Elijah Waring (14 April 1787 – 29 March 1857) was an Anglo-Welsh writer. He founded an English-language periodical in
Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
.
Early life
Born at
Alton, Hampshire
Alton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in East Hampshire, England, near the source of the northern branch of the River Wey. It had a population of 19,425 at the 2021 census.
Alton was recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as ''Aoltone' ...
, Waring was the son of Quaker parents Jeremiah and Lettice Waring. He settled in
South Wales
South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
in about 1810.
Writings and preaching
Waring founded an English-language periodical, ''The Cambrian Visitor: a Monthly Miscellany'' at Swansea in January 1813, but it had to close in August that year. He moved to
Neath
Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
in the following year. In 1817, Waring married Deborah Price, sister of the Quaker industrialist Joseph Tregelles Price, in a Quaker ceremony. Waring preached at local chapels and later became a
Wesleyan
Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...
and then a Baptist.
[E. Wyn James, ‘Anna Waring, Iolo Morganwg, a Chrynwyr Castell-nedd a Chernyw’ han 2 ''Y Dinesydd'', 484 (Chwefror 2024), 14-15: http://dinesydd.cymru/teithiau/] He wrote articles for ''
The Cambrian
The Cambrian, a weekly newspaper started by George Haynes and L. W. Dillwyn in 1804, was the first newspaper published in Wales. Its original publisher was Thomas Jenkins. The full masthead proclaimed ''The Cambrian and Weekly General Advertise ...
'' on subjects such as Parliamentary reform, and became friendly with
Iolo Morganwg
Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10March 174718December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia''. R ...
, about whom he later wrote a series of articles. His memoir of Iolo, ''Recollections and Anecdotes of Edward Williams, the Bard of Glamorgan'', was published in 1850.
Later life
In 1835, Waring moved to
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, and afterwards to
Clifton near
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, but he returned to Neath in 1855 and spent his last years there. His daughter,
Anna Laetitia Waring
Anna Letitia Waring (or Anna Laetitia Waring; 19 April 1823 – 10 May 1910) was a Welsh poet and Anglican hymn-writer. Her philanthropic support included the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society. She brought out her first hymn collection in 1850, ...
, became well known as a hymn-writer.
References
Sources
Welsh Biography Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waring, Elijah
1787 births
1857 deaths
19th-century Welsh writers
People from Alton, Hampshire