Statue of John Davies, Translators' Memorial, St Asaph 12

John Davies, Mallwyd ( – 1644) was one of Wales's leading scholars of the late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

. He wrote a

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 peopl ...

grammar and dictionary. He was also a translator and editor and an ordained minister of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

. Born in Llanferres,

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, the son of a weaver, he graduated from

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

in 1594. His name is traditionally associated with the parish of

Mallwyd Mallwyd () is a small village at the most southern end of Gwynedd, Wales in the Dinas Mawddwy community, in the valley of the River Dyfi. It lies on the A470 approximately halfway between Dolgellau and Machynlleth, and forms the junction of the ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, an ...

, where he was rector from 1604 until his death in 1644. He is believed to have been the main editor and reviser of the 1620 edition of the

translation of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

and the 1621 edition of the

translation of the

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

. He published a Welsh grammar in Latin in 1621, ''Antiquae linguae Britannicae ...'', and a Welsh–Latin Latin–Welsh dictionary in 1632, ''Antiquae linguae Britannicae ... et linguae Latinae dictionarium duplex''. In 1632 he also published , a masterly translation and Protestant adaptation of (1582) by English Roman Catholic Robert Parsons. He died, possibly while at

Harlech Harlech () is a seaside resort and community in Gwynedd, north Wales and formerly in the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies on Tremadog Bay in the Snowdonia National Park. Before 1966, it belonged to the Meirionydd District of the 19 ...

, on 15 May 1644, and was buried at Mallwyd church, where a memorial was erected to him on the 200th anniversary of his death.

References

Sources

*'Davies, John (c. 1567–1644)'. In

Meic Stephens Meic Stephens (23 July 1938 – 2 July 2018) was a Welsh literary editor, journalist, translator, and poet. Birth and education Meic Stephens was born on 23 July 1938 in the village of Treforest, near Pontypridd, Glamorgan. He was educated ...

(Ed.) (1998), ''The new companion to the literature of Wales''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. . *Davies, Ceri (Ed.) (2004), ''Dr John Davies of Mallwyd : Welsh Renaissance scholar''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. . * Parry, Thomas (1955), ''A history of Welsh literature''. Translated by H. Idris Bell. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

External links

Early Grammars : Antiquae linguae Britannicae... 1621
part of th
Celtic Voices
exhibition at 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 ...

John Davies, 'Antiquae Linguae Britannicae ....' (1621)
from th
Gathering the jewels website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, John (Mallwyd) 1560s births 1644 deaths Welsh-language writers Welsh lexicographers Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Translators of the Bible into Welsh People from Denbighshire 17th-century Welsh writers 17th-century male writers 16th-century translators 17th-century translators Welsh translators 16th-century Anglican theologians 17th-century Anglican theologians Early modern Christian devotional writers