The Modern Period

The modern period lasted from about 1536 till the mid twentieth century.

In 1536 and 1542 Henry VIII, King of England, passed laws making Wales part of England and the Welsh language lost its official status as a language of administration. From this time onwards the leaders of Welsh society – the gentry – started to become more English in language and outlook. The ordinary people kept hold of their language till the middle of the nineteenth century.

In 1588 the Bible – known as William Morgan's Bible – was published in Welsh for the first time  and the language of the Bible set the gold standard for written Welsh until the twentieth century. The influence of Christianity, and especially the nonconformist churches – was an important factor in ensuring that Welsh survived as a living language.

The Welsh started to become literate in the 19^th century; from 1870 children aged 5-10 had to attend school. Howver, for most of the 19^th century, Welsh was not part of the school curriculum. Indeed, some schools used a system known as the ‘Welsh Not’ to discourage children from speaking the language in school.

For schools, and for many parents too, English was the language of advancement in the world. English was the language of work, business and administration; it also was the language of the great British Empire.

So, although, may people continued to speak Welsh outside school, they were not taught to read and write the language, unless they were members of Welsh chapels and churches or belonged to youth groups such as the Urdd. The National Eisteddfod and very many smaller eisteddfodau helped to keep the Welsh language and its culture alive.