Cylchgronau Cymru

reminders about the competition and was particularly eulogistic in its treat- ment of D. A. Thomas, on one occasion describing him as 'a patriotic Welsh magnate whose sole aim is the embellishment of the civic palace of the Welsh capital with a series of statuary that will perpetuate the most inspiring features in the past history of his country'.17 Two months later, the results of the com- petition were published and the total response of 364 entries nominating 250 subjects suggests that the project had not captured the nation's imagination.18 The ten subjects chosen by the adjudicators covered 'the whole field of Welsh characteristics and aspirations' and comprised Dafydd ap Gwilym for poetry, Saint David as representative of Early Christianity and National Unity, Giraldus Cambrensis of Culture and Patriotism, Owain Glyndwr of Statesmanship and Martial Prowess, Henry VII of Kingship, Hywel Dda of Law and Order, Prince Llewelyn of Heroism and Sacrifice, Bishop William Morgan of Religion and Literary Renaissance, Sir Thomas Picton of Valour and Generalship, and William Williams, Pantycelyn, of Hymnology and Religious Fervour.19 No competitor submitted an exactly corresponding list and the prize was distributed amongst six joint winners who had selected eight of the names on the adjudicators' list. Henry VII and General Picton received only 36 and 49 votes respectively, but were included in preference to the public's choice of Llewelyn the Great and Griffith Jones, Llanddowror.20 Although letters published in response to the final list referred to it as 'a national Valhalla', they did not suggest unanimous approval for the final choice: 'Why include Henry VII who can as justly be called a Frenchman as a Welshman, and General Picton in the list? What achievement for Wales can be placed to their credit?'21 The selection of sculptors to carry out the work proved even more contro- 17 Western Mail, 24 May 1913. 18 The twenty-eight names receiving the largest number of public votes were Owain Glyndwr, Hywel Dda, Saint David, Bishop William Morgan, Llewelyn the Great, Dafydd ap Gwilym, William Williams Pantycelyn, Llewelyn the Last, Griffith Jones, Giraldus Cambrensis, John Penry, Thomas Charles, Howel Harris, Caradog, King Arthur, Daniel Rowland, Rees Prichard, Goronwy Owen, General Picton, Richard Wilson, Owain Gwynedd, Henry VII, Gruffudd ap Cynan, Ann Griffiths, Lord Rhys, John Williams, Gwenllian and Boadicea. Western Mail, 26 July 1913. 19 Ibid. In August 1913 the Western Mail published a series of character sketches of the ten 'emi- nent Welshmen'. 20 Owain Glyndwr topped the public list with 295 votes, whilst Caradog, also excluded by the judges, received 82 votes. 21 Western Mail, 28 July and 30 July 1913. The range of names suggested by the public may have been inspired by the historiography of Wales in the late Victorian and Edwardian years. Works by 0. M. Edwards such as Wales in 'The Story of Nations' series appeared in 1902, whilst his Short History of Wales was published four years later. Most of the twenty-eight pop- ular names chosen by the public appeared in these volumes. The Welsh People by John Rhys and David Brynmor-Jones, published in 1900, was in its sixth edition by 1913. See also Owen Rhoscomyl, Flame-Bearers of Welsh History, published by the Welsh Educational Publishing Company in 1905.