Moses Williams (antiquarian)

Moses Williams (2 March 1685 – 2 March (buried) 1742) was a Welsh antiquarian scholar.

Life

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 in 1708 and a priest in 1713. He was made Curate of Chiddingstone, Kent (1708–1713), Vicar of Llanwenog, Cardiganshire (1715–1742), Vicar of Devynock of Defynnog (his name is carved on one of the attic beams of the rectory), Breconshire (1716–1732), Rector of Chilton Trinity, Somerset and lastly Vicar of St Mary, Bridgewater (1732–1742).

Williams was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1719. He died in Bridgwater, Somerset. He had married Margaret Davies of Cwm Wysg, Defynnog.

Works

Williams supervised new editions of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer in Welsh; his library, containing many Welsh books and manuscripts came into the possession of William Jones and then into the library of George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield at Shirburn Castle. He worked closely with Edward Lhuyd on the Archaeologia Britannica (1707) and with William Wotton on the Leges Wallicae, a parallel text edition of the laws of Hywel Dda published in 1730.