author
Wadham Pigott Williams
b. 1821
Best known for preserving the speech of Somerset, this 19th-century clergyman compiled a detailed glossary of local words and phrases that still interests readers of dialect and regional history.
1 Audiobook
A Glossary of Provincial Words & Phrases in use in Somersetshire
by Wadham Pigott Williams
About the author
Wadham Pigott Williams was an English clergyman and writer associated with Somerset. Open Library lists him as born in 1821 or 1822, and Alumni Oxonienses records that he matriculated at Lincoln College, Oxford, on March 4, 1841, aged 19, later taking his B.A. in 1845.
He is chiefly remembered for A Glossary of Provincial Words & Phrases in Use in Somersetshire, a work that gathers regional vocabulary and expressions from Somerset. The book reflects a strong interest in local speech and offers a valuable snapshot of everyday language in southwest England during the 19th century.
The same Oxford record identifies him as vicar of Bishops Hull, Somerset, from 1856, which fits the picture of a parish clergyman with deep ties to the county whose dialect he documented. I couldn't confirm a suitable portrait from the sources I found, so no profile image is included.