Fonds NLW MSS 10331-10338. - Dr T. W. Thomas Manuscripts,

Identity area

Reference code

NLW MSS 10331-10338.

Title

Dr T. W. Thomas Manuscripts,

Date(s)

  • [1769x1900] / (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

8 vols.

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

David Williams, writer and political pamphleteer, was born in the parish of Eglwysilan and received his early education at a local school run by his namesake, David Williams, Independent minister (1709-1784). From 1753 to 1757 Williams attended Carmarthen Academy, where he absorbed a number of unorthodox ideas. He served as Nonconformist minister at Frome (1759-1761), Exeter (1761-1769) and Highgate, Middlesex (1769-1773) but subsequently left the ministry because the salary was too deficient to maintain the lifestyle he desired. In 1773 Williams opened an expensive boarding school in Chelsea but gave up the project following the death of his wife in 1774. In that same year he had completed his Treatise on Education. With writer, natural philosopher and politician Benjamin Franklin, Williams formed the 'Thirteen Club', a gathering of deists for whom Williams wrote his Liturgy on the Universal Principles of Religion and Morality (London, 1776). Williams's political radicalism emerged in his publication Letters on Political Liberty (London, 1782), which promoted a programme of social reform aimed in defence of the American colonists. The book was translated into French and Williams subsequently became famous in France, where he spent some time extolling his social and political views. His greatest work in terms of volume was his History of Monmouthshire (London, 1796) and his most marked achievement probably the formation of the Royal Literary Fund in 1780, which aimed to support needy writers. Williams spent the last years of his life at the Fund's headquarters in Gerrard Square, Soho, and it was there that he died.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Family of T. W. Thomas, per Miss Enid Thomas; Presentation; 1934

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Papers, [1769x1860], mainly of the political writer David Williams (1738-1816) from the collection of Dr T. W. Thomas, Caerphilly. They comprise: correspondence, 1783-1818, mostly addressed to David Williams; material, 1769-1845, by or relating to David Williams, his niece Mary Watkins and his daughter Emilia; papers, 1780-1807, relating to the Royal Literary Fund, which was founded by David Williams; and a draft prospectus, 1800, of a projected daily newspaper titled 'The Imperial Gazette', one of the prospective partners being David Williams; together with material, [19 cent.], of Monmouthshire interest

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Arranged according to NLW MSS reference numbers: NLW MSS 10331-10338.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

Script of material

Language and script notes

English.

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume III (Aberystwyth, 1961), pp. 213-215.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Note

Title based on contents.

Note

Formerly Dr T. W. Thomas MSS 1-8.

Note

Preferred citation: NLW MSS 10331-10338.

Alternative identifier(s)

Virtua system control number

vtls004558213

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru = The National Library of Wales

Rules and/or conventions used

Description follows NLW guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd ed.; AACR2; and LCSH.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

September 2008 & June 2011.

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

Sources

Archivist's note

Description compiled by Bethan Ifan for the retrospective conversion project of NLW MSS, and revised by Bethan Ifan. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume III (Aberystwyth, 1961); Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940 (Llundain, 1953); Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on-line;

Accession area

Related subjects

Related genres

Related places

Physical storage

  • Text: NLW MSS 10331-10338.