Cymru Fydd
Encyclopedia : C : CY : CYM : Cymru Fydd
The Cymru Fydd movement was founded in 1886 by some of the London Welsh, including J. E. Lloyd, O. M. Edwards, T. E. Ellis (leader, MP for Merioneth, 1886-1899), Beriah Gwynfe Evans and Alfred Thomas. Initially it was a purely London-based society, later expanding to cities in England with a large Welsh population. From 1894 branches were organised in Wales itself.
Its main objective was to gain self-government for Wales. The movement lost some of its impetus following the withdrawal of T. E. Ellis to join the Government in 1892, after which leadership of Cymru Fydd was taken over by David Lloyd George and John Herbert Lewis (MP for Flint Boroughs).
After an initial period of success in 1894-5, in which time it merged with the North Wales Liberal Federation (18th April 1895) to form the Welsh National Federation, it met with fierce opposition from the South Wales Liberal Federation, led by the Federation President, David Alfred (D.A) Thomas (MP for Merthyr Boroughs 1889-1910).
On 16 January, 1896, the proposal to merge the South Wales Liberal Federation with the Welsh National Federation was put to the AGM of the South Wales Liberal Federation, held at Newport, Monmouthshire. Lloyd George was howled down and refused permission to speak. After Robert Bird, a senior Cardiff Alderman declared his determination to resist 'the domination of Welsh ideas', the merger proposal was defeated. Cymru Fydd collapsed soon afterwards. The effect of this collapse was particularly severe on the Women's Liberal Associations, all but 15 of which collapsed. Lloyd George switched his attention to British matters, next coming to prominence as an opponent of the Boer War.
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