1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Rhys, Sir John

RHYS, SIR JOHN (1840-1915), British archaeologist and Celtic scholar, was born in Cardiganshire, the son of a yeoman farmer, and educated at the Bangor Normal College and Jesus College, Oxford. In 1877 he was elected professor of Celtic at Oxford, the first occupant of the newly created chair, and he held that post till his death. In 1895 he became principal of Jesus College. He was Hibbert lecturer in 1886, Rhind lecturer in archaeology at Edinburgh in 1899 and president of the anthropological section of the British Association in 1900. He also served on several royal commissions and was knighted in 1907. He died at Oxford Dec. 16 1915. His published works include Lectures on Welsh Philology (1877); Celtic Britain (1882, last ed. 1904); Celtic Heathendom (1886); Studies in the Arthurian Legend (1891); Celtic Folk-lore (1901); as well as editions of Welsh texts (with J. G. Evans); The Welsh People (with D. B. Jones, 1900), and numerous other papers and studies of Celtic inscriptions and literature. For his work on the Arthurian legend see 12.300, 321, 669.