{{Short description|British writer and historian (1804–1839)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Rice Rees''' (31 March 1804 – 20 May 1839) was a Welsh cleric and historian.
==Life== Rees was born at Ton, near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales, son of David- of a distinguished Llandovery family-<ref>{{Cite DWB|id=s-REES-TON-1771|title=REES of Ton (and other places near Llandovery), a family of which at least three members were people of some distinction|access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref> and Sarah Rees, and christened in the local Independent chapel. From 1819, he was educated for a short time at Lampeter grammar school, under Eliezer Williams, before being educated at home and by his uncle, William Jenkins Rees. He matriculated at Jesus College, Oxford in 1822. He was appointed to a college scholarship in 1825 and graduated with a B.A. degree in 1826 and a M.A. degree in 1828.<ref name="WBO"/><ref name="Oxford"/> His tutor was Llewelyn Lewellin, who in 1827 was appointed as the first Principal of St David's College, Lampeter (which later became the University of Wales, Lampeter). Rees was appointed as lecturer in Welsh and librarian at St David's College.<ref name="WBO">{{cite DWB|id=s-REES-RIC-1804|title=REES, RICE (1804–1839), cleric and scholar|last=Jones|first=Selwyn|access-date=26 April 2008}}</ref> He was elected to a Fellowship of Jesus College in 1828, retaining this position until his death.<ref name="WBO"/><ref>E. G. Hardy's 1899 history of the college gives the date of his election as 1830, not 1828.</ref> He was ordained deacon in 1827 and priest in 1828, becoming rector of Llanddewi Velfrey, Pembrokeshire in 1832, obtaining a B.D. degree in 1837 and being appointed chaplain to the Bishop of St Davids, John Jenkinson, in 1838.<ref name="WBO"/>
His book, ''The Welsh Saints'', was described by the historian Sir J. E. Lloyd as "full and luminous".<ref name="Oxford">{{cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23287|title=Rees, Rice (1804–1839)|last=Lloyd|first=John Edward|authorlink=John Edward Lloyd|year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/23287 |accessdate=2008-04-26}}</ref> It was based on a prize-winning essay Rees wrote for the 1835 Carmarthen eisteddfod and was thereafter expanded, and published by his brother, William Rees, in 1836. He was also a member of the committee appointed to revise the Welsh Book of Common Prayer. He died suddenly, apparently from overwork, at Newbridge-on-Wye on 20 May 1839 when travelling from Cascob to Lampeter, and was buried at Llandingad. His unfinished work on the ''Liber Landavensis'', a Welsh 12th century chronicle of the history of the Diocese of Llandaff, was completed by his uncle.<ref name="WBO"/><ref name="Oxford"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == *{{Cite journal |last=Rees |first=Rice |author-link=Rice Rees |year=1836 |contribution= |title=An Essay on the Welsh Saints |publisher=Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, Rees |publication-date=1836 |publication-place=London |pages= |url=https://archive.org/details/anessayonwelshs00reesgoog }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Rice}} Category:1804 births Category:1839 deaths Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Category:Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford Category:Academics of the University of Wales, Lampeter Category:19th-century Welsh Anglican priests Category:Welsh non-fiction writers Category:19th-century Welsh historians Category:People from Llandovery