Welsh colonization of America
The Welsh colonization of America differs from most other European colonizations in that it was undertaken as an individual initiative rather than with government support. This article discusses efforts to establish all- Welsh colonies in America. Welsh settlers also came to the New World as part of the British colonization of America .
The Madoc legend
→ Main article: Madoc
A story published in the 16th century claims that the Welsh Prince Madoc was the first European to see America in 1170. Madoc was one of the sons of Owain Gwynedd , Prince of the Kingdom of Gwynedd , who fled his land with a squad of colonists and sailed west, possibly due to succession disputes. He ultimately ended up near the Mississippi River and established a colony that later mixed with the Indians . In the late 16th century, the legend was used by writers such as John Dee to make English claims to North America. The legend was revived in the 18th century with stories of Welsh speaking Indians, but most scholars today do not believe it was based on facts. ( See also: Mandan )
North America
There have been extensive waves of Welsh emigration to the US and Canada , but few attempts to establish purely Welsh colonies. Sir William Vaughan sent Welsh colonists to Renews (Newfoundland) in 1617 to establish a permanent colony, which ultimately failed. Vaughan made further attempts to establish a colony in Trepassey (Newfoundland and Labrador) , which he named "Cambriol", but this too ultimately failed.
Many Quakers from Wales emigrated to Pennsylvania in the 17th century with the promise to William Penn that they would be allowed to establish a Welsh colony there. The " Welsh Tract " was to become a separate county, the local government of which was to use the Welsh language, because most of the settlers there did not speak English. However, the promise was not kept and in the 1690s the land was already divided into different counties and the "Welsh Tract" never received self-government.
At the end of the 18th century, a Welsh colony called Cambria, Pennsylvania was founded by Morgan John Rys in what is now Cambria County .
Later, between 1856 and 1867, there was an attempt by Samuel Roberts to establish a Welsh colony in Brynffynnon, Tennessee . At the same time, Michael D. Jones developed plans to set up colonies in Wisconsin, Oregon, and British Columbia, but these never materialized.
South America
In 1852 Thomas Benbow Phillips from Tregaron founded a settlement with about 100 Welsh in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil . Many of their colonists later moved to the more successful colony in Patagonia .
The most famous Welsh colony, the Colony in the Río Chubut Valley in Patagonia, known as Y Wladfa Gymreig ("The Welsh Colony"), was founded in 1865 when 153 Welsh settlers landed in what is now Puerto Madryn . Shortly before, the settlers had reached an agreement with Argentina's Interior Minister Guillermo Rawson that the colony would be recognized as one of the states of Argentina when its population rose to 20,000. However, this commitment was never ratified by the Argentine Congress for fear that the British government might use the settlers' presence as an excuse to occupy Patagonia.
Footnotes
- John Davies: A History of Wales . London: Penguin Book 1990.