Jenkins, Dafydd

Person

Jenkins, Dafydd

1911-2012

Emeritus Professor Dafydd Jenkins (born 1911) is a critic and legal historian. He was born in London to Cardiganshire parents, attended Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and was called to the Bar in 1934. He worked as a barrister in Carmarthen and in 1938 was secretary of the campaign to have the Welsh language recognised in Court. He was secretary of the Welsh Economic Development Association, 1946-1948, and the Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society, 1955-1960, and Chairman of The Milk and Dairies Tribunal for Wales, [1976]-[1979]. He belonged to various other organisations including the Welsh Language Advisory Translation Panel, [1967]-[1975], the Sociological Group of the Church in Wales, Plaid Cymru and Undeb Cymru Fydd. He conducted evening classes on agricultural topics for the Extra-Mural Department of the University of Wales College, Aberystwyth, [1944]-[1957], and from 1965 lectured in the Law Department at Aberystwyth. He held the chair in Legal History and Welsh Law, 1975-1978, until his retirement. Professor Jenkins published several important works on the Laws of Hywel Dda, including Cyfraith Hywel (Llandysul, 1970), Celtic Law Papers (Brussels, 1973), The Law of Hywel Dda: law texts from Medieval Wales (Llandysul, 1986), and editions of Llyfr Colan (Cardiff, 1963) and Damweiniau Colan (Aberystwyth, 1973). His other publications include the travel books, Ar Wib yn Nenmarc (Aberystwyth, 1951) and Ar Wib yn Sweden (Aberystwyth, 1959), Tân yn Llyn (Aberystwyth, 1937), Y nofel: datblygiad y nofel Gymraeg ar ôl Daniel Owen (Cardiff, 1948), Law for Co-operatives (Oxford, 1958) and an edition of Gwilym Hiraethog's Helyntion Bywyd Hen Deiliwr (Aberystwyth, 1940). He co-edited Heddiw with Aneirin Talfan Davies.

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