Chris Williams (born 9 March 1963) is a Welsh academic, best known for his work on editing the diaries of

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable p ...

. Since 2017, Williams has been Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, and Professor of History at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one ...

, Ireland."Two major appointments for UCC", UCC News Archive, 2017 Press Releases, 11 April 2017
Accessed 9 December 2020

Career

Williams is a graduate of

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

, and obtained his doctorate from

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

before becoming a lecturer there. He subsequently worked at the

University of Glamorgan , image_name = University of Glamorgan arms.png , image_size = 220px , caption = University of Glamorgan coat of arms , motto = Success Through Endeavour , established = , closed = , administrative_staff = , chancellor = John Morris ...

and in 2005 became Professor of Welsh History and Director of the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities at

Swansea University , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

. He is a former Royal Commissioner with the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectura ...

and was Chairman of the Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative. In 2013 he took up his appointment at Cardiff University. Williams was appointed Head of the College of

Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

Celtic Studies Celtic studies or Celtology is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to the Celtic-speaking peoples (i.e. speakers of Celtic languages). This ranges from linguistics, literature and art histo ...

and

Social Sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the o ...

in 2017 at UCC.

Research

Williams' edition of the Burton diaries was published by

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Univer ...

. The diaries were donated to

by Burton's widow, Sally Burton, in 2006. He has written extensively on the history of the

South Wales Coalfield The South Wales Coalfield ( cy, Maes glo De Cymru) extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, ...

and on modern Welsh history and most recently on the history of political cartoons and caricature in Britain from the 18th century to the Second World War.UCC Research Profile: Chris Williams
Accessed 9 December 2020

Personal life

Williams spent the first three years of his life in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

but after his father got a job his family had to move. He grew up mostly in Swindon and did his

O-Levels The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-dept ...

and

A-Levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

, spending a year in the army before going to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

. His first academic job was at

when he was 25. He has lectured on mountaineering around the world and in Wales. A keen walker, he has climbed La Breche De Rolland in the French Pyrenees,

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. The summit is above sea level and is the highest land in any direction for . Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian ...

Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

and Pen-y-Fan.

Works

*''

B. L. Coombes Bert Lewis Coombes (9 January 1893 – 4 June 1974), originally Bertie Lewis Coombs Griffiths, was an English-born writer. Coombes moved to Resolven from England before World War I and spent most of his working life in the coal mines of th ...

'' (Writers of Wales series) (with William D. Jones; 1999) *''With Dust Still in His Throat: A B.L.Coombes Anthology'' (with Bill Jones; 1999) *''Postcolonial Wales'' (ed, with Jane Aaron; 2005) *''

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted e ...

and his Legacy (ed., with Noel Thompson; 2011) *''The Richard Burton Diaries'' (ed; 2012) *''The Gwent County History'', vol. 4 (ed, with Sian Rhiannon Williams; 2011) *''The Gwent County History'', vol. 5 (ed, with Andy Croll; 2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Chris Living people Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Alumni of Cardiff University Academics of Swansea University Academics of Cardiff University Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Welsh historians Historians of Wales 1963 births