WILLIAMS, JOHN (died 1613), principal of Jesus College, Oxford

He was born at Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, and seems to have owned considerable property in the district. He was related by marriage to the Vaughan family of Golden Grove. He entered Oxford as a scholar of Corpus Christi College in 1569, under the name of John Thomas. He graduated B.A. 1573/4, M.A. 1577, and was elected Fellow of All Souls in 1579. He became rector of Llandrinio, Montgomeryshire, in 1594, and the same year graduated B.D., and was appointed Margaret Professor of Divinity, a chair which he held till his death. He became D.D. in 1597. He first became connected with Jesus College in 1590 when he was elected Fellow through the influence of Dr. Aubrey. In 1602 he was made principal; he was vice-Chancellor of the University in 1604. He was appointed dean of Bangor in 1605. He proved himself an able college administrator, and under him the number of students steadily increased, and there was a marked influx of Welshmen from South Wales. He instituted a ' Liber Collegii,' containing a register of college elections and acts and sometimes statements of accounts. But he was obdurate in his opposition to the introduction of the statutes drafted and advocated by Griffith Powell, who came from the same village and succeeded him as principal, and by dilatory methods managed to stave off their introduction as long as he lived. He died 4 September 1613, and was buried in S. Michael's, Oxford. He was the author of De Christi Justitia et in regno spirituali ecclesiae pastorum officio, 1597, and edited Roger Bacon's De retardandis senectutis accidentibus et sensibus confirmandis, 1590.

Author

• John James Jones, (1892 - 1957)

Sources

• Anthony Wood, Athenae Oxonienses (1813–20)
• Foster, Alumni Oxonienses: the members of the University of Oxford
• Hardy, Jesus College (1899)
• Geirlyfr Bywgraffiadol o Enwogion Cymru (1870)

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: John Williams

Additional Links

• VIAF: 51560576
• Wikidata: Q6264332

Published date: 1959

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