An event has been held to honour the black gardener, John Ystumllyn.

People gathered in Criccieth on Tuesday, 16 August. Those in attendance were welcomed by Cllr Sian Williams, chair of Criccieth Town Council, and addressed by Liz Saville Roberts MP, Zehra Zaidi, founder of We Too Built Britain who campaigned a rose for John Ystumllyn, and Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, owner of the John Ystumllyn portrait.

They were entertained by bards and performers, Twm Morys and Gwyneth Glyn, who had composed a song for John Ystumllyn’s rose which includes a verse from his gravestone, and Cllr Lowri-Ann Richards who performed a Welsh rap written by Aneirin Karadog.

Dr Catrin Jones, Criccieth Town Council clerk, said: “John Ystyumllyn came to the area from West Africa in the 18th century after being abducted as an eight-year-old child in the wake of the Atlantic slave trade. He married Margaret Gruffydd, a maid working at Ynysgain Fawr, an estate of the Wynn family. The couple were given a Neira cottage and a garden in Pentrefelin by the Wynns. John used all he had learnt about gardening on the Ystumllyn Estate. Having begun life tragically, he was welcomed by the community and became a respected figure.

“The campaign to commemorate John’s life began with Zehra Zahidi. She felt it fitting that what she believes is be the first rose to be named after an ethnic minority person in the UK would be named after one of the first black gardeners in Britain. Harkness Roses agreed to create the rose and launched the John Ystumllyn Rose in 2021. Criccieth has received 25 roses.”

Zehra said: “We wanted a rose that brings people together, that uses gardening to support community connections and mental health. We’ve done it out of friendship, which is why the colour is yellow. It stands for love, it stands for community. Anyone who knows John’s story knows those are the values he embodied. It’s been magical to be in Criccieth amongst the community that he loved and loved him. ”

Cllr Williams said: “It is appropriate to have this commemoration for John Ystumllyn at Cae Crwn, our wonderful community allotments.

“In addition to the five roses planted at Cae Crwn, we have a rose garden dedicated to John Ystumllyn in the gardens of the library, which has an information board and also a friendship bench painted by Sophie Williams and Elin Williams, students from Coleg Meirion Dwyfor.

“We are delighted that we have been able to welcome our MP, Liz Saville Roberts, Zehra Zaidi and Peregrine and Caroline Armstrong-Jones who kindly brought the original painting of John Ystumllyn with them.”

Mrs Saville Roberts, who has campaigned and raised awareness about the historic figure for several years, said: “This way of commemorating John Ystumllyn through roses, as he was a gardener, is so appropriate.

I am personally so proud to have been part of this history, and applaud everyone who has worked on it.

“History is not something dry between the covers of books, it is something very alive for people, and every time they come here they will be proud of this history.”