From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Welsh naval surgeon and poet (1751?1798)
David Samwell
|
---|
|
Born
| (
1751-10-15
)
October 15, 1751
|
---|
Died
| November 23, 1798
(1798-11-23)
(aged 47)
|
---|
Occupation(s)
| Naval Surgeon and Poet
|
---|
David Samwell
(15 October 1751 ? 23 November 1798) was a
Welsh
naval surgeon
and poet. He was an important supporter of Welsh cultural organisations and was known by the pseudonym Dafydd Ddu Feddyg.
Personal history
[
edit
]
Samwell was born in
Nantglyn
, a small village in
Denbighshire
,
[1]
to William Samuel, a local vicar. His grandfather,
Edward Samuel
was also a notable Welsh author and poet.
[2]
Samwell became a surgeon in the
Royal Navy
and between 1776 and 1779 he sailed around the world with Captain
James Cook
on board
HMS
Resolution
.
[3]
As a ship's surgeon it was Samwell's job to ensure the crew's health did not deteriorate over the long journeys to the Pacific Ocean. Aboard the ship Samwell wrote of his travels, including some poetry.
[
citation needed
]
The journal of his experiences aboard Captain James Cook's ship provide a detailed account of the third and last voyages of Cook to the Pacific Ocean. Part of the journal
[4]
describes the death of Captain Cook at the hands of natives on the
Sandwich Islands
in 1779. He also wrote an unpublished journal,
Some Account of a Voyage to the South Seas 1776?1777?1778
, which is a work of social anthropology.
[1]
Between his voyages, Samwell lived in
London
. There he and other Welshmen would meet, and he joined the
Gwyneddigion Society
which had formed in 1770.
[5]
The society was initially formed for men from North Wales, but gradually the membership grew to accept all Welshmen. The society celebrated with a rowdy ball every
St David's Day
and Samwell was described as one of the noisiest. He was described as 'tall, stout, black-haired, pock-marked, fierce looking, wondrous friendly in company' and when teased he would close one eye and look for a pot to throw at his tormenter.
[5]
In 1792
Iolo Morganwg
(Edward Williams) organised here the first meeting of
Gorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain
at
Primrose Hill
in London. Samwell was present at the event which saw a stone circle set and a sword was ceremonially sheathed as a symbol of peace after the events of the French Revolution. The next year though saw Britain enter conflict with France during the
French Revolutionary Wars
, and in 1798 Samwell was treating English prisoners of war in
Versailles
. He returned to Britain in the autumn of that year and died in London in November.
[
citation needed
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008).
The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales
. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 797.
ISBN
978-0-7083-1953-6
.
- ^
"Biography of David Samwell"
. National Library of Wales
. Retrieved
23 October
2010
.
- ^
McCririck (1963) p. 30
- ^
Samwell, David.
A Narrative of the Death of Captain James Cook
. London, 1786.
- ^
a
b
McCririck (1963) p. 31
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- McCririck, Mary (1963).
Stories of Wales, Book 3
. Denbigh: Gee and Sons.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Artists
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|