Sarah Jane Rees

Sarah Jane Rees was born at Llangrannog in Cardiganshire, the daughter of a mariner John Rees, and received her early education at the village school.[2] She was a precocious child and insisted that she accompany her father to sea rather than undertake sewing and cooking chores, which she hated.[3] However, this was not particularly unusual, as many wives and daughters accompanied men in local ships trading up and down the coasts on family business.[4]

She was initially educated in her local village by an old schoolmaster called Hugh Davies, who taught her both Latin and astronomy.[1][2] She later attended school in Cardigan and New Quay, and for a time studied at a navigation school in London,[2] where she gained her master's certificate, a qualification allowing her to command a ship in any part of the world.[5] In 1859 Sarah Jane set up her own navigation school in her home village of Llangrannog.[6]

In 1865, competing at Aberystwyth against men such as William Thomas (Islwyn), she won her first major Eisteddfod prize, for "Y Fodrwy Briodasal (The Wedding Ring)", in the "song" category.[2] A book of poems, Caniadau Cranogwen, followed this victory, in 1870.[7] In addition to teaching navigation and other subjects, she became editor of the Welsh-language women's periodical Y Frythones (1878–1889), a "platform for Welsh bluestockings and proto-suffragettes."[8][9]

Rees had two significant same-sex relationships, previously described as romantic friendship.[10] Her first was with Fanny Rees, a milliner's daughter from Troedyraur, near Llangrannog. Fanny contracted tuberculosis and returned to Wales around 1874 to die. She moved into Rees' home rather than that of her family, and died in her arms. So affected was Rees that for 12 years she was unable to put flowers on Fanny's grave, and she commemorated Fanny in one of her best-known poems, Fy Ffrynd (My Friend).[11] Her second relationship was with Jane Thomas, with whom she spent most of her life. Open about her unconventional domestic arrangement, Rees was nonetheless a committed Methodist and toured giving lectures on education, temperance and other subjects. In 1869–1870, she toured the United States, addressing mainly Welsh immigrant communities as far west as California.[12] She was one of the founders of the South Wales Women's Temperance Union (UDMD) in 1901.[13]

Rees died at Cilfynydd[14] and was buried in the churchyard at St Crannogs, where her grave was marked by a large and elaborate obelisk.[15][16]

A shelter for homeless women and girls, "Lletty Cranogwen", was founded in the Rhondda valley in 1922 by the South Wales Women's Temperance Union, and named in memory of Rees' work to improve Welsh women's lives.[1][17]

In 2019 Rees was among five women shortlisted as the subject for an artwork to be installed in Cardiff.[18]

• John, Angela V., ed. (1991). Our Mothers' Land, Chapters in Welsh Women's History 1830–1939. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1129-6.
• Shopland, Norena (2017). Forbidden Lives: LGBT stories from Wales. Bridgend: Seren Books. ISBN 978-1781724101.