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Description

This is a small watercolour painting of William Williams (1805-61) or 'Will Boots' as he was known locally. Will Boots was born in Ruthin in 1805 but came to Llanberis in the mid-nineteenth century where he became one of the most famous of all the Snowdon mountain guides. It was said that he occasionally ascended the summit on foot three times in one day, while the visitors travelled on ponies. In addition to providing the normal services associated with guiding visitors on the mountain, he was a keen botanist and collector of rare plants, notably ferns. It was during one of his walks in search of alpine ferns that he met his death in 1861 after falling on the mountain.

Source: Dewi Jones, 'The Botanists and Guides of Snowdonia' (Llanrwst, 1996)

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Comments (1)

Doliau - Welsh Costume Dolls's profile picture
There are several contemporary descriptions of William Williams (and many other guides) by tourists to Snowdon on the Early Tourists in Wales websites https://sublimewales.wordpress.com/attractions/snowdon/snowdon-y-wyddfa/snowdon-guides/

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