William Maurice (antiquary)

For other people named William Maurice, see William Maurice.

William Maurice
Born	1620 Cefn-y-braich, Llansilin, Denbighshire, Wales
Died	1680 (aged 59–60) Cefn-y-braich, Llansilin, Denbighshire, Wales
Occupation	Antiquary
Parent	Lewis Maurice (father)

William Maurice (1620–1680) was a well-known seventeenth-century collector and transcriber of Welsh manuscripts and books from Denbighshire, Wales.

Early life

Maurice was born around 1620 in the small community of Cefn-y-Braich in the parish of Llansilin in the historic county of Denbighshire in Wales.^[1] He owned land and lived most of his life in the area.^[1][2]

Mid life

Maurice collected Welsh literature. He had so many books and manuscripts that he built a three-storey library near his home in Cefn-y-Braich called "the Study" in which to store them.^[1][3] He spent much of his time there.^[4] His collection of books was a fac simile of Friar Baeon's Study, because his library was similar to Roger Bacon's books and manuscripts.^[4][5][6] Maurice was associated with the antiquary Robert Vaughan in the collecting and maintaining of these ancient Welsh manuscripts and books that ultimately became a collection of the Hengwrt-Peniarth library, an important part of the National Library of Wales.^[7][8][9] Maurice cataloged the Hengwrt manuscript collection in 1658.^[10] Many manuscripts are in Maurice's own hand.^[A]

Genealogy

Maurice's father was Lewis Maurice, from the family line of Moeliwrch of Powys, Wales.^[3] He is descended maternally from the sister of Owain Glyndŵr. Maurice married Laetitia, a descendant of Glyndwr's opponent Henry Bolinbroke.^[4] Maurice had a daughter named Laetitia (also known as Anne),^[11] who inherited his estate^[5] and married David Williams of Glan Kynlleth.^[11] Maurice's third great-grandchild was John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley. His ninth great-grandchild is James Robert Bruce Ogilvy, founder of Luxury Briefing (a magazine about luxury items).^[12]

Death

Maurice died around 1680.^[5][10]

Works

Maurice wrote an historical account of the North Wales civil war, which was later reprinted in the journal Archaeologia Cambrensis.^[1] He edited and republished Humphrey Llwyd's historical manuscript Cronica Walliae that was previously published by David Powel's 1584 History of Cambria.^[13]

See also

• Hengwrt Chaucer

References

Notes

1. "In some of his manuscripts he used a Welsh orthography peculiar to himself, and no manuscript was too precious for him to disfigure with his scrawl."^[3]

Citations

1. Williams 1852, p. 318.
2. Pollard, Albert Frederick (1894). "Maurice, William" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 37. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Archæologia Cambrensis, i.33–41; Williams's Eminent Welshmen, p. 318
3. Jones 1959.
4. Davies & Evans 1868, p. 45.
5. Limbird 1820, p. 380.
6. Cathrall 1855, p. 231.
7. Hellinga 2002, p. 733.
8. Williams 1836, p. 101.
9. "The Peniarth Manuscripts". The National Library of Wales. 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
10. Koch 2000, p. 905.
11. Myddelton 1931, p. 335.
12. The PEDIGREE of William (of Cefn-y-braich) MAURICE
13. Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts 2003, p. 165.

Sources

• Cathrall, William (1855). The history of Oswestry. Oswestry: George Lewis. p. 231.
• Davies, Walter; Evans, D. Silvan, Rev., Ed. (1868). Gwaith, dan olygiad D.S. Evans—The English Works of the Reverend Walter Davies. Carwarthen London: William Spurrell; Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p. 45.
• Hellinga, Lotte (2002). The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-66182-9.
• Jones, Evan David (1959). "MAURICE, WILLIAM (died 1680)". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
• Koch, John T. (2000). Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.
• Limbird, J. (June 1820). The Cambro-Briton. London: Mills & Rhynd, J. Limbird. p. 380.
• Myddelton, William Martial (1931). Chirk Castle Accounts, A.D. 1666-1753. Manchester University Press. GGKEY:DB442W3PBS5.
• Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Great Britain. (2003). Papers of British Antiquaries and Historians. Vol. 12. London: Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-11-440279-2.
• Williams, Robert (1836). A Biographical Sketch of some of the most eminent individuals which the principality of Wales has produced since the Reformation. With an addenda, etc. London: H. Hughes.
• Williams, Robert (1852). A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen: From the Earliest Times to the Present, and Including Every Name Connected with the Ancient History of Wales ... William Rees.