Isaac Clarke (publisher) Isaac Clarke (publisher) Isaac Clarke (1824 - 5 April 1875) was a Welsh 19th century newspaper proprietor, printer and publisher. He published the National Anthem of Wales: "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" ('Land of my Fathers'). According to his baptism records was baptised on 24 April 1824 in Mold Parish Church Clarke ; his parents were Robert and Ruth Clarke who lived in the township of Leeswood ("Coed-llai") which at that time was in the parish of Mold where his father was a farmer. Clarke did not follow in his fathers footsteps instead he learned his printing skills with Hugh Jones
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau was embarrassingly videotaped opening and closing his mouth during a communal singing of the national anthem, clearly ignorant of the words but unable to mime convincingly; the pictures were frequently cited as evidence of his unsuitability for the post. According to John Major's autobiography, the first thing Redwood's successor William Hague said, on being appointed, was that he had better find someone to teach him the words. He found Ffion Jenkins, and later married her. The tune of "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" has been used for the anthems of Cornwall ("Bro Goth Agan Tasow"), Brittany ("Bro Gozh ma Zadoù"), and