William Maurice (antiquary)

Maurice was born around 1620 in the small community of Cefn-y-Braich in the parish of Llansilin in the historic county of Denbighshire in Wales.[1] He owned land and lived most of his life in the area.[1][2]

Maurice collected Welsh literature. He had so many books and manuscripts that he built a three-storey library near his home in Cefn-y-Braich called "the Study" in which to store them.[1][3] He spent much of his time there.[4] His collection of books was a fac simile of Friar Baeon's Study, because his library was similar to Roger Bacon's books and manuscripts.[4][5][6] Maurice was associated with the antiquary Robert Vaughan in the collecting and maintaining of these ancient Welsh manuscripts and books that ultimately became a collection of the Hengwrt-Peniarth library, an important part of the National Library of Wales.[7][8][9] Maurice cataloged the Hengwrt manuscript collection in 1658.[10] Many manuscripts are in Maurice's own hand.[upper-alpha 1]

Maurice' father was Lewis Maurice, from the family line of Moeliwrch of Powys, Wales.[3] He is descended maternally from the sister of Owain Glyndŵr. Maurice married Laetitia, a descendant of Glyndwr's opponent Henry Bolinbroke.[4] Maurice had a daughter named Laetitia (also known as Anne),[11] who inherited his estate[5] and married David Williams of Glan Kynlleth.[11] Maurice's third great-grandchild was John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley. His ninth great-grandchild is James Robert Bruce Ogilvy, founder of Luxury Briefing (a magazine about luxury items).[12]

Maurice died around 1680.[5][10]

Maurice wrote an historical account of the North Wales civil war, which was later reprinted in the journal Archaeologia Cambrensis.[1] He edited and republished Humphrey Llwyd's historical manuscript Cronica Walliae that was previously published by David Powel's 1584 History of Cambria.[13]

• Hengwrt Chaucer