Peter Roberts (–1819) was a Welsh Anglican

divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

and

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

. He graduated MA at Dublin, was ordained, and held successively several livings. His chief works were ''Sketch of the Early History of the Cymry'', 1803, and ''Cambrian Popular Antiquities'', 1815.

Life

Peter Roberts, son of John Roberts, was born about 1760 at Tai'n y Nant, Ruabon,

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

. His father, a clockmaker, moved in a few years after his birth to

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

, where Roberts was educated at the grammar school, then under Edward Davies. When about fifteen he entered St. Asaph grammar school as pupil assistant to Peter Williams. Through the Irish pupils in the school he became known to Henry Ussher, afterwards professor of astronomy at

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, who procured him admission as a

sizar At Trinity College Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is an Undergraduate education, undergraduate who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in retur ...

to that university. Having graduated MA, he remained in Dublin as a private tutor, studying especially oriental languages and astronomy. His proficiency in the latter subject gave him some hope of succeeding his friend and patron, Ussher; but the appointment of John Brinkley in 1792 led to his devoting himself to the career of a family tutor, an occupation he followed for many years. Two of his pupils, Lords Lanesborough and

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, in course of time assigned him a pension, which enabled him to give all his time to study. In 1811 Bishop Cleaver gave him the rectory of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, and in 1814 he was presented by Lord Crewe to the vicarage of Madeley, Shropshire. In December 1818 he exchanged Llanarmon for the rectory of Halkin, Flintshire, but soon after settling there died of

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

on either 21Lloyd 1896, p. 390. or 30Jenkins 1959. May 1819. His monument in the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

styles him ''in legibus, moribus, institutis, annalibus, poesi, musica gentis Cambro-Britannicæ instructissimus'' ('most instructed in the laws, manners, institutions, annals, poetry, and music of the Welsh-British race').

Works

His chief works were: # ''Harmony of the Epistles'', published by the Cambridge University Press, 1800. # ''Christianity Vindicated'' (in answer to Volney's ''Ruins''), 1800. # ''Sketch of the Early History of the Cymry'', London, 1803. # ''Chronicle of the Kings of Britain'', a translation of one of the Welsh versions of

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...

, with illustrative dissertations, London, 1811. # ''Cambrian Popular Antiquities'', London, 1815. # ''History of Oswestry'', published anonymously in 1815. Other works were published by him on the origin of constellations, the art of correspondence, prophecy, and the church of Rome. According to the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Roberts was a scholar of wide reading but inferior judgment and the ''Cambrian Popular Antiquities'', dealing with Welsh rustic customs and superstitions, is his most valuable contribution to letters.

References

Sources

* Jenkins, Thomas Robert (1959)
"Roberts, Peter (1760–1819), cleric, Biblical scholar and antiquary"
'' Dictionary of Welsh Biography''. UWP. Retrieved 10 September 2022. * Lloyd, J. E.; Smith, Robert V. (2004)
"Roberts, Peter (1760–1819), Church of England clergyman and antiquary"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. OUP. Retrieved 10 September 2022. * Parry, John H. (1824). '' The Cambrian Plutarch: Comprising Memoirs of Some of the Most Eminent Welshmen''. London: W. Simpkin and R. Marshall. pp. 376–385. Attribution: * {{Authority control 1760 births 1819 deaths 19th-century Welsh Anglican priests 19th-century Welsh writers 19th-century Welsh antiquarians Alumni of Trinity College Dublin