Alban Thomas facts for kids

Alban Thomas (born 1686, died 1771) was a Welsh doctor, a person who managed libraries, and someone who studied old things (an antiquarian). He followed his father's example in supporting Welsh literature. He was especially known for helping Moses Williams publish old Welsh-language writings.

The Life of Alban Thomas

Alban Thomas was born in 1686. His father, also named Alban Thomas, was a Welsh religious leader, a poet, and a translator. His father was part of a new interest in Welsh writing around the late 1600s and early 1700s in the Newcastle Emlyn area.

Young Alban Thomas went to study at Jesus College, Oxford. By 1708, he was working as a librarian at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. In 1713, he became an assistant secretary for the Royal Society in London. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Aberdeen in 1719.

Because of his connections in Aberdeen, some government officials thought he might support a different political group. This meant Alban Thomas had to stay away from London for a while after March 1722. When he returned, he couldn't restart his medical work in London. So, he moved back to Wales and worked as a doctor there until he passed away in 1771.

Alban Thomas worked with the antiquarian Moses Williams. They tried to gather and publish old writings in the Welsh language. In 1719, they started collecting money to print a book called Collection of Writings in the Welsh Tongue. Alban Thomas also published his own book in 1718, called List of Fellows of the Royal Society of London.