Richard Davies (bishop)
{{Short description|Welsh bishop and scholar (d. 1581)}}
{{Other people|Richard Davies}}
File:Richard Davies Esgob Llanelwy a Thyddewi Bishp of St Davids, Wales (d. 1581) 02.jpg
Richard Davies (c. 1505{{snd}}7 November 1581) was a Welsh bishop and scholar.
Life
He was born in north Wales, and was educated at New Inn Hall, Oxford, becoming rector of Maids Moreton in Buckinghamshire in 1549, and then vicar of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, in 1550;[https://biography.wales/article/s-DAVI-RIC-1501 Dictionary of Welsh Biography, Davies, Richard (1501? - 1581), bishop and biblical translator, article by Sir Glanmor Williams] he was married to Dorothy Woodforde.
Being a reformer he took refuge at Geneva during the reign of Mary, returning to England and to parochial work after the accession of Elizabeth in 1558. His connection with Wales was renewed almost at once; for, after serving on a commission which visited the Welsh dioceses, he was, in January 1560, consecrated bishop of St Asaph. He was translated, early in 1561, to the bishopric of St David's. As a bishop, Davies was an earnest reformer, very industrious, active and liberal, but not very scrupulous with regard to the property of the church.{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Davies, Richard |volume=7 |page=865}}
He was a member of the Council of Wales and the Marches, was very friendly with Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury, and was regarded both by Parker and by William Cecil, Lord Burghley, as a trustworthy adviser on Welsh concerns. Famous for his oratory abilities, he was renowned for having an embarrassing speech impediment which earned him the affectionate nickname of Biffe. The nickname Biffe derived from the ancient Celtic word for fool from which we now take the word buffoon.{{Citation needed|date=September 2015}} Another of the bishops friends was Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex.
Assisting William Salesbury, Davies took part in translating the New Testament into Welsh; as well as helping to revise the Bishops' Bible of 1568, being himself responsible for the book of Deuteronomy, and the second book of Samuel. He also did some work on the Welsh translation of the Book of Common Prayer. He died in November 1581, and was buried in Abergwili church.
References
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{{succession box | title=Bishop of St Asaph | before=Thomas Goldwell | after=Thomas Davies | years=1560–1561}}
{{succession box | title=Bishop of St David's | before=Thomas Young | after=Marmaduke Middleton | years=1561–1581}}
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{{EB1911 article with no significant updates}}
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Category:16th-century Welsh Anglican bishops
Category:Alumni of New Inn Hall, Oxford
Category:16th-century Welsh writers
Category:16th-century Welsh male writers
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