William Morgan

William Morgan is recognised as the person who was mainly responsible for publishing the first full Welsh language translation of the Bible in 1588. The translation gave the people of Wales the opportunity to read the Old Testament for the first time in Welsh.

William Morgan

• 1558: At 13 years of age, he attended Cambridge University. • 1568: He is ordained as a priest. • 1571: He leaves Cambridge University to specialise in ancient Latin, Greek and Hebrew. • 1572: He becomes the Vicar of Llanbadarn Fawr near Aberystwyth. • 1575: He becomes Vicar of Welshpool. • 1578: He becomes Vicar of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and starts on the work of translating the Old Testament into Welsh. • 1587: He moves to London to oversee the work of publishing the Welsh language Bible. • 1588: ‘Y Beibl Cyssegr-lan’, the first complete Bible in the Welsh language is published. • 1595: He was consecrated as Bishop of Llandaff. • 1601: He is appointed Bishop of St Asaph.

Place of Birth: Penmachno, Conwy

Date of Birth: 1545

Date of Death: 10 September 1604

‘The man who gave us the entire Bible, both Testaments and the Apocrypha was William Morgan.’ – Translated from Enid Pierce Roberts, ‘William Morgan a’r Beibl Cymraeg’ (Gwasg y Bwthyn 2004), p. 21