Copy of First Book Printed in Wales to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI

Fri, 17 Sep 10 13:46:00

A facsimile copy of Y Drych Cristianogawl, a Catholic book and first book ever printed on Welsh soil, will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI at Westminster Cathedral in London on Saturday 18 September 2010.

 

Welsh Catholics printed the book secretly in 1586 in a cave on the Little Orme in Llandudno, away from the prying eyes of the Protestant Crown forces. Y Drych Cristianogawl is a short essay on the love for God from a Catholic perspective with the hand-written pages of the book sent from Italy to Wales. So as to avoid detection, the Catholics published that the book had been printed in Rouen in France with the date 1585.

 

Julian Thomas of the National Library of Wales has made a facsimile copy of the book. Julian is a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders and regularly prepares a bound copy of one of the six finalists of the prestigious Booker Prize. The making of the facsimile copy of the book was commissioned by Joseph Kelly, the Managing Director of the Universe Catholic Weekly. It will be presented to the Pope by Bishop Edwin Regan of Wrexham as a gift from the people of Wales during a Welsh-themed service at Mass in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday morning 18 September.

 

Joseph Kelly, has a great admiration for the publishers of Y Drych Cristianogawl.

 

‘I’ve had a long-standing interest in Fr William Davies as he was the first Catholic publisher in Wales. I’d always hoped that I could one day make his book better known and I’m very pleased and honoured that a facsimile copy of his book will presented to the Pope,’

 

It was believed at one time that the author of the book was Gruffydd Robert, a Welsh Catholic who was the Confessor to Cardinal Borromeo and a Theological Canon at the Catholic Cathedral of Milan. However it is now believed that the book was written by the missionary priest and author Robert Gwyn (c.1540/50 - 1592/1604), a native of Llanarmon near Pwllheli. The work deals with the Catholic Church's teaching on the Four Last Things, viz. Death, the Day of Judgement, Hell and Heaven.

 

Contemporary sources indicate that the printing took place in late 1586 and early 1587 on land belonging to the Catholic gentleman Robert Pue of Penrhyn Creuddyn. Pue played an important part in the proceedings, being assisted by a printer named Roger Thackwell and six others. One of these six was the priest William Davies, subsequently martyred at Beaumaris. Only the first part of the text was printed though the preface states that the intention was to print it in its entirety. The activity in the cave ceased and the participants fled when news reached the authorities of what had been going on.

 

Measuring just five and a half by four inches and 180 pages long in English Gothic typeface the book is easy to conceal and carry in a pocket.

 

Y Drych Cristianogawl means ‘The Christian Mirror’ with the archaic spelling of Christian (cristianogawl) which is spelt ‘Cristnogol’ i modern Welsh – the ‘aw’ sound having changed over the centuries to ‘o’.

 

There are four copies of Y Drych Cristianogawl in extant, three of which are imperfect. The one perfect copy survives and is kept at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.

 

‘The National Library of Wales has been very glad to work with Joseph Kelly on producing a facsimile copy of Y Drych Cristianogawl. The book is one of the treasures of the Welsh nation and it is a great honour that a copy will be presented to the Pope on his visit to Britain,’ said Andrew Green, Librarian of the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.

 

For further information

Siôn Jobbins, NLW Press Office: 01970 632 902  post@llgc.org.uk

NLW page on Y Drych Cristianogawl