In literature Rees's earliest and most important venture was the Welsh magazine, ‘Trysorfa Gwybodaeth, neu yr Eurgrawn Cymraeg,’ which was the first sustained effort of the kind in Wales. A similar magazine, entitled ‘Tlysau yr Hen Oesoedd,’ or ‘Gems of Ancient Times,’ projected in 1735 by Lewis Morris (1700–1765) [q. v.], only reached one number. Rees's ‘Trysorfa’ was ‘projected and conducted at his own charge’ (Thomas Rees, Beauties of South Wales, p. 670). The first number—32 pages at 3d.—appeared on 3 March 1770; it was published by John Ross of Carmarthen. Fourteen fortnightly numbers followed. The design was discontinued with the fifteenth number, on 15 Sept. 1770, for want of adequate support. With every number were given eight pages of Caradoc of Llancarfan's ‘Brut y Tywysogion,’ or ‘Chronicle of the Princes.’ Complete copies of the fifteen numbers are rare; two are in the public library at Cardiff. Rees's ‘Collection of Hymns,’ 1796, some from his own and his father's pen, and a ‘Collection of Psalms,’ mostly after Dr. Watts, 1797, were in use for many years in the unitarian churches of South Wales; they were not entirely displaced until 1878. A third edition was published in 1834. Rees's translations into Welsh included a ‘Catechism (1770) on the Principles of Religion,’ by Henry Read (?); John Mason's ‘Self-Knowledge,’ which passed through numerous editions, and is still in vogue in Wales; and a ‘Doctrinal Treatise,’ published in 1804 under the auspices of the Welsh Unitarian Book Society, of which no copy seems now known; it evoked from Joseph Harris (1773–1825) [q. v.] a vigorous defence of the proper deity of Jesus, entitled ‘The Axe of Christ in the Forest of Antichrist.’
[Rees's and Thomas's Eglwysi Annibynol, iii. 588, iv. 327, 346; Jones's Geiriadur Bywgraffyddol, ii. 674; Ymofynydd, 1873 pp. 106–10, 1888 p. 104, 1889 p. 209; Penny Cyclopædia, art. ‘Welsh;’ Dr. Beard's Unitarianism in its actual Condition, p. 205; Edwards of Bala's Traethodau Llenyddol, p. 505, &c.; Jeremy's Hist. of the Presbyterian Fund (index); Dr. Thomas Rees's Beauties of South Wales, pp. 650, 670 n.; Universal Theological Mag. 1804, i. 228; Monthly Repository, 1818, p. 143; Christian Reformer, 1837, p. 717; Rowlands's Cambrian Bibliography; Welsh Supplementary Bibliography in Revue Celtique, 1873, p. 36.]
REES, RICE (1804–1839), Welsh historical scholar, son of David and Sarah Rees, was born at Ton in the parish of Llan Dingad, Carmarthenshire, on 31 March 1804. He received his early education at Lampeter, matriculated at Oxford, from Jesus College, on 15 May 1822, and graduated B.A. in 1826 and M.A. in 1828. From 1825 to 1828 he was a scholar of his college, and in the latter year was elected fellow. In March 1827 St. David's College, Lampeter, had been opened, and Rees appointed professor of Welsh, tutor, and librarian; he was ordained deacon the same year and priest in 1828. He now devoted himself assiduously to Welsh studies, and in August 1834 won the prize offered at Cardiff Eisteddfod for the best account of the early founders of Welsh churches. The prize composition was expanded into the full and luminous ‘Essay on the Welsh Saints,’ published in 1836 (London), which is still authoritative for the early history of the Welsh church. In 1837 Rees graduated B.D., and in October 1838 was appointed domestic chaplain to Bishop John Banks Jenkinson [q. v.] He died suddenly, on 20 May 1839, at Newbridge-on-Wye while travelling from Casgob to Lampeter, and was buried in Llan Dingad churchyard. At the time of his death he was engaged upon two literary tasks—the preparation of an edition of the ‘Liber Landavensis,’ which devolved upon his uncle, William Jenkins Rees [q. v.], and the issue of a new edition of Vicar Prichard's ‘Canwyll y Cymry’ [see Prichard, Rhys], an enterprise completed in 1841 by his brother, William Rees, publisher, of Llandovery.
[Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Williams's Eminent Welshmen; Preface to Welsh Saints; Canwyll y Cymry, 1867 edit. p. 60 n.]
REES, THOMAS (1777–1864), unitarian minister and historical writer, born at Gelligron, Glamorganshire, in 1777, was son of Josiah Rees [q. v.] Thomas was originally put to the bookselling business, but on the advice of his namesake (who was no relative), Abraham Rees [q. v.], he was educated for the ministry (1799–1801) at the presbyterian college, Carmarthen. In 1807 he became afternoon preacher at Newington Green Chapel, London, of which he had sole charge from 1808 to 1813, when he removed to St. Thomas's Chapel, Southwark, which was closed in 1822. On 12 Oct. 1823 a new chapel was opened in Stamford Street, Blackfriars, built from the proceeds of the sales of St. Thomas's Chapel and the chapel in Prince's Street, Westminster. Here Rees ministered till 1831, when he ceased to hold regular ministerial charge.
Rees was a man of varied attainments and an ardent unitarian. He was a fellow of the Society of Arts, and received the degree of LL.D. in January 1819 from Glasgow Uni-
