Thomas Coke, the eminent missionary, was the son of a surgeon at Brecon, in South Wales, where he was born in the year 1747. He was educated at the College school at that town, and in due time he was entered a Gentleman Commoner of Jesus College, Oxford. He took the degree of L.L.D. in 1775; and becoming acquainted with Wesley, he supported his opinions with great zeal. He commenced his labours as a missionary in North America in 1784, where he remained for several years in great popularity with the Methodists; but his advocating the cause of the negroes, and his opposition to the inhuman traffic in slaves, brought upon him the indignation of the Americans, and he was obliged to leave the country with precipitancy, and it was with great difficulty that he escaped to England. He afterwards made nine voyages as a missionary to the West Indies with great success, which must be attributed to his pious zeal and learning, which he has left several works to prove. His character has always been greatly extolled for the judgment which he exhibited in very trying periods, and for the amiableness of his disposition. He died on his voyage to the East Indies in 1814.
Francis Davies, D.D., an eminent and pious prelate, was a native of Wales, and was born in the year 1604. After an academical education, he entered the church; he received various preferment, and in 1660 he was appointed archdeacon of Llandaff. In 1667 he was raised to the bishopric of the same diocese; and died in 1674.
John Davies, D.D., the celebrated Welsh antiquary and learned divine, was born at Llanverras, in Denbighshire, and was educated at Ruthin School, under Bishop Parry. He was entered at Jesus College, Oxford, in 1589, where he graduated. In 1608, he removed to Lincoln College, and took his Doctor’s degree in 1616. Having been appointed chaplain to Bishop Parry, he was made canon of St. Asaph by him; and in 1604, he was presented to the rectory of Mallwyd, and subsequently to those of Llan yn Mowddy and Darowen; and in 1617 to the prebend of Llannfydd, and subsequently to Llanvor sinecure. His character was held in high estimation in Oxford for his proficiency in the Greek and Hebrew languages: a most exact critic, and an indefatigable searcher of antiquities. His celebrated works are “Antiquæ Linguæ Britannicæ Rudimenta,” 8vo., 1621, and “Dictionarium Britannico-Latinum, and Latino-Britannicum,” which was published in London, 1632, folio. At the end of his dictionary is a good collection of Welsh proverbs. He died in May, 1644, and was buried in the church of Mallwydd, Meirionethshire.
Miles Davies was a native of Whitford, near Holywell, in Flintshire. He was originally intended for the church, but from some unknown cause he left his native country, and went to London, where he subscribed himself barrister at law. Here he commenced author, and published three volumes of his “Athenæ Britannicæ,” in 1715, which contain much curious and valuable knowledge. Very little is now known of his history, but he is supposed to have been unfortunate in his later career as a literary character. It is uncertain when his death took place.
Richard Davies, D.D., was the son of David ap Gronw, and was born in Denbighshire, and educated at New Inn Hall, Oxford. Having entered the church, he became vicar of Burnham, and rector of Maids-morton, Buckinghamshire, which preferment he was deprived of in Queen Mary’s reign, for being married; and he consequently retired to the Continent. On the accession of Queen Elizabeth he returned home, and was raised by her to the bishopric of St. Asaph, in 1559, from whence he was translated to the see of St. David’s in 1561. This eminent prelate was a man of great learning, and he was employed, with others, in translating the Bible into English, and he translated all from the beginning of Joshua to the end of Samuel. He also translated part of the New Testament into Welsh, particularly some of the Epistles. He published also some other works. He died at the Episcopal Palace of Abergwyli, Caermarthenshire, in 1581.
Thomas Davies, D.D., Bishop of St. Asaph, was a native of Llanbeder, near Aberconwy, Caernarvonshire, where he was born about the year 1515. He received his academical education at St. John’s College, Cambridge. He became rector of his native parish, and was also made archdeacon of St. Asaph, and chancellor of Bangor. In 1561 he was advanced to the bishopric of St. Asaph, where he continued to his death, which took place in 1573. He was a very pious and charitable person, and founded a scholarship in Queen’s College, Cambridge. He bequeathed also considerable sums of money for other pious uses.
Walter Devereux, Earl of Essex, the father of the unfortunate favourite of Queen Elizabeth, was born in Caermarthenshire in the year 1540, and succeeded his grandfather in the titles of Viscount Hereford and Lord Ferrers. His joining the Earl of Lincoln with a body of troops against the rebels who rose in the North, recommended him to the favour of Queen Elizabeth, who created him Earl of Essex in 1572, and made him a Knight of the Garter. He was afterwards appointed governor of Ulster in Ireland; and his death, which was supposed to have been hastened by poison, by his enemy the Earl of Leicester, took place in Dublin in 1576, leaving the character of a brave soldier, loyal subject, and disinterested patriot.
David Dolben was born at Segrwyd, near Denbigh, in 1581. He was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he proceeded regularly through his degrees to that of doctor. He became a prebendary of St. Asaph, and vicar of Hackney, in Middlesex; and in 1631 he was raised to the bishopric of Bangor. He died two years after his promotion, in London, and was buried in Hackney church.
William Edwards, one of the most wonderful examples of self-taught genius, was a native of Glamorganshire, where he was born at Eglwysilan, in 1719. At an early age he attracted notice by the neatness of his workmanship, in building walls on his father’s farm; and gradually he arrived at the building of houses and larger structures. Having given great satisfaction to all his employers, he undertook, in 1746, to build a bridge over the river Tav, which was executed and greatly admired; at the end of two years and a half it was destroyed by a tremendous flood, which carried it away: he immediately commenced a new one, which however was likewise a failure. The third was completed in 1755, and remains a splendid monument of his talent, and is one of the most beautiful in the world; its span is 140 feet; and it exceeds the famed Rialto of Venice, which was supposed to be the largest arch in the world, by 42 feet. He devised several important improvements in the art of bridge building, and the success of his last bridge over the Tav introduced him to public notice; and he was employed to build numerous other bridges in South Wales. He died in 1789. It is rather singular that his son and grandson were equally possessed of the same taste and architectural talent.
Thomas Edwards, better known by his familiar appellation of Twm o’r Nant, was born at Nant, near Denbigh, in the year 1739. He received but a poor education in his youth, and was brought up to no regular trade, but worked as a labourer; his genius however showed itself at an early age, and he gave proofs of his Awen in the composition of a peculiar species of dramatic writing, known in Wales by the name of “Interludes,” which were very common there in the last century. They appear to bear some analogy to the New Comedy of the Athenians, where he satirizes living persons under fictitious names; and although there are numerous examples of low scurrility and satire, yet they abound with fine strokes of genuine wit, and excellent poetry. He possessed a command of language, and was a good writer when he pleased; a neat specimen of which exists in his Autobiography, in Welsh. He spent his life in various parts of Wales, in different occupations, although he esteemed the acting of his Interludes not the least profitable. He generally bore a part in the exhibiting of his compositions, and gained considerable profit by selling printed copies of them, which he hawked about the country himself. Some of his poetry on various subjects has been published, and two portraits of him. He was a man of great muscular power; and he died in 1810, in the seventy-first year of his age.