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Protestants believed that it was important to have the Bible translated from Latin into language the people could understand. By understanding what was being read to them in church, the people could feel closer to God.

The Catholic Church was against this because it thought it was the priest’s role to lead the people in prayer through the ceremony of Mass.

In Wales, the English Bible was not popular as the majority of Welsh people spoke only Welsh. This worried Elizabeth because she realised Welsh people might not accept her new Church, which could provoke rebellion.

Richard Davies and William Salesbury

In 1563, Parliament passed an Act for the Translation of the Scriptures into Welsh. Two Welsh scholars, Richard Davies (Bishop of St David’s) and William Salesbury, were responsible for initiating and ensuring the process of translation took place.

Davies was responsible for persuading Parliament to pass the 1563 Act, whilst the actual work of translation fell to Salesbury. Educated at Oxford and forced into hiding during the reign of Mary, Salesbury was helped by Davies and Thomas Huet, Dean of St David’s.

They set about translating the New Testament from Greek into Welsh and then translated the Book of Common Prayer. Both were published in 1567 meaning that religion was now available in Welsh for the first time.

Bishop William Morgan

During the 1570s, a young cleric, William Morgan, began work on translating the Old Testament from Hebrew into Welsh. Most of his work was undertaken whilst he was vicar of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and took almost 20 years.

Elizabeth ordered that the Welsh Bible be placed in every church in Wales so that all who speak Welsh can read and understand. All church services and prayers in Wales were to be in Welsh.

The impact of the translation on Wales and the Welsh language

Salesbury’s translation, whilst important, had been relatively difficult to read. Morgan however, wrote in a more accessible style which was closer to spoken Welsh.

This made his translation extremely important to the Welsh people and to Elizabeth. It helped Elizabeth as many Welsh people now became loyal Protestant subjects of the Queen. Of even greater importance was the translation’s cultural significance.

The translation of the Bible gave great prominence to the Welsh language, to the extent that it served to preserve the Welsh language, culture and tradition. Welsh congregations could understand what was being read to them and this served to reinforce their religious devotion. In all, the translation:

• saved the Welsh language from decline
• enabled Welsh congregations to understand the Scriptures
• secured the Protestant Reformation in Wales and ensured the Welsh were loyal to Elizabeth
• encouraged the development of Welsh literature