Old smugglers tale revealed (From Western Telegraph)

Old smugglers tale revealed

VIRTUAL VISITORS to the National Library of Wales website can now read the amazing story of smuggler William Owen from Nevern.

Owen was hanged for murder in Carmarthen in 1747, aged 30, after spending 15 years smuggling in the Caribbean, Ireland, the Isle of Man, England and Wales.

The story of William Owen is included in one of the many valuable and previously little-seen collections held in the National Library.

It is one of the few manuscripts recording the life of a Welsh criminal and it was either written or dictated by Owen himself as he awaited his execution.

Other interesting items include charts of the Welsh coastline by Lewis Morris and his son, William Morris, dating from the 18th century.

The Principality of Wales was published by Thomas Taylor in 1718 - the first published atlas relating entirely to Wales.

There is also a chance to see The Laws of Hywel Dda - a Latin version of the native Welsh law which is set apart from all other Welsh lawbooks by the series of illustrations in the text.

There are also digital versions of such priceless objects as The Black Book of Carmarthen, which includes the earliest Welsh poetry.

People can now learn more about the Librarys collection from the comfort of their own home or office - wherever in the world that may be, said Andrew Green, Librarian of the National Library in Aberystwyth. In the past the Library would only have been able to allow a manuscript such as the Laws of Hywel Dda to be seen by academics.

However, with the new technology the Library has invested in, not only can any person of whatever background view the manuscript, but thousands can do so simultaneously, something which was impossible until this week.

With regular hits of over 300,000 per month, the Librarys website is already one of Wales most popular on-line locations.

To visit the site: click on www.llgc.org.uk/drych/drych_s004.htm