Nathanael Jones (c. 1624 – 1683),

Esq. Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman a ...

, of Hendwr,

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

, was a Welsh gentleman-poet. He was born in the parish of Llandrillo-yn-Edeirnion, the second son of Maurice Jones,

of Faerdref Uchaf, and later moved to Hendwr,

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

, an Elizabethan mansion of great antiquity, within the same parish. He was descended from the Barons of Kymmer-yn-Edeirnion, and as such bore the 'Black Lion of Powys' on his arms and 'Kymmer-yn-Edeirnion' as his

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

, in memory of the paternal barony.

Military Career

During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, he joined the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

army as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, along with his elder brother, and subsequently fought at the

Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639 – 1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters und ...

and was later captured at the

Battle of Ormskirk The Battle of Ormskirk was fought on 20 August 1644 during the First English Civil War. It was a decisive victory for the Parliamentarian force commanded by Major-General Sir John Meldrum over the Royalist force commanded by Lord Byron. Ba ...

, during the Royalist retreat through Lancashire. In 1652, he married Mary Wynn, the daughter and heiress of Humphrey ap Hugh Wynn, by whom he inherited the Hendwr estate. From the 1650s, he began writing poetry and was a minor poet in the circle o
Matthew Owen
'the Bard of Llangar'. Though as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, Nathanael was expected to speak in English in public, his poetry is entirely in Welsh. Due to the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, he had been unable to complete his education by going up to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

as had been family tradition, yet despite this he was still very well-educated for the time. His son Maurice however matriculated at Jesus College on 20 March 1673/4, aged 19. He later served as

High Sheriff of Merionethshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Merionethshire (or Sheriffs of Meirionnydd). The historic county of Merioneth was originally created in 1284. The administrative county of Merioneth was created from the historic county under the Local Government Act ...

in 1673 and was the

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

for that county. He was also a translator of English textbooks into Welsh so that they could be more widely-read, surviving manuscripts include

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) **List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Plac ...

's 'Daily Rule' and 'The Act of Contentment'. He died in 1683, aged 59, whereupon he was succeeded by his son, Maurice Jones.Will of Nathaniel Jones, Esq. at the National Library of Wales (SA/1683/89).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Nathanael Welsh male poets 17th-century Welsh poets People from Merionethshire People from Denbighshire English–Welsh translators Cavaliers 1620s births 1683 deaths