local clergy and school managers presented him with an illuminated address, which had a photograph of St. Asaph cathedral at the head, a view of the parish church at Efenechtyd at the foot, and Owen's portrait in the margin. The teachers and parents also presented him with an address. According to The North Wales Chronicle:Both addresses pay a touching tribute to the sincerity with which Mr. Owen carried out his work, and speak of the esteem in which he was held. . . Mr. Owen as an antiquary and author enjoyed an extensive and well-deserved reputation. At Llanyblodwel, Owen became vicar at the church of St. Michael the Archangel, which had been rebuilt in 1855 to designs by its then-vicar, Rev. John Parker. Owen oversaw the addition of half an acre to the churchyard on land donated by the Earl of Bradford. He also enlarged the school at Porth-y-waen by converting the schoolmaster's house into an extra classroom. Welsh Folk-Lore During his years as a school inspector, Owen travelled throughout the diocese visiting and inspecting schools. As explained in the preface to Welsh Folk-Lore:It was his custom, after the labour of school inspection was over, to ask the clergy with whom he was staying to accompany him to the most aged inhabitants of their parish. This they willingly did, and often in the dark winter evenings, lantern in hand, they sallied forth on their journey, and in this way a rich deposit of traditions and superstitions was struck and rescued from oblivion. In this way he collected a vast amount of material which he was able to supplement with material supplied by his brother Elijah, who was a vicar in Anglesey, and several other churchmen. This material was assembled by Owen and formed the basis of an essay he presented to the 1887 Welsh National Eisteddfod, held in London. The essay won a prize of a silver medal and £20. The essay was later revised and published under the title Welsh Folk-Lore. A Collection of the Folk-Tales and Legends of North Wales in 1896. The cost of the publication was funded by nearly 200 subscribers. The book opens with a long description of The Origin of the Fairies or "Y Tylwyth Teg", explaining that the name means "the Fair Tribe", who were "spoken of as a people, and not as myths or goblins, and . . . are said to