Author: Walters, John
Biography:
WALTERS, John (1760-89: ODNB)
He was baptised on 9 July 1760 at Llandough, Glamorgan, Wales, the son of the rector, scholar and lexicographer John Walters (1721-97), and his wife Hannah Clark who had married in 1758. He was educated at Cowbridge school and Jesus College, Oxford (matric. 1777, BA 1781, MA 1784). He also served as a sub-librarian at the Bodleian Library. He married Jane Davies (b 1766) on 22 Feb. 1785 at St. Asaph, Flintshire. They had at least three daughters, one of whom, Jane, died in childhood in 1791. He entered the church and returned to Wales where he was master then headmaster at Ruthin Free School (1782-89). He was also appointed Rector at Efenechdid in Mar. 1789 but died at Ruthin on 28 June and was buried at Efenechdid on 1 July, with his father writing a Latin inscription for his monument. His wife later advertised a small school in Ruthin for up to six girl boarders in order to support herself and two young daughters. She may have died at Wrexham in 1803. In addition to the works listed here, he edited and translated the poems of Llywarch Hen, the sixth-century poet. These appeared in William Warrington’s (q.v.) History of Wales (1788). He supplied notes for Edward Jones’s Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards(1784). He also included his father’s poem, “An Ode to Humanity, founded on the story of Scipio” in his 1786 collection listed here. (ODNB 18 Jul. 2022; ancestry.co.uk 18 Jul. 2022; findmypast.co.uk 18 Jul. 2022; CCEd 18 Jul. 2022; Bath Chronicle 12 Mar. and 9 Jul. 1789; Chester Chronicle 22 Jan. 1790) AA