DANIEL, JOHN (1755? - 1823), printer at Carmarthen

The son of a south Carmarthenshire farmer. After he had served his seven years apprenticeship with John Ross at Carmarthen, Daniel went to London where he worked for the king's printers and where, also, he married. Returning to Carmarthen, he set up a business in 1784 in that town, in King Street at first. His output was large, and he came to be regarded as one of the best Welsh printers of his time; Ifano Jones (History of Printing and Printers in Wales) regards him as the best printer before the era of William Rees, Llandovery, and William Spurrell, Carmarthen. During the years 1791, 1793, and 1794, John Daniel and John Ross co-operated in the production of some books; they were not partners, however. When John Ross was producing, in 1796, the third edition of the ' Peter Williams Bible,' which was a quarto, Daniel printed 4,000 copies of an octavo Bible in Welsh. He was the first in Wales to print music in staff notation; this was in 1797 when he produced Cyfaill mewn Llogell , by John Williams ('Siôn Singer' 1750? - 1807). He also it was who printed the earlier issues of The Carmarthen Journal , which began to appear on 3 March 1810. He had been made a freeman of the borough of Carmarthen in October 1800. He died 10 January 1823, aged 68, and was buried in Llangunnor churchyard; his wife, Ann, had been buried there on 2 April 1822.

Author

• Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)

Sources

• Ifano Jones, A history of printing and printers in Wales to 1810, and of successive and related printers to 1923 (Cardiff 1925)

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: John Daniel

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20733362

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/