Introduction
Ebenezer Thomas (August 1802 – 17 February 1863), better known to Welsh speakers by his bardic name of Eben Fardd, was a Welsh teacher and poet.
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Eben Fardd was born in Llanarmon, Caernarvonshire, the son of a weaver, and educated at local schools.His elder brother, William, was a schoolmaster, and when William died, Eben Fardd took over his school at Llangybi.He won a prize for his poetry at the 1824 eisteddfod in Welshpool.In 1830, he married Mary Williams; they had three daughters and a son.In 1840, he won another prize at the Liverpool eisteddfod, and in 1841, his first volume of poetry, Caniadau, was published.In 1850, he was given a grant by the Calvinistic Methodist Church to run a school on its behalf.He had gained such respect as a poet and eisteddfod competitor that he also became an adjudicator.He also wrote numerous hymns.His collected works were published in 1873 under the title Gweithiau Barddonol Eben Fardd.