WILLIAMS
,
JONATHAN
(
1752?
—
1829
),
cleric, schoolmaster, and antiquary
;
b. at
Rhayader
, the son of
David
Williams
,
draper
, of ‘
Y Siop Goch
,’ according to
Gwilym Lleyn
(
Brython
,
1861
, 163). Three of
David
Williams
's sons became
clergymen
. According to the pedigree published on p. 400 of the
Hist. of Radnorshire
(
1905
ed.), the eldest was
JOHN
WILLIAMS
, if
Foster
is correct (and there is some reason to suppose that he has mixed up two
John
Williamses
), he did not go to
Oxford
until
1786
, long after his younger brothers — his son, also
John
Williams
(
1797
-
1873
) had a distinguished career at
Oxford
, becoming a
Fellow
and
tutor
of
Christ Church
. The youngest of the three brothers was
HENRY
WILLIAMS
(
1756
-
1818
), a graduate from
Christ Church
,
Oxford
, in
1778
; he is said to have written the article on
Rhayader
in
Nicholson
's guide-book, but this is not acknowledged in the book itself; he left money in trust to the
University of Oxford
to
endow a lectureship
(a kind of curacy) of the value of forty-eight pounds a year in
Rhayader church
.
Jonathan
Williams
was the second son; according to
Foster
, he was b. in
1754
, but according to his tombstone, in
1752 or 1753
. He entered
Pembroke College
,
Oxford
, in
1770
, and graduated in
1774
. He was appointed first
master
of
Leominster grammar school
and
perpetual curate
of
Eyton
, just outside the town. He got married at
Leominster
and had two daughters, one of whom became the wife of
John
Jones
, the celebrated
lawyer
of
Cefnfaes
(
Rhayader
). He published the
History of Leominster
. After
1818
, he held the
lectureship
in
Rhayader church
, which had been endowed by his brother, and this was subsequently held by his nephew,
John
Williams
, referred to above. There has been considerable misunderstanding about the date of his death;
Foster
, relying on the
Gentleman's Magazine
,
1821
, ii, gives the date as
24 Aug. 1821
, but that was another
Jonathan
Williams
. According to his tombstone at
Eyton
, he d.
19 Aug. 1829
, ‘aged 77,’ and this is supported by the
Gentleman's Magazine
,
1829
, ii, 377, where the death is recorded on the
19 Aug
. of
‘
John
’
Williams
, aged 76 — it is obvious that this was
Jonathan
, for he is described as
schoolmaster
of
Leominster
and
curate
of
Eyton
.
Jonathan
Williams
had intended publishing a book on the history of
Radnorshire
. The
city library
at
Cardiff
possesses letters written by him (
1818-21
, addressed from
Leominster
) to
W. J.
Rees
of
Casgob
(q.v.)
, complaining of the difficulty he had in getting manuscripts, and the disappointments which caused him to put aside the work unfinished; but he left a lengthy manuscript on the subject to his married daughter. Parts of the work were published in
Arch. Camb.
(commencing
1855
), and appeared as a separate volume in
1859
. The history was published in full, with additional matter by
Edwin
Davies
(q.v.)
, at
Brecon
(
1905
), with a portrait of
Jonathan
Williams
. One would hesitate to call the
History of Radnorshire
one of the best of its kind, but it has its good points, and we must not forget the difficulties and frustrations which prevented the
author
from completing the work to his own satisfaction.
Bibliography:
-
Foster
,
Alumni Oxonienses
;
-
Edwin Davies
's introduction to the
1905
ed. of the
A General History of the County of Radnor
, Brecknock, 1905
;
- and the other references given above.
Author:
Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, C.B.E., D.Litt., Ll.D.,
F.S.A., (1881-1969), Bangor.
