1603: JAMES I BECOMES RULER OF THE KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN
The year 1603 marked the union of the crowns of Scotland and England under James I. Many historians see this union as perfectly acceptable to the Welsh, who had no outstanding leaders of their own, and who now perhaps could take pride in being part of the British kingdom as opposed to being merely part of England. There followed a new exodus of Welsh gentry to London to take part in the bestowal of royal favors.
1621: DR. DAVIES' BRITISH GRAMMAR
In addition to helping William Morgan with his translations, Dr. Davies also helped revise the Book of Common Prayer in 1621, the same year in which his Welsh grammar in Latin appeared. Of these two influential works, James Howell wrote "It was a rough task . . . to tame a wild and wealthy language, and to frame grammatic toils to curb her, so that she now speaks by rules, and sings by prosody."
1621: CYNWAL'S "SALMAU CAN"
Poet William Cynwal is best remembered for his metrical Psalms published as an appendix to the "Welsh Book of Common Prayer" of 1632. This book was practically the only hymnal used in Wales for over 100 years; many of the psalms included are still used in churches in Wales for congregational singing.
1622-1709: HUW MORYS AND THE NEW VERSE-FORM
"Huw Morys Eos Ceiriog" (the Nightingale of Ceiriog), wrote during the time of the English Civil Wars. Dealing mostly with social issues, Morris created a verse-form based on the traditional accented metre, and blending words to music, founded a new school of Welsh poetry.
1632: DR. DAVIES' APPEAL TO HAVE THE PRINCE OF WALES LEARN WELSH
In his "Dictionarium Duplex" of 1632, the indefatigable Dr. Davies wrote the following to Henry, the Prince of Wales, thus anticipating the preparation undergone by Charles Windsor for his 1969 Investiture: "Your Highness should be imbued from the cradle, at the same as with other languages, with the ancient language of this island, which is now restricted to your own Welsh people. . . for knowing languages is no indignity for princes." In a typical repudiation of the Welsh people, the prince's guardians ignored Dr. Davies' advice.
1650: ACT FOR THE BETTER PROPAGATION AND PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL
The Act followed the defeat of King Charles. In Wales it was intended to root out dissident clergymen, but it also led to the opening up of 63 new schools in which children were taught to read and write (albeit in English). The Act also created a new class of literate ministers and enthusiastic preachers whose influence in Wales was a lasting one, doing much to prepare the ground for cultivation by the Methodists a century later.
1662: ACT OF UNIFORMITY
When Parliament became alarmed at the growth of Nonconformism, it decided to bring congregations into line by passing the Act of Uniformity requiring all ministers to assent to the rites and liturgy of the Established Church (in Wales still regarded as an alien institution). One unintended effect of the Act, along with those created by the restrictive Clarendon Code (1661-5), was that whole congregations moved to the New World, leading to such settlements as that of the Welsh Quakers that later became the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
1664: THE CONVENTICLE ACT
The Conventicle Act prohibited groups of more than five persons from assembling for religious worship other than that prescribed by the Established Church. It had the effect of furthering emigration to North America, where Welshmen became prominent in municipal government and the universities (both of which had been excluded by the Conventicle Act even after the passing of the so-called Toleration Act of 1689).
1667: CHARLES EDWARDS' "Y FFYDD DDI-FFUANT" (The Sincere Faith)
Edwards promulgated the belief that the people of Wales were the chosen of God, having replaced the Israelites or having been descended directly from "the lost tribes" themselves. His book deals with the history of the Welsh people, the history of the Christian religion and the spiritual condition of individual Welshmen.
1674: THE WELSH TRUST IS SET UP IN LONDON
With the arrival of the Methodist preachers in Wales, the need was brought home for printed works to educate the common people. In 1674 Thomas Gouge set up the Welsh Trust to establish English schools in Wales, but also to publish books in Welsh.
1681: "CANWYLL Y CYMRU" OF RHY PRITCHARD
Much 17th century Welsh literature was designed to preach the Gospel. Preacher-poet Rhys Pritchard published his "Canwyll y Cymry" (The Candle of the Welsh) in 1681. The book contained simple, moral verses that later became the source of many Welsh hymns; it also had the enormous effect on keeping the language alive as one of the only books available for children.
1681: WILLIAM PENN GIVEN PROPRIETARY RIGHTS TO PENNSYLVANIA
In a letter to his friend Robert Turner, one day after being granted his lands in North America, Penn gave his reasons for not calling the area New Wales. He chose Pennsylvania instead, with the translation as "Head Woods." (The Welsh word Pen translates as "head." or "chief see my "Facts about Wales").
1688: STEPHEN HUGHES PUBLISHED "TAITH Y PERERIN"
This book, a version of Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" was one of the many Welsh works to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the proliferation of the printing press. For Welsh Protestants, the book has remained one of the most popular works ever printed.
1699: THE SPCK FOUNDED
The Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge was founded by Sir John Phillips of Pembrokeshire (along with Mrs. Bridget Bevan and Stephen Hughes). The SPCK helped found a network of charity schools in Wales that condoned the use of the Welsh language, and helped publish a number of influential books including Ellis Wynn's "Gweledigaetheu y Bardd Cwsc" (The Vision of the Sleeping Bard) in 1703, a satire of the ills of the age and a book now considered a classic of Welsh High Anglicanism.
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