Rowland Williams was one of the leading liberal theologians and biblical scholars of the nineteenth century. His view that the claims of scientific theory and contemporary biblical higher criticism could no longer be ignored and that theological studies should follow the path of rational enquiry evoked strong antagonism and bitter criticism, culminating in a charge of heterodoxy against him before the Canterbury court of arches in 1861. The unfavorable judgment passed on Williams and its later reversal both caused great agitation, and Williams--together with Essays and Reviews, where a provocative article by Williams had appeared in 1860--became symbols not simply of theological controversy in the Church of England but of freedom of inquiry in religious matters. As a scholar with wide-ranging interests, Williams built up a comprehensive personal library, which became one of the foundation collections of the Swansea Public Library after his death in 1870.

Williams was born at...