Sir Glanmor Williams (5 May 1920 – 24 February 2005) was one of
Wales's most eminent historians.
Sir Glanmor was born in
Dowlais, into a working-class family, and was educated at
Cyfarthfa Grammar School in
Merthyr Tydfil. He studied at
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location i ...
alongside
Alun Lewis and
Emyr Humphreys
Emyr Humphreys (; 15 April 191930 September 2020) was a Welsh novelist, poet, and author. His career spanned from the 1940s until his retirement in 2009. He published in both English and Welsh.
Early life and career
Humphreys was born on 15 ...
, becoming a specialist in the early modern period of Welsh history. His long academic career included 37 years at the
University of Wales, Swansea
Swansea University ( cy, Prifysgol Abertawe) is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. ...
, between 1945 and 1982, and ten as vice-president of the
University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
, mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all
, established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'')
, former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, type = Public
, endowment = ...
.
He joined Swansea University in 1945 and was Professor of History at
Swansea University from 1957 to 1982, his research interests focused on the Protestant Reformation and its impact on Welsh life and culture. His exceptional study of the Welsh Church after 1282, ''The Welsh Church from Conquest to Reformation'' was published in 1962. In subsequent works, such as ''Owen Glendower'' (1966), ''Recovery, Reorientation and Reformation'' (1987), and ''Owain Glyndwr'' (1993) Williams documented how English subjugation of Wales was strengthened by the Tudor Acts of Union, and yet still offered scope for the growth and development of Welsh culture.
In ''Religion, Language and Nationality in Wales'' (1979) he described the origins of Welsh cultural and political nationalism. He wrote equally fluently in Welsh, with his best known works including: ''Dadeni, Diwygiad a Diwylliant Cymru'' (''The Renaissance, the Reformation and the Culture of Wales'', 1964), ''Grym Tafodau Tân'' (''The Power of Fiery Tongues'', 1984) and ''Cymru a'r Gorffennol: côr o leisiau'' (''Wales and the Past: a choir of voices'', 2000).
Williams was Vice-Principal of
Swansea University from 1975 to 1978, and was also appointed to many committees in Wales and England. He served as President of the Baptist Union of Wales, National Governor of BBC Wales and Chairman of the
Broadcasting Council for Wales (1965–71), on the board of the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
and its Advisory Council. Furthermore, he was actively involved in the
Board of Celtic Studies, the
Pantyfedwen Trust and
Cadw
(, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...
. He became a Fellow of the Society of Arts in 1979 and was appointed a CBE in 1981.
After his retirement from Swansea, he served as Chairman of the Ancient Monuments Board (Wales) from 1983 to 1995, Chairman of the
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (1986 to 90), and vice-president of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (1986 to 1996). In 1983 he delivered the Sir John Rhŷs Memorial Lecture. He became a
Fellow of the British Academy in 1986 and was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
in 1995. His autobiography ''Glanmor Williams: A Life'' was published in 2002. He was awarded the
Freedom of the Borough of
Merthyr Tydfil on 18 April 2002.
Speaking after Williams' death in Swansea in 2005, the vice-chancellor, Richard B Davies, said: "his influence on the study of Wales is incalculable. Just to meet him was a privilege."
Publications
* ''Wales and the Reformation.'' (1997, University of Wales Press)
* ''Recovery, Reorientation and Reformation: Wales c.1415–1642'', part of the
Oxford History of Wales
The ''Oxford History of Wales'' is a history series on the history of Wales, written by leading historians for each period. One of the volumes in the series ''Conquest, Coexistence and Change: Wales 1063–1416'' was joint winner of the Wolf ...
(1987, Oxford University Press)
* ''Grym Tafodau Tan'' (1984, Gomer Press)
* ''Owain Glyndwr'' (1993, University of Wales Press)
* ''The Welsh Church from Conquest to Reformation'' (1962, University of Wales Press)
* ''Religion, Language and Nationality'' (1978, University of Wales Press)
* ''Glanmor Williams: A Life'' (2002, University of Wales Press)
* ''Harri Tudur a Chymru (Henry Tudor and Wales) - a bilingual book'' (1985, University of Wales Press)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Glanmor
1920 births
2005 deaths
20th-century Welsh historians
Celtic studies scholars
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Knights Bachelor
Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Academics of Swansea University
People associated with Aberystwyth University
People educated at Cyfarthfa Grammar School
People from Dowlais
Fellows of the British Academy