Lauran
Toorians s. xx–xxi
2022
Jenkin Thomas Philipps (d. 1755) is not a particularly well-known Welshman. He is remembered as 'a highly accomplished linguist' and as a private tutor, by 1726, to the children of George II, including William Augustus, duke of Cumberland (1721–65) and Mary (1723–72). On 13 November 1732 he was appointed historiographer royal, a position he retained until his death in London on 22 February 1755. His date of birth is given as 1675 in a library catalogue in Basel, but the source for this information is unclear. In his will he left £60 a year towards the maintenance of a free school in his native parish Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, but he died without signing the will.
The post of historiographer royal was a sinecure given either to keep the candidate quiet or to supplement an otherwise insufficient stipend. The latter was likely the case when Philipps was appointed 'historiographer to his Majesty' four days after the death of his predecessor, Robert Stephens. It secured him an income of ?200 per annum. In addition to his teaching activities and this appointment, Philipps managed to author and edit a considerable number of works in various languages, but he is not known as an author in Welsh. So it is a surprise to find a poem by him in what must have been his first language. The search to give some context to this poem reveals a few hitherto unknown facts about his life and adds to the list of his known publications.
Jenkin Thomas Philipps (d. 1755) is not a particularly well-known Welshman. He is remembered as 'a highly accomplished linguist' and as a private tutor, by 1726, to the children of George II, including William Augustus, duke of Cumberland (1721–65) and Mary (1723–72). On 13 November 1732 he was appointed historiographer royal, a position he retained until his death in London on 22 February 1755. His date of birth is given as 1675 in a library catalogue in Basel, but the source for this information is unclear. In his will he left £60 a year towards the maintenance of a free school in his native parish Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, but he died without signing the will.
The post of historiographer royal was a sinecure given either to keep the candidate quiet or to supplement an otherwise insufficient stipend. The latter was likely the case when Philipps was appointed 'historiographer to his Majesty' four days after the death of his predecessor, Robert Stephens. It secured him an income of ?200 per annum. In addition to his teaching activities and this appointment, Philipps managed to author and edit a considerable number of works in various languages, but he is not known as an author in Welsh. So it is a surprise to find a poem by him in what must have been his first language. The search to give some context to this poem reveals a few hitherto unknown facts about his life and adds to the list of his known publications.
2021
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2014
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2012
2011-2014
During the years 1987-1991 I have been working in the department of Comparative Linguistics at Leiden University. My assignment was to write a grammar of Middle Cornish (which was to be my PhD-thesis) and in the mean time I was teaching courses in Middle Welsh, Middle Breton and Middle Cornish. Unfortunately, time and money ran out before the grammar was finished and even though I continued the work during the following two years, the grammar – and so the thesis – remained unfinished.
[...] On various occasions it has been suggested to me to hand in the work as it stands and to get my doctorate, but two reasons withheld me: 1. The idea that I had done only half the job; and 2. The notion that a published, incomplete grammar would not easily be taken up by others to be completed. Having a website of my own allows me to find at least a partial solution to this latter problem. By publishing my material on this site it becomes available to all interested. Thus the material was first published on the internet in February 2011. When I moved the website to another url this seemed like a good moment to correct some remaining typing errors as well as to slightly brush up the general presentation and so the version found here is designated ‘Version 1.1 – April 2014’.
During the years 1987-1991 I have been working in the department of Comparative Linguistics at Leiden University. My assignment was to write a grammar of Middle Cornish (which was to be my PhD-thesis) and in the mean time I was teaching courses in Middle Welsh, Middle Breton and Middle Cornish. Unfortunately, time and money ran out before the grammar was finished and even though I continued the work during the following two years, the grammar – and so the thesis – remained unfinished.
[...] On various occasions it has been suggested to me to hand in the work as it stands and to get my doctorate, but two reasons withheld me: 1. The idea that I had done only half the job; and 2. The notion that a published, incomplete grammar would not easily be taken up by others to be completed. Having a website of my own allows me to find at least a partial solution to this latter problem. By publishing my material on this site it becomes available to all interested. Thus the material was first published on the internet in February 2011. When I moved the website to another url this seemed like a good moment to correct some remaining typing errors as well as to slightly brush up the general presentation and so the version found here is designated ‘Version 1.1 – April 2014’.
2011
[EN] Several French toponyms seem to preserve the Gaulish word for «hazel » , * koslo-, such as Coulon (Yonne, former Coslumnus), Coolus (Marne, Coslus, 869), et Coole (Marne, Cosla, 983). Curiously they have kept the -sl-group. The author’s proposal is to add two compound place names, Coudun (Oise, Cusdum 1157, Cosdunum 756) and Colembert (Pas-de-Calais, Colesberc 1121, Coslesberc 1172), compounded with the elements Gaul. dūnum, and Germ. Berg. The meaning was probably «a hill covered with hazel » . The author has identified a parallel to Coudun * Coslo-dūnum, in the toponym Heusden, known by three examples, in the Belgian Limburg (Husdinio 929), in the Dutch North Brabant (Hysdene 1108), and near Ghent. He is considering a link with a toponym from Northern France, Houdain, Houdent, Houdeng. For Heusden as well as for Coudun, one has to suppose a simplification of the consonantal group -sld-> -sd-.
[EN] Several French toponyms seem to preserve the Gaulish word for «hazel » , * koslo-, such as Coulon (Yonne, former Coslumnus), Coolus (Marne, Coslus, 869), et Coole (Marne, Cosla, 983). Curiously they have kept the -sl-group. The author’s proposal is to add two compound place names, Coudun (Oise, Cusdum 1157, Cosdunum 756) and Colembert (Pas-de-Calais, Colesberc 1121, Coslesberc 1172), compounded with the elements Gaul. dūnum, and Germ. Berg. The meaning was probably «a hill covered with hazel » . The author has identified a parallel to Coudun * Coslo-dūnum, in the toponym Heusden, known by three examples, in the Belgian Limburg (Husdinio 929), in the Dutch North Brabant (Hysdene 1108), and near Ghent. He is considering a link with a toponym from Northern France, Houdain, Houdent, Houdeng. For Heusden as well as for Coudun, one has to suppose a simplification of the consonantal group -sld-> -sd-.
