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A volume containing holograph manuscripts and letters of Richard Robert Jones ('Dic Aberdaron', 1780-1843) comprising portions of an autobiography and notes and letters containing much autobiographical material. Most of the letters, 1837-43, are written from poor lodging houses in Liverpool (many addresses, such as Chisenhale Street, located mainly in the Vauxhall Road area). They describe his misfortunes and deplorable living conditions and also his dreams. There are several references to his Welsh, Greek and Hebrew dictionary and attempts to get it published. A few of the letters, 1840 and 1841, are written from Caernarvon (to Mr Evan Griffith, a sailor, Waterloo Street). There is one letter, 1841, containing drawings and abuse addressed to Richard Robert Jones, Rose Court, No. 1 Chisenall [sic] Street, Liverpool. The other manuscripts include a short work entitled 'The ancient order of harps described according to Greek rules taken from Claudius Ptolemaius ... compared with the old harps of Great Britain by Richard Robert Jones ... of Aberdaron ... 1820', containing a drawing of a harp with descriptive notes in Greek, the text which describes the arrangement of various harps is also in Greek. The manuscript bears a note in pencil 'Presented to me by the writer R. J. at Llwynybrain 1827 St Geo A[rmstrong] W[illiams]'. There is another copy of the text and a similar description of the harp in note form, also in Greek, and a single sheet with a similar drawing of the harp and parallel texts in Latin and Greek of Luke X, 5-11, and an extract from Rabbinic teaching in English and Hebrew. The single sheet bears the note 'Richard Jones (Dic Aberdaron) 1820 - Given to me by Dic himself in the year 1827 St Geo A[rmstrong] Wms'. The other manuscripts consist of short notes, transcripts and translations, mainly in Latin, Greek, English and Hebrew, relating to the Greek and French calendar, 'Zoroastres the Prince of the Magi', the herb Hyoscyamus and its medical attributes, partly extracted from the works of Galen and Pliny, and an extract from [ ] Guerre de l'Amerique, Livre 3, pp. 27-8, relating to the Tories (Loyalists) (French, with an English translation), etc. There is a list, which includes most of the manuscripts, compiled by J. Glyn Davies, 19 November 1892, on which is written the following note by J. H. Davies: 'This list was drawn up by J. Glyn Davies when the MSS belonged to Mr. T. G. Williams I bought them from Mr. Williams & have added a few myself'. There are also letters (3) from Professor T. Witton Davies, 1915, to J. H. Davies, which refer to the manuscripts of 'Dic Aberdaron' and to a volume (Cwrtmawr 50(ii)) of press-cuttings relating to him which had been lent to the writer by J. H. Davies.

Letters, etc. addressed mainly to John Jones ('Myrddin Fardd'), the correspondents being E[benezer] Thomas ('Eben Fardd'), Clynnog to John Thomas ('Sion Wyn o Eifion'), Chwilog, 1842 (the health of the addressee's sister, mention of the Memoir) and to the Reverend Hugh Owen, Treveilir, Aberffro [sic], 1849 (re adjudicating at the Aberffro Eisteddfod (holograph copies)), D. R. Daniel, London, 1920 (submitting a short article on 'Y Clochydd', etc.), [John Daniel] 'Rhab[anian]', Rheithordy Llandudwen, 1908 (he intends to visit the addressee), ? E. L. Davies [with Archdeacon Burney], undated (personal matters, asking the addressee to write giving an account of Clynnog and N[orth] Wales generally (beginning wanting)), T. Witton Davies, Bangor, 1916 (returning the card with the handwriting of Dic Aberdaron, the writer's own researches), John Edwards ('Meiriadog'), Llanfair, [18]63 and 1883 (the earlier one possibly to [Owen Jones ('Manoethwy')], addressed here as 'Myfyr Lleyn') (items of news, he knows nothing of Angharad Lloyd, reference to his 70th birthday), D. G. Goodwin, Uffington, Shrewsbury, 1904 (the addressee's new book), T. Hopwood, Treuddyn, [19]18 (the inscription on the memorial column to the Reverend W. Williams, 'Gwilym ap Gwilym Lleyn'), E. Gurnos Jones, Newport, [18]89 (postcard), John D. Jones, Llandudno, 1914 (the manuscript 'Notes upon Carnarvonshire' by Edmund Hyde Hall), [L. D. Jones], 'Llew Tegid', Bangor, [19]20 (sending two books or booklets, 'Yr Orgraff' and a book of stories), [Owen Jones ('Manoethwy')], Llundain, 1865 (observations on the addressee's essays on the parish of Llanystumdwy (incomplete)), Owen Jones, Trefriw and Llandudno, 1875 and [18]78 (2) (he does not remember seeing the addressee's letter, a certain manuscript), R. J. Jones, Aberdare, [1921] (an expression of good wishes, his own date of birth (postcard)), T. Tudno Jones, Llandudno, 1872 (re publishing a chair awdl), W. O. Jones, Lerpwl, 1913-20 (5) (Llais Rhyddid), [? M. T. Morris], 'Meurig Wyn', undated (sending a volume for presentation to an unnamed benefactor), T. F. Roberts, Aberystwyth, 1905 (Gleanings from God's Acre, reference to the National Library), T. Shankland, Bangor, 1913 (queries concerning William Elias), Richard Williams, Glasfryn, Festiniog [sic], undated (acknowledging a letter, mention of an old book (? manuscript)), W. W., undated (genealogical matters), [ ], 'Mynyddawc', undated (Adgof Uwch Anghof), part of an elegy on [? John Jones, Llanfair Caereinion] c. 1858, by 'Teithiwr Galarus' (beginning wanting), verses and scriptural notes written on the back of two letters to Thomas Jones, 1856 and 1863, from Owen Evans, Tynycoed and Rich[ar]d Jones, Pwllheli respectively (? estate matters), 'englynion' to 'Hafan St Tudwal (St Tudwell's Roads)' by 'Seithenyn', a note by 'G-d' ['William Thomas Edwards ('Gwilym Deudraeth')] concerning D. Sion Jâms, a fragment of a letter in the autograph of [? Morris Williams ('Nicander')], 'Marwnad er Coffadwriaeth am y diweddar Milwriad Wynne Garthewyn un o Destynau Eisteddfod Llanfairtalhaiarn y dydd cyntaf o Ionawr 1855' by 'Megido', and part of an article (see also Cwrtmawr MS 932D) on 'Hugh Hughes yr Arlunydd' in the autograph of J. Spinther James.