Salesbury, William

views updated

Salesbury, William (c.1520–c.1584). Welsh scholar. Born in Denbighshire and educated at Oxford, Salesbury studied law. He converted to protestantism and began writing in the Welsh language. His collection of Welsh proverbs, published in 1546, is said to have been the first book printed in Welsh. Salesbury followed it with a Welsh–English dictionary in 1547. In 1563 he was commissioned to translate the Bible and Book of Common Prayer into Welsh, within four years. By 1567 only the New Testament was ready. Salesbury did not complete his translation of the Old Testament and his New Testament was replaced by a revised version, issued by William Morgan in 1588.

J. A. Cannon