Life
He was born on New Year's Day, 1723 in the parish of Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf in Anglesey and during his childhood lived at his ancestral home Y Dafarn Goch. Later educated at Friars School, Bangor and Jesus College, Oxford, although he did not remain long at the college. Owen was admitted to the college as a servitor on June 3, 1742 but, whilst his name remained on the college's books until March 1748 (albeit with some omissions) he only resided in the college for approximately one week in the Midsummer Term of 1744, incurring a debt of 15s 1d that was never paid.
In January 1746 he was ordained, and served for a time as curate of St Mary's Church, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf. As a young man, he left Anglesey for the last time, wandering to Denbighshire; to Oswestry where he was made a master at Oswestry School and curate of nearby Selattyn in 1746,; master of the grammar school at Donnington and curate of nearby Uppington close to Shrewsbury from 1748 to 1753; Walton, Liverpool then Northolt, Middlesex. In November 1757, he emigrated, together with his young family, to take a post at the College of William & Mary, Virginia. Although he was not to stay in that post for long, he remained in Virginia until his death in July 1769. The town of Benllech in Anglesey named its village hall and Ysgol Goronwy Owen in honour of Goronwy Owen.
Read more about this topic: Goronwy Owen (poet)
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