The Book of Aneirin ( Welsh : Llyfr Aneirin ) is a late 13th century Welsh manuscript containing Old and Middle Welsh poetry attributed to the late 6th century Northern Brythonic poet, Aneirin , who is believed to have lived in present-day Scotland.
106-549: The manuscript is kept at the National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth. It is made of parchment and was written in Wales around 1265, probably in a monastery, but is probably a copy of a lost 9th century original. The text of the manuscript is rendered in a proto-gothic hand. There is minimal decoration, consisting of only of a few colored Lombardic Capitals . Paragraphs are broken by similarly colored pilcrows and where
212-650: A Hand-list of incunabula that was published as a supplement to the National Library of Wales Journal. The hand-list and its addenda and corrigenda describes 129 books, mostly printed in Germany, Italy and France, although examples from the Netherlands and England were also listed. Scholderer noted that some of the forty-five books printed in France, particularly those in the vernacular, were very rare. There are approximately 2,500 sixteenth-century European imprints in
318-740: A "Centre for Applied Psychology" within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, psychology had moved into its current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department has over 550 undergraduate students, with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society and is home to an MSc in Behaviour Change. The main campus of the university is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking
424-479: A BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." The economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at
530-467: A committee was set up to collect Welsh material and house it at University College , Aberystwyth. In 1905, the government promised money in its budget to establish a National Library and a National Museum of Wales , and the Privy Council appointed a committee to decide on the location of the two institutions. David Lloyd George , who later became Prime Minister, supported the effort to establish
636-541: A fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth , and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what became the main Penglais campus were purchased. Incorporated by royal charter in 1893, the university installed Albert Edward, Prince of Wales , as chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the former British prime minister, William Gladstone . The university's coat of arms dates from
742-516: A format compatible with the collection, i.e. manuscript books or rolls, or unbound material that can be filed; and b) not integral to an archive or individual collection. There is, however, much archival material, most notably correspondence, held in the General Manuscript Collection. Individual manuscripts of particular interest include: Groups of manuscripts in the general collection include: There are many rare books in
848-599: A founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth . In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth . On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again. The annual income of the institution for 2022–2023
954-552: A hundred examples of his works, known as Aldines, are in the National Library. The Library's also owns works from the sixteenth-century Antwerp press of Christophe Plantin and his son-in-law, Balthasar Moretus , who published De Symbolis Heroicis (1634) with its title-page designed by Peter Paul Rubens . The collection of French medieval romances and editions of the Roman de la rose from the library of F. W. Bourdillon and
1060-403: A modified version of Greenslade's design. It was completed in 1937 and is a Grade II* listed building . The grounds (landscaping) of the National Library of Wales are also Grade II listed, and are seen as a significant part of the historical landscape of Wales with the landscaping both supporting, and playing a key part of the overall architectural design of the library building. The Library
1166-795: A new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr , as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. In September 2018, the department moved back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology. The Guardian University Guide 2018 ranked the Law Department at 69th in the UK, and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally. Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in
SECTION 10
#17327755499571272-574: A research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary , based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005. Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy , Astronomy and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College. It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler. The department
1378-530: Is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the university). At Gogerddan , on the outskirts of town is located the university's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science. The School of Art
1484-609: Is available in the papers of the Welsh Arts Council. Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth University ( Welsh : Prifysgol Aberystwyth ) is a public research university in Aberystwyth , Wales . Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales . The university has over 8,000 students studying across three academic faculties and 17 departments. Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth , it became
1590-602: Is faced with Portland stone on the upper storeys which contrasts with the Cornish granite below it. Restoration work was necessary in 1969 and 1983 due to the effects of weathering on the Portland stone. In recent years many changes have been made to the front part of the building. The large North Reading Room, where printed books are consulted, has "the proportions of a Gothic Cathedral", being 175 feet long, 47 feet wide and 33 feet high. There are galleries at three levels above
1696-714: Is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs , a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at
1802-404: Is indicative of the overall quality of the manuscripts and their importance as part of Welsh heritage. There are, however, also manuscripts in Cornish, Latin and English that are themselves noteworthy. The collection includes: The Llanstephan Collection of manuscripts was donated to the National Library of Wales by Sir John Williams in 1909. It had been his personal collection, which he kept in
1908-876: Is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Memorial Chemistry Laboratories . A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth. The site of the original university is the Old College , currently the subject of the "New Life for Old College" project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2015 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with
2014-537: Is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919. By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society , such as Gwendolen Rees , the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS . The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours psychology in 2009. The chancellor of
2120-605: Is the third of the National Library of Wales' foundation collections. The 3,680 volumes are mainly of Welsh interest, with the 1567 New Testament and 1588 Bible to be found among some twenty books from the sixteenth century. Other items of interest are a first edition of Milton's Paradise lost (1668), numerous first editions of John Ruskin and George Borrow , and books from the Baskerville and Strawberry Hill presses. When John Humphreys Davies died on 10 August 1926 he bequeathed his collection of over 10,000 printed volumes to
2226-742: The Black Book of Carmarthen (the earliest surviving manuscript entirely in Welsh), the Book of Taliesin , the Hendregadredd Manuscript , and an early manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer . Around three hundred medieval manuscripts are deposited in the Library: about 100 are in Welsh. The manuscript collection amalgamated a number of entire collections that were acquired in the early years of
SECTION 20
#17327755499572332-542: The British Isles . During the 15th century, the poet Dafydd Nanmor owned the manuscript, and it later passed into the hands of Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt , a well-known collector. It remained in the Hengwrt collection until the 1780s, when it was stolen. Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc) later acquired it and, following his death in 1848, it was bought by another collector, Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet . In 1896 it
2438-701: The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion , the University of Wales and the Church in Wales. All materials concerning politics in Wales are kept in the Welsh Political Archive that the National Library established in 1983. This archive coordinates the collection of manuscript, printed and audiovisual records relating to the major political parties active in Wales, with the largest party archive being Plaid Cymru, and notable politicians including Lloyd George. The records of organisations including
2544-815: The National Eisteddfod of Wales , BBC Wales , the Welsh Arts Council and the Welsh Academy . The archive of the National Eisteddfod of Wales contains the central office records, compositions, adjudications and criticisms from 1886 onwards. The Eisteddfod is a unique institution and an important part of the literary tradition of Wales that celebrates poetry, song and the Welsh language. The substantial archive of BBC Wales includes radio drama scripts and talks by well-known authors. A further collection of Welsh authors archives
2650-558: The Shirburn Castle library with the Llanstephan Manuscripts. The collection from Shirburn Castle comprises 193 printed books and pamphlets that were all printed before 1750; a superb miscellany of books from the first century of Welsh printing. Some of the particularly significant items that belonged to Sir John are: Purchased in 1910, the library of Edward Humphrey Owen (1850–1904), from Ty Coch, Caernarfon,
2756-560: The Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers. Less than 200 students enrolled with the Mauritius campus, which had the capacity for 2,000 students, before its 2018 closure and the university lost more than a million pounds as a result of the venture. Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of
2862-675: The United Kingdom , the National Library is a member of Research Libraries UK (RLUK) and the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL). At the very core of the National Library of Wales is the mission to collect and preserve materials related to Wales and Welsh life and those which can be utilised by the people of Wales for study and research. Welsh is the Library's main medium of communication, but it does aim to deliver all public services in Welsh and English. In 1873,
2968-503: The 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales , and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the college's rebirth after the 1885 fire. The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth ('a world without knowledge is no world at all'). In the early 1900s, the university added courses that included law, applied mathematics, pure mathematics and botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says
3074-573: The 1920s; this includes BBC Wales, ITV Wales and S4C. Carved above the entrance is the room's original name the Print and Maps Room. Above it on the second floor of the south wing is the Gregynog Gallery where temporary and permanent exhibitions display the treasures of the Library's collections. A six-storey bookstack, which was completed in 1931, was built to increase storage space for the rapidly expanding book collection. A second bookstack
3180-410: The 2016 National Student Survey , placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten. The department has hosted notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr , Leopold Kohr , Andrew Linklater , Ken Booth , Steve Smith , Michael Cox , Michael MccGwire , Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes . The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901)
3286-564: The 20th century have been collected by the Library. The Archives of Welsh Authors include the work of authors, poets, playwrights, scholars, journalists and archdruids of the Gorsedd. Significant holding from these archives include draft copies of novels: Cysgod y Cryman [The Shadow of the Sickle] by Islwyn Ffowc Elis , Y Stafell Ddirgel [The Secret Room] by Marion Eames and Cyfres Rwdlan by Angharad Tomos ; Saunders Lewis 's letters, and
Book of Aneirin - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-539: The 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year, and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432nd position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year. In 2015, UK employers from "predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors" listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report. Aberystwyth University
3498-512: The Aldines, which are from the collection of J. Burleigh James, are important features. The National Library of Wales has one of the two copies of the 1539 edition of Miles Coverdale's Great Bible , that were printed on vellum and illuminated throughout. The other copy is in the library of St. John's College, Cambridge . The Library has a substantial private press collection, some 1,800 volumes in total, with representative examples from all of
3604-668: The Anglo-Welsh authors and the Library has a large collection of his papers. Other important items in the Archives of Welsh Writers in English are Raymond Williams' drafts of the novels Border Country and People of the Black Mountains and the papers of David Jones, which include draft copies of In Parenthesis and The Anathemata. Prominent holdings in the Archives of Literary Organisations, Journals and Publishers are
3710-795: The Ashburn library and Sir Edmund Buckley of Plas Dinas Mawddwy. Descriptions of 446 of these manuscripts are provided by J. H. Davies in Additional Manuscripts in the Collections of Sir John Williams , which the Library published in 1921. The manuscripts in the National Library which are not part of the foundation collections are the focus of the Handlist of manuscripts , which was first published in 1941. All manuscripts acquired by donation or purchase are added to this open-ended series, either singly or in groups, if they are: a) in
3816-476: The Book of Aneirin might have been the result of it having been written in the margin of the original manuscript. The other works in the volume are an elegy to a victim of a massacre, and "The true verses of Gorchan Adrefon and Gorchan Maeldderw", which is attributed to the poet Taliesin . Sir Ifor Williams proposed that the contents of the manuscript demonstrate that the Welsh language was spoken in northern parts of
3922-622: The British Museum, which weighed over one hundred tons, the Library received forty-six boxes of manuscript and printed books from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and over a thousand pictures, eighty-two boxes of books and twenty members of staff from the National Gallery . The Library also received irreplaceable items from other prestigious institutions such as the Ashmolean Museum , Oxford, Dulwich College and
4028-600: The Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr . The school was shortlisted for "Business School of the Year" in the Times Higher Education Awards (2014). In 2016,
4134-521: The Gregynog Press binder, George Fisher. In the late 1970s, the library acquired an archive recording the work of the Birdsall bindery, Northampton. Bourdillon's library includes books printed before 1600 in their original pigskin or stamped calf bindings and some examples of modern fine binding. Examples of fore-edge paintings that depict topographical scenes in Wales have been collected by
4240-543: The Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology. The institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus. In 1998, the Department of Economics (founded in 1912),
4346-582: The Library are the Astronomica by Marcus Manilius (1474) with illuminated initials and borders, and Hartmann Schedel 's Liber Chronicarum (1493). During the time that the incunabula expert, Dr. Victor Scholderer, Deputy-Keeper in the Department of Printed Books at the British Museum, spent in Aberystwyth during the Second World War, he took an interest in the National Library's small collection of fifteenth-century printed books and produced
Book of Aneirin - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-432: The Library as an expression of their gratitude and Mrs. David Sassoon, London presented two works by Cicero that were printed at Venice in the fifteenth century. The documents and artefacts that spent World War II in the care of the National Library include an original exemplification of Magna Carta , drawings by Leonardo da Vinci , paintings by Rembrandt , Rubens and Velásquez from Dulwich College , letters of
4558-700: The Library by Gwendoline and Margaret Davies of Gregynog in 1921. Two of these books were printed by William Caxton : Speculum Vitae Christi of 1488, and the copy of Ranulf Higden's Polychronicon (1482) that had previously been the property of Higden's Monastery, St. Werburgh's Abbey at Chester. The third is another copy of the Polychronicon, printed by Caxton's successor Wynkyn de Worde in 1495. Nine specimens of early printed books (three German, five Italian and one printed in Ghent) were deposited by Lord Harlech between 1938 and 1941. Other notable incunabula in
4664-637: The Library's existence, including the Hengwrt-Peniarth, Mostyn, Llanstephan, Panton, Cwrtmawr, Wrexham and Aberdare manuscripts. The Welsh manuscripts in these foundation collections were catalogued by Dr J. Gwenogvryn Evans in the Reports on manuscripts in the Welsh language that he compiled for the Historic Manuscripts Commission. The Peniarth Manuscripts collection is considered to be of global significance and
4770-497: The Library. Works from the leading scholar-printers of the early sixteenth-century are represented in the collection, which covers a broad array of subjects. These include Johann Froben (Basle), Jodocus Badius (Lyons and Paris), Robert Estienne (Paris) and Aldus Manutius (Venice). Aldus Manutius of Venice, who is known for his dolphin and anchor printer's device , was the finest of the Italian printers of this period and about
4876-564: The National Library in Aberystwyth, which was selected as the location of the library after a bitter fight with Cardiff , partly because a collection was already available in the College. Sir John Williams , physician and book collector, had also said he would present his collection (in particular, the Peniarth collection of manuscripts ) to the library if it were established in Aberystwyth. He also eventually gave £20,000 to build and establish
4982-544: The National Library of Wales including the three earliest books printed in Welsh, Yny lhyvyr hwnn (1546), Oll synnwyr pen Kembero ygyd (1547) and A Dictionary in Englyshe and Welshe (1547) by William Salesbury . The Library also holds the first Welsh translation of the complete Bible (1588). The National Library's rare books include collections of incunabula, sixteenth-century European imprints, private press publications, bindings and scientific works. Thanks to
5088-567: The National Library of Wales purchased the collection of French medieval literary texts and early illustrated books that had been assembled by Francis William Bourdillon (1852–1921). Bourdillon's library included twenty-three editions of the Roman de la Rose and an important group of works on the Arthurian legend. The 6,178 printed volumes include sixty-six incunabula, 180 English short title catalogue books (1475–1800), including twenty-five STC and fifty Wing books. Further, there are 320 volumes that were printed in continental Europe during
5194-497: The National Library of Wales should be removed from Aberystwyth then the manuscripts donated by Sir John Williams will become the property of the University College. A new Royal Charter was granted in 2006. The National Library of Wales was granted the privilege of legal deposit under the Copyright Act 1911 . Initially, however, the Library could only claim material deemed to be of Welsh and Celtic interest without any restrictions on expensive or limited edition publications. In 1987,
5300-500: The National Library of Wales, which provided the evacuated treasures with a refuge from enemy bombing raids. The architect Charles Holden was instructed to design a tunnel for this purpose in the outcrop of rock close to the main building, with the British Museum sharing in the costs that this incurred. The tunnel was heated and ventilated to ensure the preservation of vellum, papyri and paper during its use from 18 July 1940 until 23 May 1945. In addition to an extensive consignment from
5406-577: The National Library of Wales. Davies was a keen bibliographer who acquired multiple copies of some works for variants in the typography and accumulated an important collection of Welsh literature, discovering some previously unrecorded works in the process. Some of the early Welsh books that Davies collected contain leaves or signatures that were not in the copies that the National Library already possessed. The rare books include: There are also substantial collections of pamphlets, elegies, almanacs, ballads, satires and tracts that Davies had collected. In 1922
SECTION 50
#17327755499575512-489: The National Library, including a view of Conway Castle and Bridge on a 1795 copy of The Poetical Works of John Cunningham , a rural view, stated to be Wales, painted on a 1795 edition of Milton's Paradise Lost bound by Edwards of Halifax, and an 1823 English-Welsh bilingual edition of The Book of Common Prayer with a double fore-edge painting of (1) Bangor and (2) Bangor Cathedral. Other locations in Wales include Barmouth and Neath Abbey, both painted on books published during
5618-416: The Peniarth Manuscript collection and The Life Story of David Lloyd George were amongst the first ten inscriptions on the UK Memory of the World Register , a UNESCO record of documentary heritage of cultural significance. Collection development is focused on materials relating to the people of Wales, those in the Welsh language and resources for Celtic studies , but other materials are collected for
5724-401: The Peniarth and Llanstephan manuscripts, the collection that Sir John Williams donated to the National Library included 500 manuscripts in the general collection (NLW MS 1–500). These manuscripts are an amalgamation of the various purchases that Sir John made between 1894 and 1899, including groups of manuscripts from the Welsh philologist Egerton Phillimore, Sir Thomas Phillipps of Middle Hill,
5830-400: The Royal Society . A number of distinguished scholars from the British Museum accompanied the collections to Aberystwyth. Their senior member of staff was Deputy Keeper of Printed Books, Victor Scholderer, who responded to a letter from the Director, Sir John Forsdyke , by insisting that he and his colleagues would continue to sleep in the Library so that the tunnel could be checked during
5936-429: The University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of
6042-459: The Welsh National Council of the United Nations Association and the Association of Welsh Local Authorities also to be found in this archive, as are papers generated by the Parliament for Wales Campaign 1953–6, and several nationalist pressure groups. Some of the political archives cannot be accessed due to their embargo status. The Modern Literary Archives are home to the work of some of the most important Welsh poets and authors. An insight into
6148-545: The campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from "traditional" catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the university's computer network and a support network of residential tutors. The university also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an assured shorthold tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within
6254-543: The collection, as well as seventy-three volumes from the sixteenth century, including the first English (Reynold Wolfe, London, 1551) and Arabic (Typographia Medicea, Rome, 1594) editions. The National Library of Wales is home to the largest collection of archival material in Wales. Around 2,500 archives of various sizes have been collected since the library was founded. These archives contain many different types of document, such as charters, estate records, correspondence, literary drafts and digital materials, which range from
6360-406: The collections of printed books that were donated by Sir John Williams, J. H. Davies and Edward Humphrey Owen, the Library has particularly strong holdings of publications in the Welsh language from before 1912. Of the 286 Welsh books published between 1546 and 1710, the National Library possesses copies of 210, and has facsimiles of others that exist as a unique copy in another institution. Many of
6466-422: The correspondence between Rhydwen Williams and Alwyn D. Rees ; the diaries of Caradog Prichard and Euros Bowen ; and, manuscript copies of poetry, such as Y Mynach by Gwenallt , Y Mynydd by T. H. Parry-Williams and Cerddi'r Gaeaf by R. Williams Parry . Parry-Williams and Williams Parry were both first cousins of Thomas Parry , the National Librarian. Dylan Thomas is the most prominent name amongst
SECTION 60
#17327755499576572-408: The creation of prose and poetry is provided by the letters, manuscript and typescript drafts, notebooks, proofs and other personal papers of 20th and 21st century writers. Archives belonging to Welsh-language authors, Welsh authors writing in English and literary organisations are deposited in the National Library. Papers and manuscripts belonging to Welsh authors who achieved their fame during
6678-451: The department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition. E. J. Williams was appointed to the Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber. Following the Second World War , research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics , later moving into the fields of air density , experimental rocket launching equipment and radar . In 2007, Aberystwyth established psychology as
6784-458: The existing student village. Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK's top 40 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 38th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2023, and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years, in 2018 and 2019. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in
6890-470: The first popular internet-based MUD , was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox . Jan Pinkava , another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game . The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. It houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases. The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW)
6996-442: The first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors. Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London 's entrance exams. Women were admitted in 1884. In 1885,
7102-415: The floor. The feasibility of installing a mezzanine floor to make better use of the space has been considered on two occasions. Until 2022, The South Reading Room was used for consulting archives, manuscripts, maps and other printed materials. It now houses the Wales Broadcast Archive Centre, an Archive of programmes from all the major Welsh broadcasters dating back to the beginnings of broadcasting in Wales in
7208-418: The foundation stone of the National Library of Wales. Designed by architect Sidney Greenslade , who won the competition to design the building in 1909, the building at Grogythan, off Penglais Hill, was ready for occupation in August 1915 but the task of transferring the collections was not completed until 1 March 1916, St David's Day . The central block, or corps de logis , was added by Charles Holden to
7314-569: The important British presses. The holdings of ordinary and special bindings of the Gregynog Press books are comprehensive and along with the reference collection from Gregynog, form the core of the National Library's collection of private press editions. However, the Library also has a complete set of the Kelmscott Press publications that Sir John Williams collected, including The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (1896). The private press collection has been developed through further acquisitions by donation, purchase and legal deposit, and contains examples of
7420-501: The initial thirty-nine volumes of early editions of the Elements that Sir Charles Thomas-Stanford donated in 1927, including further eleven volumes from Sir Charles in 1928. With the subsequent additions the collection covers all of Euclid's works, including Data, Phaenomena, Optica and Catoptrica along with numerous editions of the Elements, in many languages. There are two incunabula (Erhard Ratdolt, Venice, 1482 and Leonardus de Basilea & Gulielmus de Papia, Vicenza, 1491) in
7526-404: The institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School. The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning , computational biology , vision graphics and visualisation and intelligent robotics . AberMUD ,
7632-606: The kings and queens of England, and autographs belonging to William Shakespeare . The collections of the National Library of Wales include over 6.5 million printed volumes, including the first book printed in Welsh, Yny lhyvyr hwnn (1546). In addition to the printed book collections, there are about 25,000 manuscripts in the holdings. The archival collections at the Library include the Welsh Political Archive and National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. The Library also keeps maps, photographs, paintings, topographical and landscape prints, periodicals and newspapers. In 2010,
7738-467: The largest collections of archives, portraits, maps, and photographic images in Wales. The Library is also home to the national collection of Welsh manuscripts, the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, and the most comprehensive collection of paintings and topographical prints in Wales. As the primary research library and archive in Wales and one of the largest research libraries in
7844-623: The last of these restrictions were removed to make the legal deposit entitlement of the National Library of Wales equal to those of the Bodleian Library , Cambridge University Library , Trinity College Library , Dublin and the National Library of Scotland . The first use of the Library of Congress Classification by a library in Britain was at the National Library of Wales in 1913. On 15 July 1911 King George V and Queen Mary laid
7950-519: The libraries of Sir Edward Anwyl , Thomas Powel, Dr Thomas Gwynn Jones , Dr Paul Diverres and Llywarch Reynolds . The holdings of Cornish and Manx printed books include practically everything that has been published in those languages, with a few facsimiles. The Library's holdings can also be found in the European Library and Copac union catalogues. The National Library of Wales keeps many rare and important manuscripts, including
8056-526: The library of his home, Llanstephan mansion, Carmarthenshire. The collection is composed of the 154 manuscripts which had belonged to Moses Williams (1685–1742), that were purchased from Shirburn Castle , Oxfordshire and other manuscripts of diverse origins collected by Sir John. Medieval Welsh prose is well represented in the Shirburn Castle collection, with chronicles, legends, fables, theological tracts and collections of works by eminent poets of
8162-688: The library. Cardiff was eventually selected as the location of the National Museum of Wales. Funds for both the National Library and the National Museum were contributed by the subscriptions of the working classes, which was unusual in the establishment of such institutions. In a Prefatory Note to A List of Subscribers to the Building Fund (1924), the first librarian, John Ballinger , estimates that there were almost 110,000 contributors. The Library and Museum were established by Royal Charter on 19 March 1907. The Charter stipulated that if
8268-483: The medieval to contemporary periods. Many of the earlier archives are those of the landed gentry and their estates, which developed over many centuries, but these are supplemented by corporate archives including the Church of Wales archive and the archive of the Court of Great Sessions that the Library has received. The Library collects corporate archives, which are the records of institutions, societies and public bodies, and
8374-675: The most important collection of manuscripts in the National Library of Wales. In 2010, it was included in the UK Memory of the World Register of documentary heritage. Of the 561 volumes of manuscripts in the Peniarth collection, some four-fifths were collected by Robert Vaughan (c. 1592–1667) for his library in Hengwrt, Meirioneth. Three of the Four Ancient Books of Wales are part of the Peniarth collection, and this
8480-464: The named collections of printed books include early or otherwise rare books: The Sir John Williams Collection forms the nucleus of the Library's printed books collection. The collection of approximately 23,360 volumes contains many items of importance to the history of Welsh printing, which were donated to the Library when it was established in 1907. Nineteen of the first twenty-two books published in Welsh are present, of which fourteen were acquired from
8586-528: The night to ensure that the air conditioning was functioning properly. Scholderer, an expert on incunabula , produced A Handlist of Incunabula in the National Library of Wales in gratitude to the hospitality that was afforded to them by the Library. Likewise, Arthur E. Popham , Keeper of Prints and Drawings, dedicated The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci "To the Librarian and staff of the National Library of Wales". Several other institutions donated funds to
8692-495: The nineteenth century. The earliest volume with a fore-edge painting owned by the Library is the 1669 Book of Common Prayer with a depiction of the Crucifixion. The National Library's collection of works ascribed to Euclid contains more than 300 volumes, representing 270 editions, and is considered to be an important reference point for Euclidean bibliographical studies. The collection has been developed through additions to
8798-547: The period. These manuscripts include a Welsh translation of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia from the 13th century, the Gutun Owain Manuscript and the Red Book of Talgarth. The Cwrtmawr Manuscripts are one of the significant manuscript collections that were transferred to the National Library of Wales in the early years of its existence. They are from the personal collection of John Humphreys Davies , who
8904-413: The personal archives of individuals who have played a significant role in the life of the nation. Personal archives contain a variety of material that is related to the life and work of notable individuals and families. For example, the papers of Celtic scholar Sir Idris Foster include correspondence, personal papers, scholarly and academic notes, and papers relating to organisations and societies, such as
9010-873: The productions by the Doves Press , Ashendene Press and the Roxburghe Club . Works from foreign presses have been collected and include many publications of the Grolier Club , the Bremer Presse edition of Luther's Bible (1926–1928) and Eclogues of Virgil (1927) from the Cranach Press The National Library has many examples of books with fine bindings in its holdings. These include under-painted vellum, Victorian carved wood and papier-mâché bindings, French art nouveau bookbinding and bindings by Bernard C. Middleton and
9116-726: The purposes of education and literary and scientific research. As a legal deposit library , the National Library is entitled to request a copy of every work published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This has allowed the Library to collect modern Welsh, Irish and Gaelic language books for its Celtic collection. The acquisition of material through legal deposit has been supplemented by purchases, international exchanges, donations and bequests. The Celtic collection includes works in all six Celtic languages. A representative collection of Scottish Gaelic books has been assembled, primarily through purchase of earlier publications, guided by
9222-413: The sixteenth century, and another 260 items which date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The National Library has a collection of about 250 incunabula , which are predominantly German, Italian and French imprints. Sixty-six of the incunabula, including seven different editions of the Roman de la Rose, with the accepted first edition among them, are part of Francis William Bourdillon's collection that
9328-492: The standard bibliographies, and, for books published after 1911, by legal deposit. Irish literature, which is far more extensive, has been collected through a similar combination of purchase and deposit. However, many collections purchased by or donated to the Library have contained rare Irish books. The Library of Dr E. C. Quiggin , which was received in 1921, contained a large Irish collection and many early Breton books. Further Breton books have been purchased or were acquired in
9434-502: The stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics, with Wilson having played a significant role in its creation. The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in
9540-590: The text breaks before the right margin, simple illustrated linear termini are provided. The poetry recorded in the book, which has only 38 pages, would previously have been kept alive through oral tradition . The best-known poem contained within its pages is Y Gododdin , an early Welsh-language poem commemorating the warriors from Gododdin ( Lothian in modern Scotland ) who fell at the Battle of Catraeth (probably Catterick in North Yorkshire ) around
9646-576: The town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay , and comprises most of the university buildings, Arts Centre, Students' Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales , one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed at Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales . The CADW listing states, "The landscaping of
9752-568: The university came under criticism for its record on sustainability , ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table. In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145. In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award". Following the university's initiatives to address sustainability, it received an EcoCampus Silver Phase award in October 2014. In October 2015,
9858-488: The university celebrated its 150th anniversary, being established in 1872 (known at the time as The University College of Wales). The university's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre and Music Centre are organised in three faculties: The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from
9964-520: The university in August 1989 and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management. The Department of International Politics is the oldest of its kind in the world. It was founded, shortly after the First World War in 1919, with
10070-510: The university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the privy council , under the royal charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans KC. In 2011, the university appointed a new vice chancellor under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes. In 2022,
10176-571: The university's Penglais Campus became the first university campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award. The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space. In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. The university president, Sir Emyr Jones Parry , said in
10282-491: The whole site." The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr , overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies
10388-492: The year 600. Parts of this do appear to be contemporary with Aneirin, who, it is claimed, was a survivor of the battle. Military activities are described in great detail in the poem. The other poetry, with no connection to this battle, includes, amongst others, " Peis Dinogat ", a short poem for a child named Dinogad, in the form of a lullaby , describing how his father goes hunting and fishing. The literary scholar, Sir Ifor Williams , suggested that its incongruous presence within
10494-525: Was bought by Cardiff Free Library and thus passed to the National Library of Wales , where it has been restored and rebound. National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( Welsh : Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru ), in Aberystwyth , is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies . It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and
10600-648: Was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The college grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians. The independent college merged with
10706-698: Was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College , but later moved to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885. Before the First World War, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany . Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory , later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics . In 1931,
10812-664: Was officially opened in March 1982. In 1996, the Third Library Building was opened, doubling the storage capacity of the Library. The second phase of the building was built by T. Alun Evans (Aberystwyth) Ltd. A fire on 26 April 2013 destroyed a section of roofing in an office area of the building. Restoration was assisted by a government grant of £625,000. During the Second World War , many of Britain's most valuable artworks and manuscripts were stored in
10918-406: Was purchased by the Library in 1922. At least three of the incunabula acquired from Bourdillon's library are not known in any other copy: a Quatre fils Aymon , a Destruction de Jerusalem , and a Vie de Ste. Catherine . Sir Charles Thomas-Stanford presented or bequeathed eighteen incunabula in total, half of which were printed in Germany. Three examples of early English printing were donated to
11024-913: Was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS). Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015). Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government. The university has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research. In 2007,
11130-700: Was the Principal of University College, Aberystwyth. Davies was a barrister and a keen book collector who acquired the manuscripts gradually from a number of sources. The largest group of manuscripts are those acquired from John Jones ('Myrddin Fardd') , but there are several other substantial groups including those from a Welsh clerical family, the Richards of Darowen, Peter Bailey Williams and his brother Rev. St George Armstrong Williams, William John Roberts ('Gwilym Cowlyd'), and Daniel Silvan Evans . In addition to
11236-625: Was £130.8 million of which £22.2 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £127.8 million. In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the principality of Wales . One of these, Thomas Nicholas , whose book, Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863), is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen". Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for
#956043