Welsh language books in Norfolk
Why did a Norfolk bookseller have several Welsh-language titles?
Richard Marshall, bookseller, stationer and printer, in High Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk published a catalogue of books ‘recently purchased; the whole forming a general assortment of ancient and modern literature, in various languages’, about 1794.[1]
This contains a heading entitled ‘Welsh’ listing six eighteenth century Welsh language titles and a seventeenth century Bible in Dutch {I think!). The Welsh books include John Langford’s translation of Richard Allestree’s devotional work, The whole duty of man, 1711,[2] together with five titles by Griffith Jones (1683 - 1761) of Llanddowror, an important figure in the history of education in Wales.[3] These were:
· Two editions of his catechism (1741 and 1749)[4].
· The second edition of the first part of his treatise on salvation (1750) with first edition of the second part (1740).[5]
· An explanation of the catechism of the Church.[6]
All these titles would have been popular works amongst Welsh speakers, but why they were for sale by a bookseller in Norfolk is a mystery.
One possible explanation for these items may relate to the presence in King’s Lynn of a scholar of the Welsh language. William Richards was born 1749 at Pen-rhydd, near Cardigan, but after training as a Baptist minister moved to King’s Lynn in 1776. His ‘Cambrian accent ' is said to have aroused amusement among his English fellow-ministers’, but nevertheless ‘he clung to his Welsh’,[7] even to the extent of compiling an English-Welsh Dictionary in 1798.[8] Richards published widely during his lifetime in both English and Welsh. His Welsh language publications (including the dictionary) were mainly printed in Carmarthen although, he had two items printed at Lynn in 1802, which must have given the local compositors a headache. The first of these contained excerpts from William Salesbury’s Testament, 'with obersvations applicable to various circumstances which have recently taken place in Wales,' The other was an invective against Lewis Evans, Minister of the Ebenezer Church in Pembrokeshire [9]
So why did he sell his books to Richard Marshall in 1794? It seems that Richards suffered a serious illness from September 1795 until March 1798 during which time he returned to South Wales, and the sale of his books may have been a prelude to this event. He may have needed the money - perhaps because he did not feel well and wished to provide for his wife if he died? He returned to Lynn in 1798 only to relapse late in 1799 till the beginning of 1802 during which time he resided with his wife’s family at Parc-Nest near Newcastle Emlyn. However, he eventually regained his health and returned to King’s Lynn although following the death of his wife in 1805 he became something of a hermit. In his later years he compiled a two volume History of Lynn which remains the most detailed history of that town,
David Stoker (with thanks to Timothy Cutts for identifying the publications and Lionel Madden).
Notes:
[1] Marshall's catalogue part the first, [Lynn]: Catalogues to be had at the place of sale, of Messrs. Robinson, and Co. London. And of the booksellers in Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Hull, Norwich, Yarmouth, Bury, Ipswich, Dereham, and Swaffham, 1794. ESTC:N034957.
[2] Holl ddled-swydd dyn, gwedi ei gosod ar lawr ... Ynghyd a Dwywolder neillduol ar amryw achosion. A gyfiaithwyd yn Gymro-aeg gan Jo. Langford, ... Argraffwyd yn Llundain, gan Edm. Powell, 1711. ESTC T109233
[3] See https://biography.wales/article/s-JONE-GRI-1683
[4] Hyfforddiad i wybodaeth jachusol o egwyddorjon a dyledswyddau crefydd: Argraphwyd yn Llundain : yn y Flwyddyn,
M.DCC.XLI. ESTC T100488 and Hyfforddiad gynnwys i wybodaeth jachusol o egwyddorjon a dyledswyddau crefydd, Argraphwyd yn Llundain, gan Joan Olfir, ym Martholomy Clos, ger llaw Smithffild Gorllewinol, yn y Flwyddyn, MDCCXLIX. ESTC T199105.
[5] Galwad at orseddfaingc y grâs; fel na'n condemnir o flaen gorseddfaingc barn: Llundain : argraphwyd gan Olfir, yn y lle a elwïr Bartholomew-Close, ger llaw West-Smithfield, MDCCL. ESTC T140696 and Hyfforddwr at Orseddfaingc y grâs, Argraphwyd
yn Llundain yn y flwyddyn, 1740. ESTC T116528.
[6] Esponiad byr ar gatecism yr eglwys. Llundain : argraphwyd gan Joan Olfir, ym Martholomy- Clôs, ger llaw Smithffild Gorllewinol,
1752. ESTC T127621.
[7] https://biography.wales/article/s-RICH-WIL-1749
[8] William Richards, Geiriadur Saesneg a Chymraeg. Carmarthen: printed and sold by J. Daniel: sold also by North, Brecon; Sandford,
Shrewsbury; Stanton, Chester; Williams, Dolgelley; Edwards, Ruthin; Edwards,Oswestry; Wilmot, Pembroke; Potter, Haverfordwest; Bird, Cardiff; Brown, Bristol; and Griffiths, Pater-Noster-Row, London, MDCCXCVIII. ESTC T73950. the Welsh - English section was left in manuscript.
[9] Pigion allan o Destament William Salesbury [Lynn] Whittingham, Argraphydd, [1802] Libri Walliae
4363 and Gair etto dros rydd-did cydwybod, a chymmedroldeb [Lynn] Turner, Argraphydd, [1802] Libri Walliae 4357.