PARRY, ROBERT (fl. 1540?-1612?), author and diarist

Son of Harry ap Robert (of the Parry family of Tywysog, in the parish of Henllan, Denbighshire), and Elin, daughter of Rhys Wynn ap Gruffydd ap Madog Fychan, of Ffynogion. He married Dorothy, daughter of John Wynn Panton. Parry owed friendly allegiance to the Salusbury family of Lleweni, Denbighshire; an English elegy written by him on the death of his cousin, Katheryn of Berain, mother of Sir John Salusbury, appears in Christ Church (Oxford) MS. 184 (facsimile in NLW MS 6496C ). By the marriage of his nephew, John Parry, to Oriana, daughter of Sir John Salusbury, another link was forged with the Lleweni family. His unpublished diary (N.L.W. Plas Nantglyn MS. 1), shows that he travelled widely. He paid repeated visits to London; during 1600 he was in Italy for six months. In 1595 he published a prose novel, Moderatus, the most delectable and famous Historie of the Black Knight (dedicated to … ' Henry Townshend … one of her Maiesties Iustices of Assise of the countie Pallatine of Chester, and one of her Highnesse honourable Counsell, established in the marches and principality of Wales '). Two years later (1597) appeared an exceedingly rare book (facsimile in N.L.W.) entitled, Sinetes Passions vppon his fortunes, offered for an Incense at the shrine of the Ladies which guided his distempered thoughtes. The Patrons patheticall Posies, Sonets, Madrigals, and Roundelays … This is dedicated to Sir John Salusbury, ' Esquire for the Bodie ' to queen Elizabeth, Salusbury being himself the author of most of the poems in the section of the book containing the ' Patrons patheticall Posies,' etc.; for the significance of these poems see Carleton Brown, The Poems of Sir John Salusbury and Robert Chester (Brynmawr, U.S.A., 1913, and London, 1914). The writer of the account of Parry in D.N.B. suggests that he may be the 'R.P.' who co-operated with Margaret Tyler in translating from the Spanish original (by D. Ortunez de Calahorra, P. la Sierra, and M. Martinez), the Mirrour of Princely Deeds and Knighthood; 'R.P.' was apparently responsible for the second, third, and fourth parts of the English version, which appeared in nine separately-issued parts, the work being completed in 1601. Parry's diary is a valuable source-book for North Wales family and local history; it is also of some value for contemporary British history.

Author

• Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)

Sources

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and sources named therein
• J. E. Griffith, Pedigrees of Anglesey and Carnarvonshire Families (1914), 298

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Robert Parry

Additional Links

• VIAF: 76561584
• Wikidata: Q7348749

Published date: 1959

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