Hanes Llansannan History

Gwybodaeth hanesyddol am Lansannan Historical information about LLansannan

Cerflun y Ferch Fach Statue of the Little Girl

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Hanes Eglwys St Sannsan Church History
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William Salesbury

Annwyl Drigolion Llansannan,

Mai 6ed a Hydref 7fed yw'r hanner ganfed gylchwyliau ar bedwar cant o
orchestion mwyaf William Salesbury. Er y cyfeiriwyd iddo fel "William
Salesbury o Blas Isa" (Llanrwst), cafodd ei eni yn Llansannan: sgrifennodd
yn ei lysieulyfr, "Sef .... y plwy y ganwyt vi". Mae'n debyg Cae Du oedd y
ty lle cafodd ei eni a mae'n bron yn sicr y trigai yno yn ystod teyrnasiad
Mary I (1553-1558).

Mae llawer o orchestion ym mywyd Salesbury (c.1507-c.1584) sydd yn cynnwys
ei eiriadur (1547), y llyfr gwyddonol cyntaf yn yr iaith Saesneg (1550)
a'i lywio bil i gyfieithu'r Beibl a'r Llyfr Gweddi i Gymraeg drwy Senedd
1563.

1567 oedd y flwyddyn y cyhoeddwyd "Lliver Gweddi Gyffredin" (Mai) a'r
Testament Newydd (Hydref).

Gwaith Salesbury yn unig yw'r Llyfr Gweddi, sy'n cynnwys y Salmau ac, yng
nghred llawer, ei gampwaith yw e. Gan ddilyn engraifft William Tyndale ac
Archesgob Cranmer yn Lloegr, galluogai Salesbury i'r Cymry addoli a chael
eu bedyddu, priodi a chladdu yn eu mamiaith.

Dyw'r Testament Newydd (cyfrannodd Thomas Huett ac Esgob Richard Davies rai
o'r cyfieithiadau) ddim mor fedrus a'r Llyfr Gweddi, er bod llawer o rannau
cain iawn ynddo, a ni lwyddodd Salesbury a Davies i gwblhau eu gwaith ar yr
Hen Destament. Er hynny, arweinodd gwaith arloesol Salesbury (ennill
caniatad o Harri 8fed i lyfrau Cymraeg, cynchyrchu cyhoeddiadau Cymraeg, ei
ysgolheictod dyneiddiol a'i gyfieithiadau) i Feibl William Morgan (1588).

Gwerthfawrogwn i wybod, o achos y cylchwyliau arwyddocaol, os fydd
Llansannan yn cydnabod digwyddiadau 1567. Mae diddordeb arbennig gen i o
achos y cyhoeddiad gan y Lolfa ym mis Medi 2016 o'm bywgraffiad o Salesbury
a dwi wedi clywed bod Amgueddfa Caerfyrddin (sy'n meddiannu'r hen Balas
Esgobol lle cwblhauwyd y cyfieithiadau) yn dal arddangosfa ym mis Hydref.

Diolch am eich amser.

Yr eiddoch,

James Pierce

May 6th and October 7th 2017 mark the 450th anniversaries of the crowning
achievements of William Salesbury. Though he is often referred to as
"William Salesbury of Plas Isa" (Llanrwst), his birthplace was Llansannan,
"Sef .... y plwy y ganwyt vi" (That is .... the parish where I was born) as
he wrote in his herbal. The house in which he was born is believed to be
Cae Du and it is highly probable that he spent the reign of Mary I
(1553-1558) there.

There are many achievements in Salesbury's life (c.1507-c.1584), including
his dictionary of 1547, the first science book in the English language
(1550) and his steering of a bill for the translation of the Bible and
Prayer Book into Welsh through the Parliament of 1563.

1567 was the year in which "Lliver Gweddi Gyffredin" (The Book of Common
Prayer) (May) and Y Testament Newydd (October) appeared.

The Prayer Book, which included the Psalms, is entirely Salesbury's work
and is regarded by many as his masterpiece. Following the example of
William Tyndale and Archbishop Cranmer in England, Salesbury had enabled
his countrymen to worship and to be christened, married and buried in their
own language.

The New Testament, to which Thomas Huett and Bishop Richard Davies
contributed, is not as accomplished as the Prayer Book, though it has many
fine passages, and Salesbury and Davies were not able to complete their
work on the Old Testament. However, it was Salesbury's pioneering work in
winning royal approval for books in Welsh and in printing, humanist
scholarship and translating that led to William Morgan's Bible of 1588.

I should be interested to learn if Llansannan is planning to celebrate the
anniversary of Salesbury's most famous publications. I have a particular
interest in asking as in September 2016 y Lolfa published my biography of
Salesbury and I have heard that Carmarthen Museum (which is the site of the
Old Bishop's Palace where the translations were completed) will be holding
an exhibition in October.

Thank you for your time.

Yours,

James Pierce

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