Historic Welsh Translation of the Bible Visits Wales for First Time
After nearly 500 years, the first full translation of the Bible into Welsh arrived in Wales for public viewing. The Bible, translated by Bishop William Morgan in 1588, has been loaned from Westminster Abbey's Library collection to St. David's Cathedral in Wales. It will be on display there until July 9.
"The copy of the Welsh Bible presented to Westminster Abbey Library by Bishop William Morgan in 1588 reminds us of the important role of learning in the life of the Church and of the rich collections of printed books and manuscripts which have been cared for and studied over the centuries in the libraries of our cathedrals and collegiate churches," Tony Trowles, head of the Abbey Collection, stated.
"It has been a great pleasure to work with colleagues at the Cathedral to facilitate the loan of this Bible so that it can be seen and appreciated in Wales for the first time," Trowles continued.
According to The Christian Post, Bishop Morgan's commission was to create a standard Welsh edition by using a compilation of past Bible translations. Morgan oversaw the printing process of the book as he stayed in London's Deanery of Westminster Abbey.
Morgan was friends with fellow Welshman dean of Westminster, Gabriel Goodman, who was also Welsh and wrote a Latin inscription to Goodman on the book's title page. The item was also recorded as a gift to the library.
Per the BBC, the only time the Welsh Bible has ever been served was at the London-based St. Benet Paul's Wharf in 1988.
According to Trowles, this marks the first time the Bible has been taken to Wales.
"It is in remarkably good condition. The plan was to print 900 copies, with the idea for every chapel and church in Wales to have a copy of the Welsh Bible," the head of the Westminster Abbey collection said in a statement shared by the BBC. "Because they were used weekly or even daily, the ones that survive in Wales are not in such good condition."
Trowles noted that the Abbey library originally chained the Bible to the bookshelves to prohibit people from taking it.
Meanwhile, The Bishop of St. Davids, the Right Rev. Dorrien Davies, considered the Bible as "a special treasure of the Welsh language, and St. Davids Cathedral is "honored" to display the first complete translation of the Welsh Bible.
"It seems fitting that its first visit to Wales should be here, to the home of our patron saint, at our spiritual heart," Rev. Dr. Sarah Rowland Jones, the dean of St. Davids, said in a statement this week.
"We look forward to having it on show before its return to the abbey, to share with Welsh Christians of all traditions, for whom Y Beibl Cyssegr-Lan of 1588 Bible is a uniquely valuable treasure in our heritage of faith and language," Jones concluded.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Yui Mok - PA Images/Contributor
Originally published June 19, 2025.
