author
E. (Edward) Anwyl
1866–1914
A leading Welsh scholar of Celtic languages, he helped shape academic study of Welsh at a remarkably young age. His work ranged from language and philology to early Celtic religion, and it still gives a clear sense of the intellectual energy behind the Welsh revival of his time.
1 Audiobook
Celtic religion in pre-Christian times
by E. (Edward) Anwyl
About the author
Born in Chester on August 5, 1866, Edward Anwyl became one of the best-known Welsh academics of his generation. He studied at the King's School, Chester, and later at Oriel College and Mansfield College, Oxford, where he was also involved in Welsh student life.
In 1892, while still very young, he was appointed Professor of Welsh at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. He later also held the chair of Comparative Philology, building a reputation as a specialist in Celtic languages and literature. He wrote on subjects including Welsh grammar, Celtic studies, and religion before Christianity, showing both scholarly range and a gift for explaining complex material.
Anwyl was knighted in 1911, a sign of the respect he had earned in education and public life. He was chosen in 1913 to become the first principal of the Monmouthshire Training College at Caerleon, but died on August 8, 1914, before he could take up the post. Even with a life cut short, he left behind work that mattered to the study of Welsh language and culture.