Owen Jones (3 September 1741 – 26 September 1814), known by his bardic name of Owain Myfyr, was a Welsh antiquarian.

Life

Jones was born in

Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales. It is located within the historic county of Denbighshire (on the border with Merionethshire) on the Afon Alwen, at the south western edge of the Clocaenog Fore ...

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 ...

. In the mid-1760s he moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where he entered the service of a firm of

furrier Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...

s, to whose business he ultimately succeeded. He had from boyhood studied Welsh literature, and later devoted time and money to its collection. Assisted by Edward Williams of Glamorgan (

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10 March 1747 – 18 December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclop ...

) and Dr. William Owen Pughe, he published, at a cost of more than £1000, the well-known ''

Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales ''The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales'' is a printed collection of medieval Welsh literature, published in three volumes by the Gwyneddigion Society between 1801 and 1807. Until John Gwenogvryn Evans produced diplomatic editions of the important m ...

'' (1801–1807), a collection of pieces dating from the 6th to the 14th century. The manuscripts which he had brought together are deposited in 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 ...

; the material not utilized in the ''Myvyrian Archaiology'' amounts to 100 volumes, containing 16,000 pages of verse and 15,300 pages of prose. Jones was the principal founder of the

Gwyneddigion Society The Gwyneddigion Society ( cy, Cymdeithas y Gwyneddigion) was a London-based Welsh literary and cultural society. The original society was founded in 1770 and wound up in 1843. It was briefly revived in 1978. Its proceedings were conducted through ...

in London in 1770 for the encouragement of Welsh studies and literature; and in 1805 he began a miscellany, the ''Greal'', of which only one volume appeared. An edition of the poems of

Dafydd ap Gwilym Dafydd ap Gwilym ( 1315/1320 – 1350/1370) is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Life R. Geraint Gruffydd suggests 1315- 1350 as the poet's dates; others place him a little ...

was also issued at his expense. He died in 1814 at his business premises in Upper Thames Street, London, and was buried in the churchyard of

All-Hallows-the-Less All-Hallows-the-Less (also known as ''All-Hallows-upon-the-Cellar'') was a church in the City of London. Of medieval origin, it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt. History The church stood on the south side of Tham ...

. When the churchyard was severely damaged by bombing in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, his gravestone (which also commemorated his widow and her second husband, Robert Roberts) was removed, and eventually taken to

Eglwys Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr Sir Ddinbych 09

Personal life

In about 1806 Jones married his maidservant, Hannah Jane Jones (1772/3–1838), who was nearly 30 years his junior. They had one son,

Owen Jones Owen Jones (born 8 August 1984) is a British newspaper columnist, political commentator, journalist, author, and left-wing activist. He writes a column for ''The Guardian'' and contributes to the ''New Statesman'' and '' Tribune.'' He has two ...

(1809–74), who became a well-known architect and designer; and either one or two daughters.Jenkins and Ramage 1951, p. 93.

Life

Personal life

References

Further reading