William Thomas, bardic name Islwyn (3 April 1832 – 20 November 1878), was a Welsh language poet and Christian clergyman. He was born near Ynysddu, in the historic county of Monmouthshire, South East Wales to Morgan Thomas from Ystradgynlais and Mary Jones from Blaengwawr, Aberdare and was the youngest of nine children. His best known poems are entitled Yr Ystorm (The Storm) which he wrote in response to the sudden death of his young fiancée. His poetry was not always greatly regarded in his own lifetime. However, he was respectively called Monmouthshire's main and most important contributor to Welsh literature, the greatest poet of Gwent in the 19th century and the finest Welsh poet of the century.
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Early life
Thomas was born in a house called Tŷ'r Agent, the “Agent's House”, in the old parish of Mynyddislwyn near Ynysddu. His father was the mineral agent of the Llanover Estate. He was also probably a Welsh speaker. However, his mother was probably an English-speaker and he was educated entirely in English. Nevertheless, Thomas was fluent in Welsh and he loved the Welsh language, which came from the minister of their local Calvinist Methodist chapel, Rev Daniel Jenkyns, who married his sister Mary and who the young poet greatly admired.
Thomas attended expensive private schools in Newport, Tredegar and Cowbridge, and finally in Swansea, in the Swansea Normal College, a well-known private college which was run by educationalist Evan Davies. Jenkyns encouraged Thomas towards ordination in the church. However, his encouragement annoyed his father, who instead hoped that William would follow his brothers into the financially rewarding career of mining engineering. However, upon the sudden death of his father, which cut short his education, Thomas initially became a land surveyor.