Peter Bailey Williams
Encyclopedia
Peter Bayley Williams was a Welsh
Anglican priest
and amateur antiquarian.
, Carmarthenshire
, west Wales
. After being educated at the grammar school in Carmarthen
, he studied at the University of Oxford
, matriculating
from Jesus College, Oxford
in 1785 and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Christ Church, Oxford
in 1790. He was ordained in 1788 and served in Eastleach Martin (Gloucestershire
), Swinbrook
and Burford
(both in Oxfordshire
) before becoming rector
of Llanrug
and Llanberis
in Caernarfonshire
, north Wales, holding these posts until his death on 22 November 1836. His son, Henry Bayley Williams, later became rector of Llanrug and Llanberis.
In addition to his parish duties, Williams wrote for journals and assisted both young and more established writers with historical information for their work. He copied several manuscripts of medieval poems, but his antiquarian work was not highly regarded. He contributed to The Tourist's Guide to the County of Carnarvon (1821) and established the first Sunday school
in the county, at Llanrug in 1793.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Anglican priest
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and amateur antiquarian.
Life
Williams was the son of Peter Williams, a Welsh Calvinist Methodist clergyman and biblical commentator, and was born in LlandyfaelogLlandyfaelog
-External links:...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, west Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. After being educated at the grammar school in Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, he studied at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, matriculating
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
from Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
in 1785 and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
in 1790. He was ordained in 1788 and served in Eastleach Martin (Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
), Swinbrook
Swinbrook
Swinbrook is a village on the River Windrush, east of Burford in Oxfordshire, England. The village is in the civil parish of Swinbrook and Widford.-History:...
and Burford
Burford
Burford is a small town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in west Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford, southeast of Cheltenham and only from the Gloucestershire boundary...
(both in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
) before becoming rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Llanrug
Llanrug
Llanrug is a large village in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It lies about 4 miles to the east of Caernarfon, 7 miles south of Bangor and 3 miles to the west of Llanberis. It is the largest populated village in the Arfon area of Gwynedd, Wales. The old name term of the village was initially...
and Llanberis
Llanberis
Llanberis is a village in Gwynedd, North Wales, lying on the southern banks of Llyn Padarn in Snowdonia. It takes its name from Saint Peris, an early Welsh saint.According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llanberis was 1,954...
in Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....
, north Wales, holding these posts until his death on 22 November 1836. His son, Henry Bayley Williams, later became rector of Llanrug and Llanberis.
In addition to his parish duties, Williams wrote for journals and assisted both young and more established writers with historical information for their work. He copied several manuscripts of medieval poems, but his antiquarian work was not highly regarded. He contributed to The Tourist's Guide to the County of Carnarvon (1821) and established the first Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
in the county, at Llanrug in 1793.