William Thomas (cleric)
Encyclopedia
William Thomas was a Welsh clergyman and academic, who was a Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford
and later chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral
.
, south Wales, and christened on 26 August 1734. After schooling in Cowbridge
, he attended the University of Oxford
, matriculating
from Jesus College, Oxford
in 1751 and obtaining degrees of BA
and MA from Oriel College, Oxford in 1755 and 1758 respectively. He was ordained deacon in 1758 and priest in 1759, before being presented to the living of Aberavon
with Baglan
and Briton Ferry
; he was later the priest of Llangynwyd
with Baiden and the curate of Llangeinor
. He nevertheless lived mainly in Oxford after 1760, and was a Fellow and tutor of Pembroke College, Oxford
; he was regarded as a good scholar of Celtic and Oriental languages. He was later chaplain to Lord Vernon, who had presented him to his earliest parish posts, and was appointed as chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral
in 1777. He was also a friend and encourager of the poet Evan Evans. Thomas died in 1799.
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
and later chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral
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...
.
Life
Thomas was born to Lewis and Eleanor Thomas of Eglwys Nynnid, near MargamMargam
Margam is a suburb of Port Talbot in the Welsh county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, close to junction 39 of the M4 motorway.- History :...
, south Wales, and christened on 26 August 1734. After schooling in Cowbridge
Cowbridge
Cowbridge is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, approximately west of Cardiff. Cowbridge is twinned with Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique department in northwestern France.-Roman times:...
, he attended 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 1751 and obtaining degrees of BA
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...
and MA from Oriel College, Oxford in 1755 and 1758 respectively. He was ordained deacon in 1758 and priest in 1759, before being presented to the living of Aberavon
Aberavon
Aberavon is a settlement in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Port Talbot, covering the central and south western part of the town...
with Baglan
Baglan
Baglan is a village in Wales. The village is named after Saint Baglan . Baglan is also the name of a community which is coterminous with the village and an electoral ward, in the administrative region of Neath Port Talbot county borough...
and Briton Ferry
Briton Ferry
Briton Ferry is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The town encompasses the electoral wards of Briton Ferry East and Briton Ferry West....
; he was later the priest of Llangynwyd
Llangynwyd
Llangynwyd is a village 2 miles to the south of Maesteg, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It was part of the medieval cwmwd of Tir Iarll.- History and amenities :The 2001 census gave the population as 2,843...
with Baiden and the curate of Llangeinor
Llangeinor
Llangeinor is a small village located in the Garw Valley around 5 miles north of Bridgend in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. The entire village is now protected as part of a conservation area.-Transport:...
. He nevertheless lived mainly in Oxford after 1760, and was a Fellow and tutor of Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
; he was regarded as a good scholar of Celtic and Oriental languages. He was later chaplain to Lord Vernon, who had presented him to his earliest parish posts, and was appointed as chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral
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 1777. He was also a friend and encourager of the poet Evan Evans. Thomas died in 1799.