Rowland Heylyn facts for kids

Rowland Heylyn (sometimes called Heilin or Heylin) (1562–1631) was a very successful merchant in London. He was chosen as a sheriff of London in 1624 and 1625. He is also famous for helping to publish a Welsh Bible in 1630.

Rowland Heylyn's Life Story

Rowland Heylyn was born in Wales. His father was David Heylyn, from the well-known Heylyn family of Pentreheylin in Powys.

Early Life and Education

In 1570, Rowland started school at the free school of Shrewsbury. His teacher was Thomas Lawrence. When he was about 14, in 1576, he moved to London. He became an apprentice to Thomas Wade, learning the trade of an ironmonger. By 1584, he was a full member of the Ironmongers' Company, a group for people who worked with iron.

Growing His Business and Influence

Rowland became very successful. In 1601, he bought a lot of land in places like Laleham and Staines. He became an assistant in the Ironmongers' Company in 1612. He was even chosen to be the master of the company twice, in 1614 and again in 1625. He kept buying more land, showing how well his business was doing.

He lived in a part of London called St Alban Wood Street. In 1624, he was elected as an alderman for the Cripplegate area. That same year, he became a Sheriff of London. Sheriffs were important officials who helped keep law and order in the city.

Helping Publish Books

Rowland Heylyn cared a lot about people being able to read the Bible in their own language. He worked with Thomas Myddelton to publish a Welsh Bible in 1630. This Bible was a smaller size, called a quarto, and it came with a Welsh Prayer Book and a Welsh translation of the Psalter by Edmund Prys.

He also helped print other important books. These included a Welsh-Latin dictionary by John Davies. He also helped publish a Welsh translation of a popular book called Practice of Piety by Lewis Bayly. This translation was done by Rowland Vaughan.

A Generous Man

There is a painting of Rowland Heylyn by Henry Cocke at the Ironmongers' Hall. It shows him with a white beard and wearing a black gown. He is holding a book. People described him as a kind and generous person. One description called him "The pious and munificent Rowland Heylyn Alderman of London, promoter of the Welsh translation of the bible and of every other laudable undertaking in his day." This means he was a very religious and generous man who supported many good projects, especially the Welsh Bible.

He was also very generous to his community. He left £300 (a lot of money back then!) to help the poor people of Shrewsbury. He also gave 83 books to Shrewsbury School.

Family Connections

Rowland Heylyn was married to Alice Aldworth. They did not have any children who lived to adulthood. He owned properties in Middlesex and Staffordshire. He left these properties to the children of his two sisters. His nephew, Henry Heylyn, had a son named Peter Heylyn. Peter became a well-known church leader and writer.