EDMUNDS
,
WILLIAM
(
1827
-
1875
),
cleric, schoolmaster, and man of letters
;
b. at
Lampeter, Cards.
, chr.
27 Dec. 1827
. He attended the grammar school in his native town and, at the age of 19, went to
S. David's College
,
Lampeter
. There he won many prizes, was accounted one of the most distinguished students, and attained the highest honours. After leaving college he became
vice-principal
of the
Normal College
,
Carmarthen
, and was ordained by
bishop
Thirlwall
, winning the ‘
bishop's prize
.’ When the
headmastership
of
Lampeter grammar school
fell vacant he was appointed to the post and had a highly successful career. Boys came to the school from every county in
Wales
and, at one time, half the students at
S. David's College
were his old boys — some of these won high honours at
Oxford
and
Cambridge
. In
1863
he was appointed
vicar
of
Rhostïe, Cards.
, but he did not reside there. In
1856
he published a
Welsh
spelling book,
Gwers-lyfr Llanbedr: yn Cynwys Gwersi Hawdd i Ddysgu Sillebu a Darllen Cymraeg
. In
1856
also he published the 8th ed. of
Y Ffydd Ddiffuant
(by
Charles
Edwards
, q.v.
), with explanatory notes. In
1859
he read before the
Cambrian Archaeological Association
at
Cardigan
a paper ‘
On some old families in the neighbourhood of Lampeter
’; it was published in
Arch. Camb.
in
1860
and appeared in book form in the same year. In
1854
he published with an introduction the 11th ed. of
Drych y Prif Oesoedd
(by
Theophilus
Evans
, q.v.
). He d.
21 Jan. 1875
, and was buried in
Lampeter
parish church.
Bibliography:
-
National Library of Wales Manuscript
9256.
Author:
David Gwenallt Jones, M.A., (1899-1968), Aberystwyth
