Elias Owen

author

Elias Owen

A Welsh clergyman with a deep love of local tradition, he helped preserve the stories, customs, and old monuments of North Wales in books that still draw readers today. His writing blends the curiosity of a scholar with the ear of someone who cared about the life of ordinary people.

1 Audiobook

Welsh Folk-Lore

Welsh Folk-Lore

by Elias Owen

About the author

Born on 2 December 1833 in Montgomeryshire, Wales, Elias Owen became a Welsh cleric, antiquarian, and collector of folklore. He was educated at schools in mid and north Wales and later studied at Culham College and Trinity College, Dublin.

Alongside his church work, he built a lasting reputation as a writer on Welsh history and tradition. His best-known books include The Old Stone Crosses of the Vale of Clwyd (1886) and Welsh Folk-Lore (1896), works that helped record legends, beliefs, and local customs that might otherwise have been lost.

Owen died on 19 May 1899 in Llanyblodwel, England. Today he is remembered as one of the figures who helped preserve the cultural memory of Wales, especially its folk tales and antiquities.