William Williams (Gwilym Ddu o Arfon) (1739–1817) was a Welsh antiquarian, known also as a poet.

Life

Williams was born in February 1739 in Ty Mawr,

Trefdraeth Trefdraeth is a hamlet in Anglesey, Wales, within the community of Bodorgan about southwest of the county town of Llangefni. Trefdraeth's Church in Wales parish church of St Beuno dates from the 13th century. Glantraeth Football Club play ...

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

from William ap Huw ap Sion, a stonemason. After a short time at school he served a seven years' apprenticeship to a saddler at Llannerch y Medd, where he associated with local bards including Hugh Hughes (Y Bardd Coch) and Robert Hughes (Robin Ddu o Fon). Moving to

Llandygai Llandygái (; ; ; also Llandegai) is a small village and community on the A5 road between Bangor and Tal-y-bont in Gwynedd, Wales. It affords a view of the nearby Carneddau mountain range. The population of the community taken at the 2011 ...

Carnarvonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

, he obtained occasional employment as clerk in the

Penrhyn Penryn is a Cornish word meaning 'headland' that may refer to: *Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom, a town of about 7,000 on the Penryn River **Penryn railway station, a station on the Maritime Line between Truro and Falmouth Docks, and serves the to ...

estate office, acting at the same time as land surveyor and dealer in

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

s. In 1782 he induced Lord Penrhyn to take over the slate quarries at Cae Braich y Cafn (later the

Penrhyn Quarry The Penrhyn quarry is a slate quarry located near Bethesda, North Wales. At the end of the nineteenth century it was the world's largest slate quarry; the main pit is nearly long and deep, and it was worked by nearly 3,000 quarrymen. It has ...

), and was appointed quarry supervisor, a post he held until he was pensioned in 1803. He died on 17 July 1817, and was buried at Llandygai.

Works

Williams published: * ''Observations on the Snowdon Mountains'' (London, 1802), dealing with the natural history and antiquities of the region around Bangor, and originally prepared for Lord Penrhyn. * ''Prydnawngwaith y Cymry'' (Trefriw, 1822) is a continuation (to the Edwardian conquest) of the ''Drych y Prif Oesoedd'', a history of Wales of

Theophilus Evans Theophilus Evans (February 1693 – 11 September 1767) was a Welsh clergyman and historian. Life Evans' father was from Pen-y-wenallt and he was christened in the church in Llandygwydd in Cardiganshire in 1693. Evans served curacies in Brecknock ...

; the preface indicates that it was completed in 1804. Williams was an antiquarian collector, and use was made of his manuscripts by

Richard Fenton Richard Fenton (January 1747 – November 1821) was a Welsh lawyer, topographer and poet. Biography Fenton was born in January 1747 in St David's, Pembrokeshire, and was baptised in St David's Cathedral on 20 February 1747, "being then a month ...

and

Sir Richard Colt Hoare Sir Richard Colt Hoare, 2nd Baronet FRS (9 December 1758 – 19 May 1838) was an English antiquarian, archaeologist, artist, and traveller of the 18th and 19th centuries, the first major figure in the detailed study of the history of his home c ...

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, William Welsh antiquarians Welsh poets People from Anglesey 1739 births 1817 deaths