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Vortrag: Performing past and present: The self-fashioning of Angharad Llwyd (1780–1866), antiquary, author, and facilitator

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This paper will examine the figure of antiquary, author, and facilitator Angharad Llwyd (1780–1866), who fashioned her unique identity in parallel with the Welsh cultural revival sponsored by the Cambrian and Cymreigyddion Societies in the first half of the nineteenth century. The conjunction of sociability and antiquarianism were central to Angharad's experience, as she strove to consolidate and expand a dearly-held legacy – the collection of documents relating to Welsh history inherited from her father, one-time rector of Caerwys, John Lloyd (1733–93). The public face of the ceremonial 'eisteddfodau', the rather incongruous partner of the Welsh societies' antiquarian and historical undertaking, shows Angharad's insistence that on-stage representation (through costume, poetry, and music) be thoroughly Welsh; whereas her self-presentation as a militant Welsh language activist displays her readiness to approach influential figures in her quest for literary patronage and the preferment in the church of talented young protégés, sometimes risking her own humiliation in the process.

Portrait of Angharad Llwyd, Nov. 7th 1843 (pencil) by A. Hall, [Lady Llanover] NLW MS 781A; Angharad Llwyd: Album

An exploration of her emergence as a published author demonstrates the difficulties which she faced in forging a path as a female author. Angharad was beset by the ghostly presence of her father and dependent on male mentors, one of whom persuaded her to publish her first work incognito. Furthermore, strong male influences are apparent in her work, often in the form of verbatim quotations from manuscript and published works, imperfectly acknowledged. To reach the kernel of Angharad Llwyd's contribution, we perhaps need to linger with her tangible sense of excitement regarding historical legacies: how locations and characters – both villains and heroes – come alive to her and how, in the tradition of genealogical research, she is able to create a 'dialogue ... between the dead and the living' so that the Welsh past informs and helps shape the Wales of Georgian and early Victorian Great Britain.