LHUYD, or Lhoyd, Humphrey, a learned antiquary of the sixteenth century, born at Denbigh. He applied himself to the study of physic, and, living mostly within the walls of Denbigh Castle, practised there as a physician, and died in 1570, with the character of a well-bred gentleman. He wrote and translated several pieces relative to history and antiquities, particularly the History of Cambria, or Wales, from Caradoc of Langcarvan, which however, he did not live to finish; but Sir Henry Sidney, lord-president of Wales, employed Dr David Powel to complete it, and by him it was published in 1584. A new and improved edition of this work was published in 1774.

Lhuyd, Edward, keeper of the museum at Oxford, was a native of South Wales, and the son of Mr Charles Lhuyd of Lhanvorde. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, where he was created master of arts in July 1701, He was bred under Dr Plot, whom he succeeded as keeper of the Ashmolean Museum, and had the use of all Vaughan’s collection. With incessant labour and great exactness he employed a considerable part of his life in searching into the Welsh antiquities, and perused or collected a great deal of ancient and valuable matter from their manuscripts; transcribed all the old charters of the monasteries that he could meet with; travelled several times over Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland, and Armorica (Bretagne), countries inhabited by the same people; compared their antiquities, and made observations on the whole. But he died in July 1709, before he had digested them into the form of a treatise, as he intended, on the ancient inhabitants of this island. The untimely death of this excellent antiquary prevented the completion of many admirable designs. For want of proper encouragement, he .did very little towards illustrating the British bards, having seen but one of those of the sixth century, and not being able to procure access to two of the principal libraries in the country. He communicated many observations to Bishop Gibson, whose edition of the 13ritannia he revised; and he published Archoeologia Britannica, giving some further account of the language, history, and customs of the original inhabitants of Great Britain, from collections and observations made in travels through Wales, Cornwall, Bretagne, Ireland, and Scotland. He left in manuscript a Scottish or Irish-English Dictionary, proposed to be published in 1732 by subscription, by Mr David Malcolm, a minister of the church of Scotland, with additions; as also the Elements of the same Language, with necessary and useful information, for propagating more effectually the English language, and for promoting the knowledge of the ancient Scottish or Irish, besides many branches of useful and curious learning. Lhuyd, at the end of his preface to the Archoeologia, promises an historical dictionary of British persons and places mentioned in ancient records; and it seems to have been ready for press, though he could not fix the time of publication. His collections for a second volume, which was to give an account of the antiquities, monuments, and remains, in the principality of Wales, were numerous and well chosen; but, on account of a quarrel between him and Dr Wynne, then fellow, and afterwards principal, of the college, and bishop of St Asaph, he refused to buy them, and they were purchased by Sir Thomas Sebright of Beachwood, in Hertfordshire. They consist of about forty volumes in folio, ten in quarto, and above a hundred of smaller size, all relating to Irish or Welsh antiquities, and chiefly in those languages. Carte made extracts from them about 1736; but these were chiefly historical. Sir John Sebright gave to Mr Pennant twenty-three of Lhuyd’s manuscripts, in Latin and English. Many of his letters to Lister, and other learned contemporaries, were presented by Dr Fothergill to the University of Oxford, and are now in the Ashmolean Museum. Lhuyd undertook [7:13:269]more for illustrating the Celtic part of the kingdom than any man besides ever attempted.