William Maurice (antiquary)
William Maurice (1620–1680) was a well-known seventeenth-century collector and transcriber of Welsh manuscripts and books from Denbighshire, Wales.
William Maurice | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1620 Cefn-y-braich, Llansilin, Denbighshire, Wales |
| Died | 1680 (aged 59–60) Cefn-y-braich, Llansilin, Denbighshire, Wales |
| Occupation | Antiquary |
| Parent | Lewis Maurice (father) |
Early life
Maurice was born around 1620 in the small community of Cefn-y-Braich in the parish of Llansilin in the historic county of Denbighshire in Wales.[1] He owned land and lived most of his life in the area.[1][2]
Mid life
Maurice collected Welsh literature. He had so many books and manuscripts that he built a three-storey library near his home in Cefn-y-Braich called "the Study" in which to store them.[1][3] He spent much of his time there.[4] His collection of books was a fac simile of Friar Baeon's Study, because his library was similar to Roger Bacon's books and manuscripts.[4][5][6] Maurice was associated with the antiquary Robert Vaughan in the collecting and maintaining of these ancient Welsh manuscripts and books that ultimately became a collection of the Hengwrt-Peniarth library, an important part of the National Library of Wales.[7][8][9] Maurice cataloged the Hengwrt manuscript collection in 1658.[10] Many manuscripts are in Maurice's own hand.[upper-alpha 1]
Genealogy
Maurice's father was Lewis Maurice, from the family line of Moeliwrch of Powys, Wales.[3] He is descended maternally from the sister of Owain Glyndŵr. Maurice married Laetitia, a descendant of Glyndwr's opponent Henry Bolinbroke.[4] Maurice had a daughter named Laetitia (also known as Anne),[11] who inherited his estate[5] and married David Williams of Glan Kynlleth.[11] Maurice's third great-grandchild was John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley. His ninth great-grandchild is James Robert Bruce Ogilvy, founder of Luxury Briefing (a magazine about luxury items).[12]
Works
Maurice wrote an historical account of the North Wales civil war, which was later reprinted in the journal Archaeologia Cambrensis.[1] He edited and republished Humphrey Llwyd's historical manuscript Cronica Walliae that was previously published by David Powel's 1584 History of Cambria.[13]
See also
References
Notes
- "In some of his manuscripts he used a Welsh orthography peculiar to himself, and no manuscript was too precious for him to disfigure with his scrawl."[3]
Citations
- Williams 1852, p. 318.
- Pollard, Albert Frederick (1894). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 37. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Archæologia Cambrensis, i.33–41; Williams's Eminent Welshmen, p. 318
- Jones 1959.
- Davies & Evans 1868, p. 45.
- Limbird 1820, p. 380.
- Cathrall 1855, p. 231.
- Hellinga 2002, p. 733.
- Williams 1836, p. 101.
- "The Peniarth Manuscripts". The National Library of Wales. 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Koch 2000, p. 905.
- Myddelton 1931, p. 335.
- The PEDIGREE of William (of Cefn-y-braich) MAURICE
- Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts 2003, p. 165.
Sources
- Cathrall, William (1855). The history of Oswestry. Oswestry: George Lewis. p. 231.
- Davies, Walter; Evans, D. Silvan, Rev., Ed. (1868). Gwaith, dan olygiad D.S. Evans—The English Works of the Reverend Walter Davies. Carwarthen London: William Spurrell; Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p. 45.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Hellinga, Lotte (14 November 2002). The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-66182-9.
- Jones, Evan David (1959). "MAURICE, WILLIAM (died 1680)". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
- Koch, John T. (2000). Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.
- Limbird, J. (June 1820). The Cambro-Briton. London: Mills & Rhynd, J. Limbird. p. 380.
- Myddelton, William Martial (1931). Chirk Castle Accounts, A.D. 1666-1753. Manchester University Press. GGKEY:DB442W3PBS5.
- Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Great Britain. (2003). Papers of British Antiquaries and Historians. Vol. 12. London: Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-11-440279-2.
- Williams, Robert (1836). A Biographical Sketch of some of the most eminent individuals which the principality of Wales has produced since the Reformation. With an addenda, etc. London: H. Hughes.
- Williams, Robert (1852). A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen: From the Earliest Times to the Present, and Including Every Name Connected with the Ancient History of Wales ... William Rees.