Iolo Morganwg

Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg , was an influential Welsh antiquarian, poet, collector, and literary forger. He was widely considered a leading collector and expert on medieval Welsh literature in his day, but after his death it was revealed that he had forged a large number of his manuscripts. Regardless, he had a lasting impact on Welsh culture, seen most notably in his foundation of the Gorsedd, and the philosophy he developed in his forgeries had a huge impact on the early neodruid movement. His bardic name is Welsh for Iolo of Glamorgan . Iolo is the diminutive of Iorwerth, a Welsh name often seen as equivalent to Edward, although neither name is a translation of the other.

Edward Williams was born at Pennon, near Llancarfan in Glamorgan, Wales, and was raised in the village of Flemingston . He followed his father into a career as a stonemason. In Glamorgan he took an interest in manuscript collection, and learned to compose Welsh poetry from poets such as Lewis Hopkin, Rhys Morgan, and especially Sin Bradford. In 1773 he moved to London where the antiquary Owen Jones introduced him to the citys Welsh literary community, and where he became a member of the Gwyneddigion Society he would later also be active in the Cymreigyddion Society. In 1777 he returned to Wales, where he married and tried his hand at farming, but evidently met with no success. It was during this time that he produced his first forgeries.

Source: Wikipedia