Roderic Bowen Library and Archive

Last updated
Roderic Bowen Library and Archive, UWTSD, Lampeter Roderic Bowen Library.JPG
Roderic Bowen Library and Archive, UWTSD, Lampeter
University Library, UWTSD, Lampeter Uni Library Lampeter.JPG
University Library, UWTSD, Lampeter

The Roderic Bowen Library and Archives (or RBLA), housing university archives and special collections, [1] is located inside the library building of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) Lampeter campus. [2] The Lampeter campus is home to the oldest degree-granting institution in Wales, the former St David's College, [3] and as such its Special Collections house significant information about the early history of higher education in Wales, [4] alongside major donations from its founder the Anglican Bishop Thomas Burgess, [5] and benefactors such as the East India Company surgeon and owner of enslaved people Thomas Phillips. [6] The RBLA is named after Evan Roderic Bowen, Welsh Liberal Party politician, and president of the University of Wales, Lampeter, now part of UWTSD, from 1977-1992. [7] [8]

Contents

Collections of the RBLA

The RBLA includes the archives of St David's College Lampeter and Trinity College, Carmarthen, [9] together with a major collection of 35 000 historic volumes.

The contents of the collections were originally donated by the founders and benefactors of St David's College, Lampeter. Thomas Burgess, the founder, donated his own collection of 9000 volumes, including a 13th century Bible, [10] and a copy of Wynkyn de Worde's Legenda aurea , printed in 1498. [11] [12] / Thomas Phillips donated 20,000 books, [6] relating to a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from travel of all kinds to botany, medicine and history. [13] Dr Thomas Bowdler gave a major collection of 9000 17th and 18th century tracts and pamphlets, collected by three previous members of his family. [14] The treasures of the collection include two 15th century Books of Hours, a first edition of Gulliver's Travels (London, 1726) and a copy of the Abraham Ortelius atlas (1606), containing the first printed map of Wales drawn by Humphrey Llwyd (1606). [13] The archive also houses important Celtic material, including a collection of 800 Welsh ballads, purchased by the college in 1904. [15] [16]

St. David's Building, UWTSD, Lampeter Llanbedr Pont Steffan.jpg
St. David's Building, UWTSD, Lampeter

Much of the contents of the current Special Collections were originally housed in the old university library, now known as the Founder's Library, in the St. David's Building. This was built between 1822 and 1827, for the then enormous sum of £21,000; from 1837, the library was extended to house the collections donated by Burgess and Phillips. [4] [17] The Special Collections were moved to a new purpose-built research library in 2008; it was officially opened by Rhodri Morgan, First Minister for Wales. [18] Unlike the collection's former home, the Roderic Bowen Library and Archives is climate and humidity controlled to preserve its contents.

In 2022, to celebrate the bicentenary of the founding of St David's College, the university published Treasures: The Special Collections of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, a series of essays on some of the most important items held in the Roderic Bowen Collection, edited by John Morgan-Guy. [19]

Access to the RBLA

The RBLA is accessible to the general public by prior appointment, with materials being provided at the user's request. [20] Users can search for titles using the library catalogue Primo or the archive's catalogues while within the RBLA, or can pre-order materials via e-mail communication with the department. [21] Students at UWTSD are able to access the RBLA at most times it is open and staffed; as with members of the general public, access to materials is provided on request. [22] [23] The Special Collections are also used for university teaching; students are able to work on projects and dissertations using special collections materials. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Burgess (bishop of Salisbury)</span> English Anglican bishop (1756–1837)

Thomas Burgess was an English author, philosopher, Bishop of St Davids and Bishop of Salisbury, who was greatly influential in the development of the Church in Wales. He founded St David's College, Lampeter, was a founding member of the Odiham Agricultural Society, helped establish the Royal Veterinary College in London, and was the first president of the Royal Society of Literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wales</span> University in Cardiff, Wales

The University of Wales is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first university established in Wales, one of the four countries in the United Kingdom. The university was, prior to the break up of the federation, the second largest university in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wales, Lampeter</span> Former university in Lampeter, Wales

University of Wales, Lampeter was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited degree awarding powers since 1852. It was a self-governing college of the University of Wales from 1972 until its merger with Trinity University College in 2010 to form the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lampeter</span> University town in Wales

Lampeter is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, after Aberystwyth and Cardigan, and has a campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. At the 2011 Census, the population was 2,970. Lampeter is the smallest university town in the United Kingdom. The university adds approximately 1,000 people to the town's population during term time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llewelyn Lewellin</span> British priest (1798–1878)

Llewelyn Lewellin was a cleric and academic, the first principal of St David's College, Lampeter and the first Dean of St Davids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roderic Bowen</span> British politician and lawyer (1913–2001)

Evan Roderic Bowen QC was a Welsh lawyer and Liberal Party politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity University College</span> University campus and former college in Wales

Trinity University College was a Church University College in Carmarthen, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Metropolitan University</span> Former college in Swansea, Wales

Swansea Metropolitan University is a former university based in Swansea, Wales, UK. The university merged with, and became a constituent campus of, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David on 1 August 2013.

Euros Bowen was a poet in the Welsh language and a priest.

Thomas Phillips, was an educational philanthropist, a slave owner, a major donor to St David's College, Lampeter, and the founder of Llandovery College in Wales.

Swansea Business School is a public research institution focusing on business studies and is situated in the city of Swansea, Wales, UK. It is based near the High Street at the Swansea Business Campus of the University of Wales Trinity St David and is part of the Faculty of Business and Management. It offers numerous undergraduate courses in Human Resources, Law, Accounting, Business and Finance, Business Management, Leadership, Marketing and Skills for the Workplace.

Archives Wales is a web resource that allows cross-searching of Welsh archive collections. It was founded in 1995 as Archives Council Wales and was renamed to Archives and Records Council Wales (ARCW) in 2004. The archives are described at collection level only, although the ultimate intention is to allow for searching at item level. In July 2009, after a major refurbishment funded by CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales, it was relaunched as Archives Wales, or Archifau Cymru in the Welsh language. The URL is Archives.Wales or archifau.cymru

Ernest Melville Rowlands was a Welsh international rugby union player who played rugby for St David's College, Lampeter, and international rugby for Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wales Trinity Saint David</span> Public university based in Wales and London

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David is a multi-campus university with three main campuses in South West Wales, in Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea, a fourth campus in London, England, and learning centres in Cardiff, Wales, and Birmingham, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Morris (bishop)</span> English Anglican bishop

Alfred Edwin Morris was an English Anglican bishop, who served as the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales in the middle of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Halliwell</span> British priest and academic (1900–1982)

Thomas Halliwell was the Principal of Trinity College Carmarthen in the middle part of the 20th Century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lampeter Food Festival</span> Food festival in Ceredigion, Wales

Gŵyl Fwyd Llanbed - Lampeter Food Fest is an annual food festival held at Lampeter in Ceredigion.

Louise Steel is Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Wales Trinity St David. Her research focuses on the prehistoric Mediterranean world, in particular Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as on themes of materiality and the human body. She conducts fieldwork in Cyprus at the Late Bronze Age site of Arediou Vouppes.

References

  1. ↑ "Roderic Bowen Library and Archives: University of Wales Trinity Saint David". librarytechnology.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  2. ↑ "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  3. ↑ Price, D. T. W. (1977–1990). A history of Saint David's University College Lampeter. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN   0-7083-0606-3. OCLC   3742391.
  4. 1 2 John Morgan-Guy, ed. (2022). Treasures: the special collections of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN   978-1-78683-902-2. OCLC   1347364522.
  5. ↑ Attar, Karen (2015). Directory of rare book and special collections in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. London: American Library Association. p. 523. ISBN   978-1-78330-148-5. OCLC   963565726.
  6. 1 2 "Summary of Individual Legacies of British Slavery:Thomas Phillips". UCL Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  7. ↑ "Roderic Bowen". archives.library.wales. National Library of Wales Archives and Manuscripts. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  8. ↑ "Roderic Eva Bowen (1913-2001), Liberal politician and lawyer". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  9. ↑ Williams, Rowland (2018). "Catalogue of the records of the former teaching training college at Trinity College Carmarthen 1719-2005" (PDF). Catalogue of the records of Trinity College Carmarthen 1719-2005. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "WHELF's Treasures: The Lampeter Bible". Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  11. ↑ "Collected Medieval Manuscripts". University of Wales, Lampeter. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  12. ↑ "Bishop Thomas Burgess Collection | UWTSD". uwtsd.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  13. 1 2 "Thomas Phillips Collection | UWTSD". uwtsd.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  14. ↑ "Bowdler Tracts | UWTSD". uwtsd.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  15. ↑ "Evan Lorimer Thomas (1872 - 1953), priest and scholar". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  16. ↑ "Bulletin no.26" (PDF). Historic Libraries Forum: 8. 2013.
  17. ↑ Lloyd, Thomas; Orbach, Julian; Scourfield, Robert (2006). Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. Buildings of Wales. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. pp. 483–484. ISBN   978-0-300-10179-9. OCLC   71164002.
  18. ↑ "The Roderic Bowen Library and Archives, University of Wales, Lampeter (408669)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  19. ↑ Davies, Dylan (6 October 2022). "Cathedral hosts book launch to celebrate Lampeter university's bicentenary". Cambrian News . Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  20. ↑ "Visitors' Guide | UWTSD". www.uwtsd.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  21. ↑ "Library Hub Discover - University of Wales Trinity Saint David". discover.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  22. ↑ "Archives and research libraries in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland". Royal Historical Society . Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "Role in Teaching and Learning". UWTSD. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  24. ↑ "The Somme (Student Archives Project)". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2022-11-20.

52°06′46″N4°04′33″W / 52.11266°N 4.07591°W / 52.11266; -4.07591

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.