James Pantefedwyn Foundation

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William Christofides

I am very grateful to the James Pantyfedwen Foundation for the studentship which enabled me to complete my PhD thesis in History at Cardiff University (2018-2022). Without their support the costs of doctoral studies would have been a significant financial burden.

My doctoral research explored the influence of the philosophical school of British Idealism upon the life and career of the Welsh educationalist John Viriamu Jones (1856-1901). The son of a notable Welsh nonconformist minister, Viriamu Jones went to Balliol College, Oxford, where he was educated by the English Idealist thinkers T. H. Green and Benjamin Jowett. Inspired by the teaching he received, Viriamu Jones grafted the flowering Oxford Idealist philosophy into his homeland and sought to put it into practice. Through his educational administrative work Viriamu Jones put in place the machinery and policies which acted as a bridge for the implementation of Oxford Idealism in Wales, culminating in the establishment of the University of Wales in 1893.

Undertaking this research has been an immensely gratifying experience, and it has been suggested by my supervisor that it be published as a book. Thanks to the support of the Foundation my early academic career has had the best possible start.