Earlier this year, a number of Fellows organised a Johnian Society visit to north Wales.

The pilgrimage arose from a discussion about absence. The College’s History of 2011 makes no reference to one of the foremost Welshmen of the Tudor period, Bishop William Morgan (c1545 – 1604), translator of the Bible into Welsh in 1588, who graduated B.A. in 1568, M.A. in 1571, B.D. in 1578 and D.D. in 1583.

Morgan has achieved hero status in Wales for this work, as the one man who, more than anyone, laid the foundations for the language’s survival and its relevance to his own and to future generations. There are many who believe that without this translation, there would be no Welsh language today. The St John’s College Chapel has a plaque in his memory.

The pilgrimage spanned the centuries, from a youthful St John’s College to the young university Colleges of Wales, both places where, crucially, local benefactors enabled the poor and needy to acquire a university education. We wonder if there are messages here for those who might help today’s Morgans and Williamses?

Read more here: St John’s College – A Pilgrimage