Lewis Hopkin

Lewis Hopkin (1707/8–1771) was a Welsh poet and artisan. He was raised in Glamorgan, Wales. He moved to Llandyfodwg as a young man and there he lived until his death, working as a surveyor, glazier, farmer, and writer of law documents. He was a member of the Independent Congregational church at Cymer, Porth, and was prominent in the denomination’s affairs in Upper Glamorgan. He married a daughter of Thomas Bevan, a prominent Quaker. His eldest son, Lewis (1734-89), became an Independent minister in Herefordshire. He also played a role in the literary revival of Upper Glamorgan in the eighteenth century. He was a master of the Welch bardic craft, with his poems appearing in many almanacs and literary magazines. In 1813 a collection of his poetry was published by his son-in-law, titled Y fel gafod. He also translated some English poems into Welsh. Both Edward Evan (1716–1798) and Edward Williams (Iolo Morganwg; 1747–1826) were indebted to him, with Morganwg composing an elegy after his death titled Dagrau yr awen (1772).