill. He wrote a number of plays as well as a collection of short stories, Straeon y Gilfach Ddu, published in 1931. These were written in the Glamorgan dialect and portrayed the mining communities.

Williams was a prolific writer of hymns and one of the editors of the hymns of Caniedydd Cynulleidfaol Newydd, the standard Welsh language hymn book for the Independent and Calvinistic Methodist denominations, which was published in 1921. In 1918, he edited Cerddi'r Bugail, the collected poems of Hedd Wyn who had been killed in France in 1917. In 1930, he received an honorary MA from the University of Wales in recognition of his literary activity.

Personal life In 1899, Williams married Claudia Bevan of Mountain Ash. She died at childbirth and their son died before he was two years old. In 1903 he married Abigail Jenkins of Pontlotyn, who died on 24 June 1936. Williams himself died on 6 May 1954.