DIVERRES
,
POL
(
1880
-
1946
),
linguist, Celtic scholar, and sometime Keeper of manuscripts in the National Library of Wales
;
b.
12 Dec. 1880
at
Lorient
,
Brittany
, the son of
Henri
Diverres
,
lawyer
and
Breton folklorist
, and
Pauline
Chauvlon
. He was educated in the
University of Rennes
where he took his ‘
doctorat
’ in
Celtic
. He had almost completed his examination in medicine (a course which he had pursued at the specific request of his parents), when he decided to change to Celtic, which he studied at the
Collège de France
, (under
Joseph
Loth
), the
Sorbonne
, and the
École des hautes études
,
Paris
. Coming to
Wales
in
1911
(as a member of the
Breton
Gorsedd
of Bards
) to attend the
Carmarthen national
eisteddfod
, he shortly afterwards began his residence in this country which was to continue until his death. After taking his
M.A.
degree in the
University of Liverpool
in
1914
and after a short period as
French master
at
Lewis' School
,
Pengam
,
Glamorgan
, he was appointed
Keeper of manuscripts
and
sub-librarian
in the
National Library of Wales
(
9 Sept. 1919
); he relinquished this post in
1923
to join the
French department
in the newly-established
University College of Swansea
. He had a good Celtic library. His widow and son arranged for much of it, especially the
Breton
books and journals, to come to the
National Library
. His most important publications were
Le plus ançien texte de Meddygon Myddveu …
(
Paris
,
1913
) and
Le Siège de Lorient par les Anglais en 1746 …
(
Rennes
,
1931
); articles in
Revue Celtique
and
Les Annales de Bretagne
.
Diverres
m., in
1913
,
Elizabeth
Jones
(‘
Telynores Gwalia
’), dau. of
Hugh
Jones
(‘
Trisant
’),
Liverpool
; they had one son.
Diverres
d.
25 Dec. 1946
at
Swansea
, and was buried in
Sketty
churchyard.
Author:
Sir William Llewelyn Davies, M.A., LL.D., F.S.A. (1887-1952),
Aberystwyth
