New Digital Resources for the Summer

Since the beginning of the year work has continued on digitising our collections and the following items and collections are now available to view from home on the Library’s website and/or the catalogue:

Archives and Manuscripts

Peniarth and Llanstephan collections

• Llyfr Du’r Waun (Peniarth MS 29)
• Cyfraith Hywel Dda (Peniarth MS 31)
• Miscellanea (Llanstephan MS 117)

Sir John Herbert Lewis Papers

33 diaries from the Sir John Herbert Lewis Papers from the period 1888-1924 are now available:

• Diary 1888 (B1)
• Diary 1891 (B2)
• Diary 1893 (B3)
• Diary 1893 (B4)
• Diary 1893 (B5)
• Diary 1895 (B6)
• Diary 1896 (B7)
• Diary 1896 (B8)
• Diary 1897 (B9)
• Diary 1897 (B10)
• Diary 1898 (B11)
• Diary 1899 (B12)
• Diary 1900 (B13)
• Diary 1901 (B14)
• Diary 1901 (B15)
• Diary 1902 (B16)
• Diary 1903 (B17)
• Diary 1904 (B18)
• Diary 1905 (B19)
• Diary 1906 (B20)
• Diary 1907 (B21)
• Diary 1908 (B22)
• Diary 1909 (B23)
• Diary 1910 (B24)
• Diary 1911 (B25)
• Diary 1912 (B26)
• Diary 1913 (B27)
• Diary 1919 (B33)
• Diary 1920 (B34)
• Diary 1921 (B35)
• Diary 1922 (B36)
• Diary 1923 (B37)
• Diary 1924 (B38)

Seals and Ystrad Marchell Charters

A selection of documents and medieval seals from the Pitchford Hall Papers and the Estate Records of Penrice and Margam, Chirk Castle, Bronwydd and Wigfair, have been made available, for example:

• NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 84
• NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 140
• NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 250
• NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 386
• NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 1980
• NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 1978
• NLW Penrice and Margam Deeds 2046
• NLW Pitchford Hall Deeds 1237
• NLW Chirk Castle 908

33 Ystrad Marchell charters have also been made available and can be accessed via the catalogue.

Printed Material

Arthurian collection

A selection of volumes relating to King Arthur were selected for digitization in 2019. The following 13 volumes are already available and the work of digitizing the remaining items will continue over the coming months:

• Thomas Malory, Stories of King Arthur and his knights (1914)
• Gottfried von Strassburg, Tristan (1912)
• Ernest John Brigham Kirtlan, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Rendered literally into modern English … from cotton MS. Nero Ax in British Museum (1912)
• James Knowles, The legends of King Arthur and his knights (1912)
• Guillaume Apollinaire, Très plaisante et recreative hystoire du très preulx et vaillant chevallier Perceval le Galloys jadis chevallier de la table ronde (1918
• Wirnt von Gravenberg, Arthurian legends or the Hebrew-German rhymed version of the legend of King Arthur (1912);
• Erik Björkman, Morte Arthure : mit einleitung, anmerkungen und glossar (1915);
• W. Lewis Jones, King Arthur in history and legend (1911);
• Henry Gilbert, King Arthur’s knights : the tales re-told for boys and girls; with 16 illustrations in colour by Walter Crane (1911);
• Thomas Malory, The birth, life and acts of King Arthur: of his noble Knights of the Round Table (1909);
• Henry Gilbert, The knights of the Round Table with…illustrations…by Walter Crane (1919?);
• Chrétien de Troyes, Kristian von Troyes Erec und Enide / Textausgabe mit variantenauswahl, einleitung, erklärenden anmerkungen und vollständigen glossar (1909);
• James Douglas Bruce, Mort Artu: an Old French prose romance of the XIIIth century, being the last division of ‘Lancelot du Lac’ (1910).

Biographies (1809-1889)

A further 913 biographies have been made available on the catalogue, including works such as:

• Jane Williams, Vol 1 and Vol 2 of The autobiography of Elizabeth Davis : a Balaclava nurse, daughter of Dafydd Cadwaladyr (1857);
• Frances William-Wynn, Diaries of a lady of quality from 1797 to 1844 (1864);
• John Philipps Allen Lloyd Philipps, Pedigrees of Caermarthenshire, Cardiganshire, and Pembrokeshire, in continuation of Lewis Dwnn, to about the years 1700-10 (1859);
• Evan Rowland Jones, Heroes of industry biographical sketches (1886);
• J. T. Llewelyn Pritchard, The adventures and vagaries of Twm Shon Catti alias Thomas Jones, Esq. of Tregaron, a wild wag of Wales (1873).

Other printed works

203 other printed works have also been made available, including:

• The aged sailor; or, The history of D—- R—- [18–];
• Joseph John Gurney, The effects of infidelity: or, Some account of John Stratford who was executed at Norwich for the crime of murder [c1830];
• Robert James Culverwell, The art of longevity and health, or how to live 100 years (1848);
• William Llewellin, Extent of British coalfields [ca.1860].

Maps and Graphic Material

D C Harries photographs

102 photographs taken around 1890-1936 by D C Harries of the scenery, buildings and people of the Llandovery, Llandeilo and Carmarthen area have been added to the catalogue. The selection includes photographs such as: Staff standing outside Lipton’s shop, Caerfyrddin, Staff standing outside Star Supply Stores, Llandeilo and Men in cars outside Crown garage – T. Roberts & Sons, Llanymddyfri

Archive of Historical Posters

Over 2,630 posters from NLW’s Historical Poster Archive are now accessible to users through the Universal Viewer. This fascinating collection includes a wide variety of items including emigration posters from Aberystwyth and Liverpool to America, ballads and songs, posters advertising local markets and auctions, concerts and ‘eisteddfodau’. The collection also includes a number of posters announcing news of crimes and murders, such as: the theft of John Philip’s mare (1818), the confession of John Griffiths after murdering his wife (1811) and ‘Murder’ (1796).

Dictionary of Welsh Biography

20 new articles have been added to the website:

• Daniel, Gwynfryn Morgan (1904-1960), educationalist and language campaigner
• Davies, Noëlle (1899-1983), littérateur, educationist, and political activist
• Edmund-Davies, Herbert Edmund (1906-1992), lawyer and judge
• Evans, Clifford George (1912-1985), actor
• Evans, Edgar (1876-1912), explorer
• Evans, Owen Ellis (1920-2018), Methodist minister and biblical scholar
• Evans, Samuel Islwyn (1914-1999), educationalist
• Ham, Peter William (1947-1975), musician and songwriter
• Hayward, Isaac James (1884-1976), miner, trade unionist and local politician
• Jones, Thomas Parry (1935-2013), inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist
• Morgan, Elaine Neville (1920-2013), screenwriter, journalist, and author
• Morris, John William (1896-1979), lawyer and judge
• Rees, Alan William (1941-2005), Benedictine monk and musician
• Silverthorne, Thora (1910-1999), nurse and trade unionist
• Sullivan, Clive (1943-1985), rugby league player
• Thomas, Margaret Haig (1883-1958), suffragette, editor, author and businesswoman
• Varrier-Jones, Pendrill Charles (1883-1941), physician
• Wheeler, Dame Olive Annie (1886-1963), psychologist and educationist
• Williams, Cyril Glyndwr (1921-2004), theologian
• Ystumllyn, John (d. 1786), gardener and land steward

Don’t forget to follow the Dictionary of Welsh Biography’s Twitter account: @WelshBiography

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