First Welsh Bible to be in Wales for the first time

Westminster Abbey Library is loaning a copy of the first Bible printed in Welsh to St Davids Cathedral.

It will be on public display in St Davids between 17th June and 9th July. During this time there will be a discussion session at the conference of the Cathedral Archives, Libraries and Collections Association of UK & Ireland (CALCA) which is taking place on 17th-19th June. There will also be a series of special tours and visits by the St Davids Cathedral Library.   

The Dean of St Davids, Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome home the very first copy of the earliest printed Bible in Welsh. It seems fitting that its first visit to Wales should be here, to the home of our patron saint, at our spiritual heart. We look forward to having it on show before its return to the Abbey, to share with Welsh Christians of all traditions, for whom Y Beibl Cyssegr-Lan of 1588 Bible is a uniquely valuable treasure in our heritage of faith and language.’ 

Tony Trowles, Head of Collection and Librarian at Westminster Abbey, said:

‘The copy of the Welsh Bible presented to Westminster Abbey Library by Bishop William Morgan in 1588 reminds us of the important role of learning in the life of the Church and of the rich collections of printed books and manuscripts which have been cared for and studied over the centuries in the libraries of our cathedrals and collegiate churches. As those who care for these and other historic cathedral collections gather in conference at St Davids, it has been a great pleasure to work with colleagues at the Cathedral to facilitate the loan of this Bible so that it can be seen and appreciated in Wales for the first time.’

The translation of the Bible into Welsh was a key project of the 16th and 17th century Reformation. Bringing scripture directly to the people in a language they understood was a central tenet of the changes; in 16th century Wales, this meant the Welsh language rather than the English language.

Queen Elizabeth I declared there should be a Bible in Welsh in every village in Wales. Bishop William Morgan was given the responsibility to bring together the various existing books of the Bible that had already been translated into Welsh to create  a recognised, standard version of written Welsh. Around 900 copies were then printed and distributed to churches around Wales.

The book was produced in London by Christopher Barker who held the royal licence to print Bibles. To oversee the project, Bishop Morgan stayed with his friend from north Wales, Gabriel Goodman, who was the Dean of Westminster and Morgan presented a copy (maybe the first off the press), to Westminster Abbey Library, adding a Latin inscription recording the gift to the title page. The Bible has been safely cared for ever in the Abbey’s library since and this loan will be the first time it has left Westminster for any length of time and the first time it will be in Wales.