William Maurice | |
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Born | 1620 Cefn-y-braich, Llansilin, Denbighshire, Wales |
Died | 1680 (aged 59–60) Cefn-y-braich, Llansilin, Denbighshire, Wales |
Occupation | Antiquary |
Parent | Lewis Maurice (father) |
William Maurice (1620–1680) was a well-known seventeenth-century collector and transcriber of Welsh manuscripts and books from Denbighshire, Wales.
Maurice was born around 1620 in the small community of Cefn-y-Braich in the parish of Llansilin in the historic county of Denbighshire in Wales. [1] He owned land and lived most of his life in the area. [1] [2]
Maurice collected Welsh literature. He had so many books and manuscripts that he built a three-storey library near his home in Cefn-y-Braich called "the Study" in which to store them. [1] [3] He spent much of his time there. [4] His collection of books was a fac simile of Friar Baeon's Study, because his library was similar to Roger Bacon's books and manuscripts. [4] [5] [6] Maurice was associated with the antiquary Robert Vaughan in the collecting and maintaining of these ancient Welsh manuscripts and books that ultimately became a collection of the Hengwrt-Peniarth library, an important part of the National Library of Wales. [7] [8] [9] Maurice cataloged the Hengwrt manuscript collection in 1658. [10] Many manuscripts are in Maurice's own hand. [A]
Maurice's father was Lewis Maurice, from the family line of Moeliwrch of Powys, Wales. [3] He is descended maternally from the sister of Owain Glyndŵr. Maurice married Laetitia, a descendant of Glyndwr's opponent Henry Bolinbroke. [4] Maurice had a daughter named Laetitia (also known as Anne), [11] who inherited his estate [5] and married David Williams of Glan Kynlleth. [11] Maurice's third great-grandchild was John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley. His ninth great-grandchild is James Robert Bruce Ogilvy, founder of Luxury Briefing (a magazine about luxury items). [12]
Maurice died around 1680. [5] [10]
Maurice wrote an historical account of the North Wales civil war, which was later reprinted in the journal Archaeologia Cambrensis. [1] He edited and republished Humphrey Llwyd's historical manuscript Cronica Walliae that was previously published by David Powel's 1584 History of Cambria. [13]
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