Thomas Wilkins was a Welsh cleric and antiquarian, who collected Welsh manuscripts.

Life

His father and his grandfather were both called Thomas Wilkins; all three in turn were rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

s of St Mary's Church in Glamorgan

Glamorgan

Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...

. Wilkins (the grandson) was educated at 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...

, 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...

 in 1641 and obtaining a law degree in 1661. He was rector of Gelligaer

Gelligaer

Gelligaer is a town and parish in the County Borough of Caerphilly, Wales, in the Rhymney River valley. The parish also includes the villages of Cefn Hengoed and Hengoed to the south.- History :...

 and Llan-maes

Llan-maes

Llanmaes is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan near the market town of Llantwit Major.- Amenities :...

, and a prebendary

Prebendary

A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...

 of Llandaff

Llandaff Cathedral

Llandaff Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is situated in the district of Llandaff in the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The current building was constructed in the 12th century over the site of an earlier church...

. In addition to his clerical duties, Wilkins was also an antiquarian

Antiquarian

An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...

 and collected manuscripts, including the Red Book of Hergest

Red Book of Hergest

The Red Book of Hergest is a large vellum manuscript written shortly after 1382, which ranks as one of the most important medieval manuscripts written in the Welsh language. It preserves a collection of Welsh prose and poetry, notably the tales of the Mabinogion, Gogynfeirdd poetry...

 and the Book of the Anchorite. After his death, on 20 August 1699, his eldest son (also called Thomas) donated these two manuscripts to Jesus College.