Christopher Mark Williams FLSW FRHS (9 March 1963 – 4 April 2024) was a Welsh academic, best known for his work on editing the diaries of Richard Burton.[1] Williams was Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, and Professor of History at University College Cork, Ireland, from 2017 to 2024.[2]
Chris Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 March 1963 Griffithstown, Monmouthshire, Wales |
| Died | 4 April 2024 (aged 61) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | |
Career
editWilliams was a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, and obtained his doctorate from Cardiff University before becoming a lecturer there.[3] He subsequently worked at the University of Glamorgan and in 2005 became Professor of Welsh History and Director of the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities at Swansea University.[4] He was a Royal Commissioner with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and was Chairman of the Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative.[5] In 2013 he took up his appointment at Cardiff University. Williams was appointed Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences in 2017 at UCC.[2]
In 2016, Williams was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.[6]
Research
editWilliams' edition of the Burton diaries was published by Yale University Press.[7] The diaries were donated to Swansea University by Burton's widow, Sally Burton, in 2006.[8][9] He wrote extensively on the history of the South Wales Coalfield and on modern Welsh history and most recently on the history of political cartoons and caricature in Britain from the 18th century to the Second World War.[10]
Personal life
editWilliams was born in Griffithstown, Monmouthshire, Wales on 9 March 1963, to Peter and Josephine Williams.[11] He spent the first three years of his life in Newport, but his family later moved to Swindon, where he did his O-Levels and A-Levels, spending a year in the army before going to the University of Oxford.[4]
He lectured on mountaineering around the world and in Wales. A keen walker, he climbed La Breche De Rolland in the French Pyrenees, Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Pen-y-Fan.
Williams died from a heart attack on 4 April 2024, at the age of 61.[12][13][11][14]
Works
edit- B. L. Coombes (Writers of Wales series) (with William D. Jones; 1999)
- With Dust Still in His Throat: A B.L.Coombes Anthology (with Bill Jones; 1999)
- Postcolonial Wales (ed, with Jane Aaron; 2005)
- Robert Owen and his Legacy (ed., with Noel Thompson; 2011)
- The Richard Burton Diaries (ed; 2012)
- The Gwent County History, vol. 4 (ed, with Sian Rhiannon Williams; 2011)
- The Gwent County History, vol. 5 (ed, with Andy Croll; 2013)
References
edit- ^ "The Richard Burton Diaries ed by Chris Williams: review", The Telegraph, 28 October 2012. Accessed 10 November 2013
- ^ a b "Two major appointments for UCC", UCC News Archive, 2017 Press Releases, 11 April 2017. Accessed 9 December 2020
- ^ Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. Accessed 10 November 2013
- ^ a b "Remembering Professor Chris Williams, Head of UCC College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences". University College Cork. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ 2012 Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative. Accessed 10 November 2013
- ^ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Chris Williams". The Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Yale University Press. Accessed 10 November 2013
- ^ Swansea University School of Arts & Humanities Archived 2013-11-10 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 10 November 2013
- ^ "The truth behind the great Richard Burton myth?", Wales Online, 13 Oct 2010. Accessed 10 November 2013
- ^ UCC Research Profile: Chris Williams. Accessed 9 December 2020
- ^ a b "Chris Williams, Welsh historian best-known for editing Richard Burton's bestselling Diaries – obituary". The Telegraph. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Yr Athro Chris Williams wedi marw'n 61 oed". Golwg360 (in Welsh). 5 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Dai Smith (15 April 2024). "Professor Chris Williams FLSW, 1963–2024". Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Morris, Jeremy (15 May 2024). "Chris Williams obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2024.