RIP Bobi Jones: Scholar of Welsh who taught Prince Charles

Robert Maynard Jones (20 May 1929 – 22 November 2017), generally known as Bobi Jones, was a Welsh Christian academic and one of the most prolific writers in the history of the Welsh language. 

A versatile master of poetry, fictional prose and criticism, he was born in Cardiff in 1929, educated at the University of Wales, Cardiff (now Cardiff University) and University College Dublin. Jones held the chair in Welsh language at Aberystwyth from 1980 until his retirement.

Jones was a Welsh nationalist and a strong supporter of the Welsh language. He would argue that culture and the nation are ordained of God and that therefore sustaining their existence is a form of praise to God. His ideas on nationalism and on politics in general are best put forward in his book Crist a Chenedlaetholdeb (Christ and Nationalism), published in 1994.

Photo: Bobi Jones courtesy flickr/Dogfael

Submitted by Michael Chappell

26/11/2017