John Ballinger letter,

Letter, 16 May 1903, from John Ballinger, Central Library, Cardiff, to the Rev. T. Llechid Jones, enclosing requested publications.

Sir John Ballinger was born in Pontnewynydd, Monmouthshire and received his early education in Canton, Cardiff. At 15 he became an assistant at Cardiff Free Library and, at 20, was appointed librarian at Doncaster before returning to Cardiff in 1884 to take up the post of chief librarian. In 1908 Ballinger was appointed the first librarian of the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which was scheduled to be opened the following year. Despite being a non-Welsh speaker, Ballinger brought considerable success to his librarianship roles in Wales. He was selected as president of the Library Association in 1922 and was for a time editor of the Bibliographical Society of Wales. Amongst other honours bestowed upon him, he received an honourary Master of Arts from the University of Wales in 1909, was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1920 and knighted in 1930. In 1932 he received the Cymmrodorion Society's medal for his services to the Welsh nation in the field of bibliography and literature. He died at Hawarden in 1933.

NLW; Internal transfer (with ff. 71-72); January 2007; 004504716.

Sir John Ballinger was born in Pontnewynydd, Monmouthshire and received his early education in Canton, Cardiff. At 15 he became an assistant at Cardiff Free Library and, at 20, was appointed librarian at Doncaster before returning to Cardiff in 1884 to take up the post of chief librarian. In 1908 Ballinger was appointed the first librarian of the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which was scheduled to be opened the following year. Despite being a non-Welsh speaker, Ballinger brought considerable success to his librarianship roles in Wales. He was selected as president of the Library Association in 1922 and was for a time editor of the Bibliographical Society of Wales. Amongst other honours bestowed upon him, he received an honourary Master of Arts from the University of Wales in 1909, was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1920 and knighted in 1930. In 1932 he received the Cymmrodorion Society's medal for his services to the Welsh nation in the field of bibliography and literature. He died at Hawarden in 1933.

Title based on contents.

Preferred citation: NLW MS 23925E, f. 70.

Discovered at NLW inside a copy of Ifano Jones, A History of Printing and Printers in Wales to 1810... (Cardiff, 1925).

See also NLW MS 23925E, ff. 71-72.

Published