He invited poets and musicians from all over the country, and awarded a chair at the lord's table to the best poet and musician, a tradition that still prevails.

Many eisteddfods were held over the centuries under the patronage of Welsh gentry and noblemen.

The Gorsedd of Bards first became officially associated with this national event.at the beginning of the 19th century at an eisteddfod held in the Ivy Bush Inn, Carmarthen.

The event soon developed into a fully-fledged folk festival on a large scale which we see today.

With the exception of 1914 and 1940, the National Eisteddfod has been held alternately between north and south Wales under the charges of the National Eisteddfod Association.

But what is the Gorsedd?
The Gorsedd of Bards is an association whose members consist of poets, writers, musicians, artists and individuals who have made a distinguished contribution to the Welsh nation, language and culture.

Bryn Terfel, the actor Ioan Gruffydd and ex-Welsh rugby star Gareth Edwards are all members. The Gorsedd first came together in 1792, but not in Wales - on Primrose Hill in London. The Gorsedd was created by Iolo Morganwg, one of Wales' most famous and eccentric bard scholars, who wanted to let the world know that the Welsh are direct links to Celtic culture and heritage.

The head of the Gorsedd of Bards is the Archdruid, who is elected for a term of three years, and is responsible for conducting the Gorsedd ceremonies during eisteddfod week. These ceremonies are held to honour literary achievements amongst Welsh poets and prose writers

The chairing of the bard for the best work in strict verse and the crowning of the bard for the best work in free verse are ceremonies of great pageantry. If there is a winner (the judges have been known to deem none of the entrants good enough), the victorious bard, known only by their alias, is asked to stand - and only then is their identity revealed.

Many towns and villages in Wales have a circle of Gorsedd stones, left as a mark of a National Eisteddfod being held in that town. Nowadays, however, a replica set of man-made stones are moved from eisteddfod to eisteddfod.