MAURICE
,
WILLIAM
(d.
1680
),
antiquary and collector of manuscripts
.
The son of
Lewis
Maurice
, who descended from the
Moeliwrch
family in
Llansilin
, by
Jane
, daughter of
John
Holand
,
vicar
of
Guilsfield
(
1586-1639
), he spent his life at
Cefn-y-braich
or
Tŷ Newydd
in
Cynllaith
,
Llansilin
. It is said that he erected a building of three stories, locally known as ‘
the Study
,’ to house his library. He had sufficient means to
collect books and manuscripts
, to
employ copyists
, and to spend his time
copying and studying manuscripts
. In these studies he regarded
Robert
Vaughan
of
Hengwrt
(q.v.)
as his
Gamaliel
. He worked much at
Hengwrt
and
compiled a catalogue of the manuscripts
in the collection. He himself acquired some important
Welsh
manuscripts, e.g. the ‘
White Book of Hergest
,’ which was lost in a fire at a bindery in
Covent Garden
in
1810
, and the manuscript of the
Welsh
laws which his cousin
Meredith
Lloyd
of
Bryn Elen
gave him (
Wynnstay MS. 36
). He transcribed a
considerable body of Welsh poetry
, and
made a pioneer study of the texts of the Welsh laws
in his ‘
Deddfgrawn
’ or ‘
Corpus Hoelianum
’ (
Wynnstay MSS. 37-8
) in
1660-3
. He was
interested in the early history of Wales and the Celts
. He wrote a letter on
Brennus
to
Robert
Vaughan
in
1662
(
Wynnstay MS. 12
). Contemporary problems also engaged his attention, and, in
1653
, he wrote a treatise against altar-worship in which he criticised the work of
Dr.
George
Griffith
, afterwards
bishop of S. Asaph
(q.v.)
, and
Richard
Jervis
,
vicar
of his own parish. He is also said to have compiled a chronicle of the events of the
Civil War
in
North Wales
.
Evan
Evans
(see
Panton MS. 72
) listed over 100 manuscripts which were in his possession or had been written by or for him. He was twice m. (1), to
Lettice
, daughter of
Roger
Kynaston
,
Ruabon
, by the daughter and heiress of
Roger
Eyton
of
Cefn y Carneddau
; by her he had three sons who d. young, and two daughters —
Ann
, wife of
David
Williams
of
Glan Alaw
, brother of
(
Sir
)
William
Williams
(
1634
-
1700
),
Speaker of the House of Commons
(q.v.)
, and
Lettice
, wife of
Roger
, son of
Thomas
Gethin
of
Maesbrook
; (2) to
Elizabeth
, daughter of
George
Ludlow
of
Morehouse
, and widow of
Thomas
Gethin
, and by her he had one daughter,
Elizabeth
, who m.
George
Jukes
of
Pool
. In
1678
he had a share in
(
Sir
)
William
Williams
's attempt to purchase the
Hengwrt library
. He was buried at a great age at
Llansilin
,
23 March 1680
. His library he left to his daughter,
Lettice
. It was valued, in
1682
, from a list, at £60 by
Edward
Millington
, and sold to
(
Sir
)
William
Williams
. Until about
1771
it was kept at
Llanvorda
, and then removed to
Wynnstay
, where it was practically
all lost by fire,
5-6 March 1858
. In addition to the manuscripts cited, the chief surviving manuscripts in the hand of
William
Maurice
are
Llanst. MSS. 15, 31, 54, and 197
. 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.
Bibliography:
-
[
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
];
-
History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher,
and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog
, iv, 252;
-
The Cambro-Briton
, 1819-1822
, i, 379-80;
-
Wynnstay Manuscript at the National Library of
Wales, Aberystwyth
143, 234;
-
National Library of Wales
Manuscripts
732, 1505 (418);
-
The National Library of Wales Journal
, ii, 26-36;
-
Handlist of Manuscripts in the National
Library of Wales
, 1940 ff
, I, xvi-xx;
Reports on Manuscripts in the Welsh
Language
. Historical Manuscripts Commission,
1898–1910
.
Author:
Evan David Jones, F.S.A., (1903-87), Aberystwyth
