author
John Williams
1727–1798
A Welsh dissenting minister and scholar, he wrote on theology, church life, and the long-debated story of Prince Madog’s voyage to America. His work reflects the curiosity and learning of late 18th-century religious and literary culture.
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About the author
Born at Lampeter in Cardiganshire on March 25, 1727, he was educated locally and then studied for the ministry at Carmarthen Academy. He went on to serve Presbyterian congregations at Stamford, Wokingham, and Sydenham, building a reputation as a learned nonconformist minister and writer.
Later in life he became librarian of Dr. Williams's Library in London, a major center for Protestant dissenting scholarship. Alongside sermons and religious works, he is especially remembered for writing An Enquiry into the Truth of the Tradition, Concerning the Discovery of America, by Prince Madog ab Owen Gwynedd, a book that helped keep alive the famous Welsh tradition about an early voyage to America.
He died in 1798. Although not widely known today, his career brings together pastoral work, scholarship, and a lively interest in history and national tradition.