Richard Hughes of Ty Hen Isaf, Llannerch-y-medd, Anglesey was born in 1837 and died in 1930. As a young boy, he worked on Dyffryn Gwyn farm for the Rev. John Prytherch, who was one of the largest farmers in Anglesey. He also served as husbandman for two spinsters, who unexpectedly left him all their property. This enabled Richard Hughes to satisfy his two ambitions, to travel and to own a library.
Then began a series of visits to Palestine and the Mediterranean - Egypt, Greece and Italy. Also, he became a great collector of rare and precious books and a friendship sprang between him and Thomas Shankland, the Welsh librarian of the University College of North Wales.
Twenty years before his death, Richard Hughes bequeathed his library, which consisted of three thousand books, to the University. The collection contains a long series of Welsh texts and periodicals. At the time, the gift emphasised the claim of the library of the University College of North Wales as one of the richest repositories in the world for the pursuit of study and research into the history and literature of Wales.
Richard Hughes was also a generous patron of Eisteddfod Mn and acted as treasurer to the Local Committee of the Eisteddfod held at Llannerch-y-medd in 1911.
From the guide to the Richard Hughes, Ty Hen Isaf Manuscripts, 1693 - 1910, (Bangor University)
