Jasper Gryffyth d.1614

Jasper GRYFFYTH or GRIFFITH or GRYFFITH d.1614

Biographical Note

Born at Guilsfield, Montgomeryshire, son of Hugh Gryffyth. Described in a 1586 pedigree as being a Bachelor of Arts, but there is no traceable record of his University attendance. Ordained priest, 1592; Rector of Longston, Montgomeryshire 1595-1601, of Hinckley, Leicestershire 1600-14, of Llansannan, Montgomeryshire 1605-15. Warden of Ruthin Hospital, Denbighshire 1599-1611. A number of his preferments came from the patronage of Gabriel Goodman, Dean of Westminster, and a native of Ruthin; his connections with Goodman seem likely to have helped him foster connections with many of the London-based antiquaries of the time.

Books

Gryffyth assembled an appreciable library of manuscripts and printed books which was valued at his death at £60. He acquired a number of medieval Welsh manuscripts, whose contents included poetry, law and history, as well as theological and scientific manuscripts from Welsh and English monasteries. In 1613 he wrote to Sir Robert Cotton listing 40 manuscripts which he then owned, offering to loan them to Cotton in exchange for the loan of Cotton’s Nennius manuscript. The collection was bequeathed to his son Bartholomew but seems to have been dispersed shortly after his death; some manuscripts were acquired by Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt in the mid 17th century, while some passed sooner into the hands of Cotton, Laud and others. 25 manuscripts and 4 printed books from his collection are known today. Examples: National Library of Wales ms Peniarth 1, b.78.B2(1F); National Library of Scotland ms 6122, H.26.d.19; British Library ms Harl.4353.

Characteristic Markings

Characteristic markings: Gryffyth was a copious annotator of his books and typically inscribed his name on titlepages, sometimes with a date of acquisition and a Hebrew motto. Many of the manuscripts from his collection retain their medieval bindings.

Sources

• Ovenden, Richard. "Gryffyth, Jaspar (d. 1614), antiquary and Church of England clergyman." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Ovenden, Richard. Jaspar Gryffyth and his books, British Library Journal 20 (1994), 107-34.