Holland, Robert

(1557-?1622)

   Welsh clergyman-poet born at Conway, Caernarvonshire, where his family, over generations, had come to own most of the town, including the castle, as well as of good estates in the neighborhood. He studied at Clare College, Cambridge, Magdalene College, Cambridge, and Jesus College, Cambridge, and graduated M.A. in 1581. He is known to have made a paraphrase of the Gospels, although there is no date given. From 1591 until his death he was rector of several parishes in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. Some of his publications (shortened titles): The Holy History of Our Lord and Saviour Issus Christ's nativity, life, acts, miracles, doctrine, death, passion, resurrection and ascension, 1594. Darmerth, neu Arlwy Gweddi, 1600 (a prayer, preparation, or feast). Dav Cymro yn taring yn Bell o'u Gwlad, ac ymg yff wrdd ar fynydd (no date given) (stories told by two Welshmen meeting on a mountain, about all they had seen and heard with regard to conjurers, wizards, and the like). Two of his other poems: "Eve in Old Age," "The Fisherman Casts His Line into the Sea."

   Sources: Anthology of Magazine Verse and Yearbook of American Poetry. Alan F. Pater, ed. Monitor Book Company, 1980. Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (http://library.stanford.edu). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Norton Introduction to Poetry. 2nd ed., J. Paul Hunter, ed. W.W. Norton, 1981.