David Williams (philosopher) facts for kids
David Williams (born 1738 – died 1816) was a Welsh thinker and writer from the Enlightenment period. This was a time when new ideas about science, freedom, and human rights were very popular. He was a minister, a religious writer, and someone who argued strongly about politics.
David Williams started the Royal Literary Fund in 1788. This fund helps writers who are struggling financially. He had been working on this idea since 1773.
Contents
Early Life and Education
David Williams was born in a house called Waun Waelod, near Caerphilly in Wales. He went to school locally. His father, William David, became a Methodist and wanted David to become a minister.
Sadly, his father passed away in 1752. On his deathbed, he made David promise to study at Carmarthen Academy. This school trained ministers who were not part of the main Church of England. David studied there from 1753 to 1757. His ideas were quite new and different for the time. Some people even thought he was a Deist, meaning he believed in God but not necessarily in organized religion or miracles.
Becoming a Minister
In 1758, David Williams became a minister in Frome, Somerset. He then moved to Exeter in 1761. There, he created a special prayer book called A Liturgy on the Principles of the Christian Religion. His congregation used this book.
However, he often disagreed with older members of his church. They didn't like his new ideas. So, around 1769, he moved to Highgate, London, to lead a smaller church. He left this church in 1773.
His first book, The Philosopher, in Three Conversations (1771), talked about how to improve the church. He also wrote articles for a newspaper, but his ideas were so different that a plan to open a new kind of chapel didn't work out.
Meeting David Garrick
David Williams loved plays and met the famous actor David Garrick. Williams wrote a strong letter to Garrick in 1772. This letter was about another actor, Henry Mossop, who felt Garrick had treated him unfairly.
The letter caused some talk, and Garrick later wrote a kind reply to Williams after Mossop passed away.
Starting a School and New Churches
In 1773, Williams moved to Chelsea, London, and started a school. He also got married to Mary Emilia. He wrote a book about his teaching ideas called Treatise on Education (1774). He believed in learning by doing, not just from books.
Sadly, his wife died in 1774. This made him very sad, and he left his school for a while.
In 1774, Benjamin Franklin, a famous American inventor and politician, stayed at Williams's house. Franklin liked Williams's teaching methods. They became friends and started a small club. At this club, Williams first suggested the idea of a society to help writers who were struggling.
Franklin also noticed that many people in their club didn't go to church. So, Williams, with Franklin's help, wrote a new prayer book. It was called A Liturgy on the Universal Principles of Religion and Morality (1776).
On April 7, 1776, Williams opened a chapel in London for morning services. He used his new prayer book and gave talks. Important people came to listen. He sent copies of his prayer book to famous thinkers like Frederick the Great and Voltaire, who both liked it.
Williams paid for everything himself, which was very expensive. He was saved from financial trouble when people subscribed to his book, Lectures on the Universal Principles and Duties of Religion and Morality (1779). These talks were given at his chapel. The services eventually moved to a different location.
Williams believed strongly in intellectual liberty and that everyone should be free to think and believe what they want. He wrote about this in The Nature and Extent of Intellectual Liberty (1779). He also translated Voltaire's book on religious toleration.
He also wrote about politics, including Letters on Political Liberty (1782). This book was even translated into French.
The Royal Literary Fund
David Williams kept pushing his idea for a "literary fund" to help talented writers who were having a hard time. He discussed it with a small group of friends. They tried to get help from important politicians like William Pitt the Younger, but it didn't work at first.
However, when a writer named Floyer Sydenham died in a debtors' prison in 1787, Williams felt he had to act. He formed a new group, and in 1788, they officially started the Literary Fund. Each member gave a small amount of money to begin.
The first big meeting to choose leaders was in 1790. Over the next twelve years, the fund helped many writers. In 1842, it became known as the Royal Literary Fund and continues to help writers today.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1792, Williams visited Monmouthshire to gather information for a history book he was writing. Around the same time, a French minister invited him to Paris. He went in 1792 and became a French citizen. He stayed until the execution of King Louis XVI in 1793, which he strongly disagreed with.
When he returned to England, his visit to France made some people dislike him politically. This caused a project to continue Hume's History of England to be canceled for him. However, his History of Monmouthshire (1796) became a very important book about the area.
After a peace treaty in 1802, he visited France again. He also published Claims of Literature (1802), which explained the Literary Fund.
Later in life, David Williams became ill with strokes. In 1811, he had a severe stroke, and his health declined. He was invited to live at the house of the Literary Fund in London, where he stayed until he passed away on June 29, 1816. He was buried in St Anne's Church, Soho.
In 1911, a memorial was built for David Williams in a park next to Caerphilly Castle. This park is now called David Williams Park, honoring his memory.
Works
- Treatise on Education (1774)
- A Liturgy on the Universal Principles of Religion and Morality (1776)
- Letters on Political Liberty (1782)
- History of Monmouthshire (1796)
Images for kids
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The memorial to David Williams in Caerphilly
