JONES
,
JOHN
(
Tegid
— less usually
Ioan Tegid
;
1792
-
1852
),
cleric and man of letters
;
b. at
Bala
,
10 [Feb.] 1792
, [first son and third child] of
Henry
and
Catherine
Jones
; according to
Elizabeth
Davis
(q.v.)
, the mother had a pretty large
millinery business
, and
Tegid
's prolonged sojourn at schools suggests that his family was not too badly off. He speaks of a brother,
David
([b.
1794
] a
banker
), a sister
Elen
[chr.
29 Jan. 1787
], and another
Gwen
[b.
1788
, who died young]. After attending more than one school at
Bala
, he went at 12 to the grammar school attached to the
Presbyterian Academy
at
Carmarthen
, thence (in a year's time) to another school there; returned to
Bala
in
1804
; thence (so we are told) ‘to several schools’; and finally (
1814
) to
Jesus College
,
Oxford
. He graduated (with a ‘second’ in mathematics) in
1818
. In
1819
, he intended going out to
Calcutta
to
teach in a college
; but at the end of that year to took orders and became
chaplain
of
Christ Church
; in
1823
(he had proceeded
M.A.
in
1821
) he became
precentor
of
Christ Church
, with the cure of the parish of
S. Thomas
. He was energetic in his parish, enlarged the church, and
built schools
. But he was also a
scholar
, a good
Hebraist
; in
1830
he published a new version of
Isaiah
, which went into a 2nd ed. in
1842
and was praised by eminent
Hebraists
on the
Continent
.
Welsh studies
, however, filled a more important place in his interests. In his youth at
Bala
, he had taken his place in the bardic succession of the region, receiving his instruction at the hands of
Robert
William
(q.v.
, whom he commemorated in an elegy), and in his turn becoming the
instructor
of
Charles
Saunderson
(q.v. under
Saunderson
,
Robert
). As a
poet
(his poetry was published in collected form, with a very short biography, by his sister's son the
Rev.
Henry
Roberts
, in
1859
),
Tegid
does not rank high, although some of his short lyrics are attractive, and indeed are still current in quotation. It was as a
scholar (however defective) in Welsh matters
that he acquired repute. It was he who transcribed the ‘
Red Book of Hergest
’ stories
for
lady
Charlotte
Guest
(q.v.)
, and he helped her with her
translation
. With
Gwallter Mechain
(q.v.)
, he edited the poems of
Lewis Glyn Cothi
(q.v.)
for the
Cymmrodorion Society
(
1837-9
); and wrote the historical introduction. Unfortunately he adhered to the orthography and etymologizing of
W. O.
Pughe
(q.v.)
; this not only led him astray in his treatment of
Lewis Glyn Cothi
's text but also seriously affected the edition of the
Welsh
New Testament
which he prepared for the
S.P.C.K.
in
1828
; strong protests came from
W. Bruce
Knight
(q.v.)
and
John
Roberts
of
Tremeirchion
(
1775
-
1829
) (q.v.)
.
Tegid
had in
1820
published a tract,
Traethawd ar Gadwedigaeth yr Iaith Gymraeg
, championing
Pughe
's views; and now he published (
1829
) a reply to
Roberts
, a
Welsh
tract on ‘
the correct spelling of Welsh
’ (
1830
), and a reply (
1831
) to
Knight
. Fortunately the
Old Testament
escaped spelling-reform, and today everybody agrees with
Bruce
Knight
.
On
27 Aug. 1841
, through
lady Llanover
's influence,
Tegid
was given the
lord chancellor's living
of
Nevern, Pembs.
; he was instituted
12 April 1842
; he became
canon of S. Davids
in
1848
. He was
prominent in the eisteddfodic movement
, especially in the eisteddfodau held at
Abergavenny
, and was one of the promoters of the ‘
Welsh MSS. Society
.’ By all accounts, he was an exceptionally kindly and likeable man. He d.
2 May 1852
, and was buried at
Nevern
.
Bibliography:
- Biographical introduction to his poems (above);
-
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
;
-
Cardiff Free Libraries, Catalogue of Printed
Literature in the Welsh Department
, 1898
;
-
West Wales Historical Records
,
1910–29
, iii, 219-20;
-
Y Cymmrodor
,
1951
, chapter 5
passim
;
-
Y Seren
(Bala),
4 Oct. 1952
;
-
[information from
Mr. Huw R. Williams
, Bala].
Author:
Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, C.B.E., D.Litt., Ll.D.,
F.S.A., (1881-1969), Bangor
