GUEST TIMELINE
1812 Charlotte Bertie b. Lincolnshire. (d. 1895 aged 82)
c. 1815-17 John Jones (‘Tegid’) transcribes Llyfr Coch for ‘Serjt.-Bosanquet’, afterwards Sir John Bernard Bosanquet (NLW Archive/ Guest estimates 1818.) Tegid was 23 -25, at Oxf. (See her Preface p. vii)
1815 John Josiah Guest 30, gains controlling interest of Dowlais Iron Company his father formed.
1817 Robert Southey’s Morte d’ Arthur by Malory, based on the Caxton publ. 1485, 2 deluxe vols.
1832 John Josiah Guest MP Merthyr Tydfil.
1833: 29 July Charlotte Bertie 21 married John Josiah Guest 38, ironmaster of Dowlais, MP.
1833: 16 Aug Guest arrives at Dowlais. She feels ‘at home’ sees beauty in the ironworks. 24 Aug she began learning Welsh, tutor Evan Jenkins, local rector. She doubted she would have time! Met Augusta Hall of Llanover, 10 yrs her senior, with whom she shared an aunt.
1833: 2 Nov. Cymdeithas Cymreigyddion y Fenni, Abergavenny Welsh Society founded. The Guests were founder members with Augusta Hall (aka Lady Llanover).
1834: 3 July. Guest’s 1st child, her dau. Charlotte Marie born. Met Taliesin Williams son of Iolo Morgannwg.
1835: 4 June William Owen Pughe died in Merioneth aged 76. (b. 1759)
1835: Oct. Elijah Waring English Wesleyan, b. 1790, recently arr. Cardiff from Neath, visits Guest. Admirer of Iolo. In Nov. 2nd visit, discussed ‘Welsh legends’ Guest considered making a collection: her first recorded interest. (Guest and John, 2007: 102-3)
1835 Taliesin Williams, Iolo’s son, sat with Guest at Merthyr election dinner, discuss next few years.
1835: 29 Aug. Guest’s 2nd child, her son Ivor Bertie born. (Revel Guest, her biographer, his descendant.)
1837: 29 Jan. Guest’s 3rd child, her dau. Katherine Gwladys born.
1837 Guest’s mother died.
1837 Welsh Manuscript Society founded, to save and publish old MSS.
1837 Guest notes to ask Taliesin Williams access Iolo’s materials.
1837: Nov. 30. Guest first records her definite Mabinogion plan; noting rec’d Bosanquet copy of Llyfr Coch via Tegid. Dec. 8. She notes Welsh MS. Society wish to take over the project. Agreed plan for Tegid to make fair copy tidying up the orthography (spelling and layout).
1838 New Year’s day Trans. of ‘Mabinogion’ began. She was 26.
1838: 18 Jan. Guest’s fourth child, her son Thomas Merthyr born.
1838 The People’s Charter published. Guest mentions Chartists late in the year.
1838 Guest, Charlotte. 1838. The Mabinogion; from the Llyfr Coch O Llergest and Other Ancient Welsh Manuscripts; with an English Translation and Notes. Tonn Press, Llandovery, Wales; and Longmans, London; simultaneously. Bilingual. (Vol I) Lady of the Fountain, or Owain. She was assisted by Tegid, Carnhuanawc, Bosanquet’s MS., and Pughe’s dictionary of 1803.
1839: 28 Feb. Guest’s 5th child Montague John born. Chartist movement becomes forceful.
1839 The Mabinogion Part II. Peredur the Son of Evrawc. (for full title see 1838)
1840: 12 Aug. Guest’s 6th child Augustus Frederick born.
1840 The Mabinogion Part III. Geraint the Son of Erbin. (for full title see 1838)
1841 Taliesin Williams, son of Iolo Morgannwg gives Guest copy of his version of the Taliesin papers.
1841: Feb. 26 Guest commenced translating Pwyll Pendevig Dyved. Mar. 23 Cont. Branwen trans. Mar. 26 Branwen, but “poorly all day.” Aug 3. “worked hard at my Kilhwch.” Aug. 14. “I worked very hard. . . I sat up late this evening, and had the pleasure of entirely finishing my Kilhwch notes before going to bed.” Oct. 4. Finished Branwen trans. Oct. 27. “Translated some of the Mahinogion of Manawyddan Mab Llyr, which I have just commenced working upon.” Nov. 5. “Finished translating the Mabinogi of Man awyddan Mob Llyr this evening.” Dec. 3. “had just finished my translation of the Mabinogi of Math ab Mathonwy when, to my surprise, dear ‘Merthyr’ returned.” (i.e. John Guest, her husband.)
1842: 18 Jan. Guest comments disparagingly on the ‘Mabinogion of Bown’ and Amlyn and Amic, both she finds dull. 19 Jan. Visit to Newport and Caerleon. 4 Feb. Part IV Mabinogion arrives. 11 Mar. Woodcut plans for Part V, to be Breuddwyd Rhonabwy, and is already in the press. 17 Mar. Rhonabwy notes, not very successful. 24 Mar. Anxious to continue Rhonabwy. 17 Aug. Guest’s 7th child Arthur Edward born. 19 Aug. Finished Rhonabwy notes. 21 Nov. “… as cheerfully as I could to my dull Mabinogion notes.” 24 Dec. “At night we had a disagreeable game of whist, after which I sat up writing Mabinogion notes till very- late.”
1842 The Mabinogion Part IV. Kilhwch and Olwen or the Twrch Trwyth. (for full title see 1838)
1842 Theodore Villemarque, Romans de la Table Ronde des Anciens Bretons. Much French trans. of Guest’s Tales. Claimed co-authorship with Guest of her work; he had provided her a transcript of the Yvain of Chretien de Troyes.
1843: 11 July Guest’s 8th child Mary Enid Evelyn born.
1843 The Mabinogion Part V. The Dream Of Rhonabwy. The Tale of Pwyll, Prince of Dyved. (for full title see 1838)
1844: Feb. 3 Guest notes Pwyll as finished. Her child Constance Rhiannon born.
1844 The Mabinogion Part VI, Lludd and Llefelys. The Dream of Macsen. (for full title see 1838)
1845 The Mabinogion Part VII, 1845 The Four Branches. Taliesin. (for full title see 1838)
1847 Brady Llyfrau Gleision, The Treason of the Blue Books.
1847: 16 Feb. Taliesin Williams, son of Iolo Morgannwg, died aged 59.
1847: 25 Aug. Guest’s 10th and youngest child Blanche Vere born. Guest was now 35.
1847: 25 Sept. John Bernard Bosanquet d. Provider of MS. copy to Guest. (b. 2 May 1773)
1847 Llandovery College founded by Anglican churchmen. Welsh was part of the curriculum, a major innovation.
1848 Carnhuanawc published The Iolo Manuscripts (ed. Taliesin Williams) via Welsh MS Society.
1848: 7 Nov. Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc) died.
1849 Guest, Charlotte. The Mabinogion, in 3 vols. Bilingual, illust. Vol 1: Arthurian material. The Welsh Romances Owain, Peredur, and Geraint and Enid. Vol 2: Culhwch ac Olwen and The Dream of Rhonabwy. Vol. 3. Pedair Cainc, and Taliesin.
1849 Thomas Stephens. The Literature of the Kymry: Being a critical essay .. language and literature of Wales during the twelfth and two succeeding centuries. Acknowledges sponsorship by John Guest.
1852: May 2. John Jones, Tegid, died (b. 1792).
1852: Nov. 26. Guest widowed; John Josiah Guest died (b. 1785).
1853: Feb. Charlotte Guest took over the active management of the Dowlais works. South Wales coalfields strike. Guest successfully negotiated, Dowlais was distinctive. Guest secured the business to break-even after a major slump in the industry.
1853 Llyfr Coch Hergest rebound in red leather, placed in Bodleian Library, Oxford University, where it remains today.
1855 Charlotte Guest remarried Charles Schreiber.She left the Dowlais works to her eldest son, and departed Wales for a new life. Rift with Augusta Hall (and others) as a result of the marriage mesalliance. She was 43.
1857: 17 April Guest notes meeting Tennyson, his poem Enid founded on her trans. (Davies, 161-2)
1857: June 6. Elijah Waring’s Will proved, Gentleman Clifton Bristol; Deborah & 4 dau. legacy of books.
1858 Eisteddfod at Llangollen, considered the forerunner of the National Eisteddfod.
1858 Alfred Russel Wallace of Usk jointly publ. theory of evolution with Charles Darwin.
1859 Tennyson based his ‘Geraint and Enid’ in his Idylls of the King on Guest’s trans. He considered her style was “the finest English he knew, ranking with Malory’s Morte Dy Arthur.” (Bromwich, 1987:138)
1859 Llyfr Gwyn (the Hengwrt collection) transferred to Peniarth library by new owner W. W. E. Wynne.
1860 Owen Wyn Jones records an oral survival of a Mabinogion tale by old lady. (Morgan 2006: 78)
1861 Annual National Eisteddfod of Wales established.
1867 Matthew Arnold. On the Study of Celtic Literature. (Famous quote on mediaeval storyteller, but also savage condemnation of the Welsh language p.20.)
1868 William E Skene. The four ancient books of Wales.
1870 Myvyrian Archaiologie, in one vol. ed. John Thomas.
1872 University College Aberystwyth founded.
1875 Thomas Stephens died after 5 yrs illness from stroke, Pharmacist Merthyr Tydfil, brilliant Eisteddford poet, scholar. (b. 1822) See his book 1849.
1877 New edition Guest ‘The Mabinogion’ without Welsh text and highly condensed though with her 145 pages of notes. Guest Intro. footnote refers to applying to Colonel Vaughan of Hengwrt, owner of Llyfr Gwyn, for access, but he had died. This English only text was adopted by the influential Everyman Library in 1906, and would be the dominant general ‘Mabinogion’ text until 1949.
1881 Sidney Lanier The Boy’s Mabinogion; Being the Earliest Welsh Tales of King Arthur…
1883 University College Cardiff founded.
1883 University College Bangor founded.
1884 Guest widowed for the second time, as Charles Schreiber, d. in Portugal. Charlotte 72 yrs.
1889 Joseph Loth. Les Mabinogion: Traduits en Entier pour la Première Fois en Français. Largely based on Guest but inserts the sex scenes she had omitted.
1890 Charlotte Guest Schreiber journal ends as Charlotte now blind.
1893 The three University Colleges federated as University of Wales.
1895: 15 Jan. Charlotte Guest Schreiber d. at Canford, England; aged 82 after a brief illness.
1896 Augusta Hall d. age 94 (b. 1802)