Thomas Richards of Coychurch facts for kids
Thomas Richards (born around 1710 – died March 20, 1790) was a Welsh priest from a place called Coychurch. He lived in the 1700s. He is most famous for creating a very important dictionary in 1753. This dictionary helped people learn both the Welsh and English languages.
His Welsh-English dictionary was so good that even Dr. Samuel Johnson used it. Dr. Johnson was a famous writer who made his own big dictionary called A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755.
Contents
About Thomas Richards' Life
Thomas Richards was born around the year 1710 in an area of Wales called Glamorganshire. He worked as a priest for 40 years. He served in the churches of Coychurch (also known as Llan Grallo) and Coity in that same county. Thomas Richards passed away on March 20, 1790.
His Important Books and Works
Thomas Richards was a very busy writer and scholar. He helped people understand different languages.
His Famous Dictionary
His most important book was called Antiquæ Linguæ Britannicæ Thesaurus. This was a long name for his big Welsh-English Dictionary. It was published in Bristol in 1753. This dictionary also included a guide to Welsh grammar at the beginning. He dedicated this important book to Frederick, Prince of Wales.
Richards' dictionary was much more complete than any others made before it. He built on the work of earlier scholars like John Davies and Edward Llwyd. He also used information from William Wotton and Richard Morris. Some people think he even borrowed old writings from John Bradford to help him.
This dictionary was so popular that new versions were printed many times:
- A second edition came out in Trefriw in 1815.
- A third edition was printed in Dolgellau in the same year.
- A fourth edition was published in Merthyr Tydfil in 1838.
Other Works
Thomas Richards also helped with other language projects. For example, he worked on a new version of William Evans's English-Welsh dictionary. This updated version was published in 1812.
