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Griffith was born in Pembrokeshire. At the age of 14 he began work as an apprentice on the restoration of Llandaff Cathederal. He later moved to London, but retained close links with Wales. Corineus and Goemagot feature in Geoffrey of Monmouth's twelth-century 'History of Britain' which contained many Celtic legends. Corineus was a descendent of Trojan exiles, who travelled to England and conquered the territory of Cornwall after killing all the Cornish Giants. Goemagot was the last of these, and was finally beaten in a wrestling match. This subject gave Griffith the opportunity to portray two nude men in difficult poses, as well as demonstrating his knowledge of Celtic myths. This was one of the first works of art in public ownership in Cardiff.