The ''Dictionary of Welsh Biography'' (DWB) (also ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1940'' and ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941 to 1970'') is a

biographical dictionary A biographical dictionary is a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in ''Who's Who'', or deceased people onl ...

of Welsh people who have made a significant contribution to Welsh life over seventeen centuries. It was first published in 1959, and is now maintained as a free online resource.

Origins

Robert Thomas Jenkins Robert Thomas Jenkins CBE (31 August 1881 – 11 November 1969) was a Welsh historian and academic. Life Jenkins was born on 31 August 1881 in Liverpool. He moved with his family to Bangor, Gwynedd, when his father was appointed clerk to the ...

was assistant editor, then joint editor, of ' and its English-language counterpart, the ''Dictionary of Welsh Biography'', writing over 600 entries. His joint editor was

John Edward Lloyd Sir John Edward Lloyd (5 May 1861 – 20 June 1947) was a Welsh historian, He was the author of the first serious history of the country's formative years, ''A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest'' (1911). Ano ...

, but the ''Dictionary'' was not published until 1959, twelve years after his death. It is properly known as ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1940'', and its supplementary volume as ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941 to 1970'' (2001). Originally published by the

Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion ( cy, Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion), often called simply the Cymmrodorion, is a London-based Welsh learned society, with membership open to all. It was first established in 1751 as a social, cultural ...

, recent editions have been published by the

University of Wales Press The University of Wales Press ( cy, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru) was founded in 1922 as a central service of the University of Wales. The press publishes academic journals and around seventy books a year in the English and Welsh languages on six general ...

. ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1940'' contains about 4,900 entries within its 1157 pages on the careers and accomplishments of notable Welsh men and women who had distinguished themselves, providing a representative portrait of Welsh society and history up to the 20th century. However, it did not include anyone who was still living in 1940; its supplementary volume, ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941 to 1970'' did, containing an additional 600 entries within its 318 pages.

Welsh Biography Online

The Welsh Biography Online resource has about 4,325 biographies online including clergy, princes, members of the gentry, poets and writers, government officials, ministers, artisans, sportsmen, workers, soldiers, industrialists and farmers. Welsh Biography Online is a bilingual resource with every entry in

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

and English. Welsh Biography Online combines the two volumes, ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1940'' and ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941–1970'' with the three Welsh language volumes, ''Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940'', ''Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig, 1941–1950'' and ''Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig, 1951–1970'', all originally published by the

of London between 1953 and 2001. The idea of transcribing ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography'' into digital form came because of the constant enquiries the staff of the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

receive from users and the constant use made of the ''Dictionary'' in the Library. The National Library of Wales also has a long and close association with ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography''. Several National Librarians have served as editors and many members of staff have undertaken editorial and research work for the publication. The National Library of Wales then decided to make the online resource a live data-base.

Contributors

Authors of articles in the dictionary include:

References

External links

{{Wikidata property, P1648
Welsh Biography official website
1959 non-fiction books Welsh Biography British biographers British non-fiction literature Online person databases