[1] The society's motto is Oes y byd i'r iaith Gymraeg, which translates as "long live the Welsh language", or more literally "the age of the world to the Welsh language".
[citation needed] The society was founded on 2 November 1833, in the Sun Inn, Abergavenny, with the purpose of providing its members with the opportunity to socialise in Welsh, and to secure the use of the language more broadly in the town.
[2] The society's founding members were:[citation needed] The society attracted the attention of local aristocrats, including Charles Morgan, Benjamin Hall, his wife Augusta, Georgina Waddington, and Lady Elizabeth Coffin-Greenly of Titley Court, Hereford.
[citation needed] Another early member of the society was the Welsh poet and scholar, Rev.
[3] The society still meets several times a year in Llanfoist, and is now one of several Welsh language groups locally, including Cymdeithas Gwenynen Gwent and Merched y Wawr.