Alban Thomas
Encyclopedia
Alban Thomas was a Welsh doctor, librarian and antiquarian
, who followed in his father's footsteps in supporting Welsh literature, being particularly associated with efforts by Moses Williams
to publish Welsh-language manuscripts.
area at the end of the 17th century / beginning of the 18th century. Thomas (the son) was born in 1686 and matriculated at Jesus College, Oxford
. By 1708 he was librarian of the Ashmolean Museum
in Oxford, and he was the assistant secretary of the Royal Society
in London in 1713. He graduated with a Doctor of Medicine
degree from the University of Aberdeen
in 1719. His Aberdeen links led to suspicions in Government circles that Thomas was a Jacobite
sympathiser, and Thomas had to stay away from London, where he practised, for some time after March 1722. Unable to resume his medical career in London on his return, he moved back to Wales and practised there until his death in 1771. He was associated with the attempts of the antiquarian Moses Williams
to collect and publish material contained in manuscripts in the Welsh language, taking subscriptions in 1719 towards publication of Collection of Writings in the Welsh Tongue, to the beginning of the Sixteenth Century, to be printed in several Volumes in Octavo. Thomas himself published a List of Fellows of the Royal Society of London in 1718.
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...
, who followed in his father's footsteps in supporting Welsh literature, being particularly associated with efforts by Moses Williams
Moses Williams
Moses Williams was a Welsh antiquarian scholar.He was born the son of Samuel Williams, Vicar of Llan Dyfriog and Rector of Llan Gynllo, Cardiganshire, and his wife, Margaret, daughter of Jenkin Powell Prytherch, in Y Glaslyn, near Llandysul, Ceredigion, in south-west Wales.He was ordained a deacon...
to publish Welsh-language manuscripts.
Life
Thomas was the son of a Welsh cleric, poet and translator, also called Alban Thomas, who was involved in a literary renaissance in the Newcastle EmlynNewcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn is a town straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in west Wales and lying on the River Teifi.Adpar is the part of the town that lies on the Ceredigion side of the River Teifi...
area at the end of the 17th century / beginning of the 18th century. Thomas (the son) was born in 1686 and matriculated 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...
. By 1708 he was librarian of the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
in Oxford, and he was the assistant secretary of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in London in 1713. He graduated with a Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
in 1719. His Aberdeen links led to suspicions in Government circles that Thomas was a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
sympathiser, and Thomas had to stay away from London, where he practised, for some time after March 1722. Unable to resume his medical career in London on his return, he moved back to Wales and practised there until his death in 1771. He was associated with the attempts of the antiquarian Moses Williams
Moses Williams
Moses Williams was a Welsh antiquarian scholar.He was born the son of Samuel Williams, Vicar of Llan Dyfriog and Rector of Llan Gynllo, Cardiganshire, and his wife, Margaret, daughter of Jenkin Powell Prytherch, in Y Glaslyn, near Llandysul, Ceredigion, in south-west Wales.He was ordained a deacon...
to collect and publish material contained in manuscripts in the Welsh language, taking subscriptions in 1719 towards publication of Collection of Writings in the Welsh Tongue, to the beginning of the Sixteenth Century, to be printed in several Volumes in Octavo. Thomas himself published a List of Fellows of the Royal Society of London in 1718.