Museum launches appeal to find missing Eisteddfod chair

Nation.Cymru Staff

A museum has launched an appeal to trace a missing Eisteddfod chair dating back almost 150 years, which was never awarded.

The awarding of the Eisteddfod chair, a highly decorated and handcrafted wooden chair, is a tradition that is thought to date back to the early 1800s.

The chair is awarded to the poet who wins the National Eisteddfod’s annual awdl competition, which requires entrants to compose a poem in strict Welsh-language metres.

The winning poet takes the title of Y Prifardd (The Chief Bard), and receives the chair to take home. Each chair is unique and features a design that reflects the host region or events that year.

Notable examples include Y Gadair Ddu, which was awarded posthumously in 1917 to Hedd Wyn and was draped in black cloth to symbolise those lost during World War I, as well as the Shanghai Chairs, carved in craft workshops at the city’s T’ou-se-we Catholic orphanage.

The entries for an eisteddfod’s awdl are reviewed by a panel of judges who then select a winner. However, if no entry meets the required standards, the judges can choose not to chair a bard, as has happened fifteen times since 1880.

At the 1882 National Eisteddfod, held on Castle Green in Denbigh, no chair was awarded for the poetry competition on the subject of ‘Dyn’ (Man), and the whereabouts of the chair intended for the winning poet are unknown.

Now Denbigh Museum, which preserves and showcases the town’s heritage, is searching for anyone who may have information about the chair.

The museum took to Facebook to post an appeal, explaining: “[The chair’s] whereabouts are unknown, but it may still be in Denbighshire. We would love to trace it and arrange to photograph this piece of Welsh heritage.”

Anyone who can provide insight into what happened to the chair is encouraged to contact Amgueddfa Dinbych on 07788 728 160 or email [email protected].

For more information on Amgueddfa Dinbych | Denbigh Museum, visit their site here.

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