He recorded the route taken by the Royal Glamorgan Militia from Cardiff to Ireland and back in 1798-1800. It is of the route ONLY.
It is remarkably clean for its age, and measures about two and a half inches by three and a half. It is written in beautiful handwriting in black ink, but is illegible in places. Each line printed below took up a whole page of his diary.
As for some of the place names listed, your guess is as good as mine. I apologise for any mistakes in the copying. The Welsh at the bottom was even more difficult to decipher, and was added in 1857, 59 years later. The handwriting looks very different from that in the beginning, probably due to the passage of time.
The original is in the possession of Dilys Xavier to whom I am indebted for letting me put her transcript on the Internet. I have a photocopy of the original by kind permission of Dilys.
"This is a Journal of John Williams in May 1798 ... ??.... Company Royal Glamorgan Militia from his Leaving home.
_______________________________________________________________________
1798
May the 11 from Cardiff to Newport 12 Miles
Ditto the 12 Marched from Newport to Chepstow 19 miles
Ditto the 14 marched from Chepstow to nunam 16 mls (? Newnham, Glos.)
Ditto 15 Marched from nunam to Gloster 12 miles
Ditto 16 marched from ~ Chesester? 18 miles (? Cirencester)
Ditto 18 marched from Chesester to favinton 19 miles in barkshire?
Ditto 19 marched from favinton to Abingdon 14 miles
Ditto 20 cross I the River of Thames over a ferry
Ditto 21 marched Abingdon to wallingford 10 miles
Ditto 22 marched from wallingford to henley uppon thames 11 miles?
Ditto the 23 marched from henly uppon thames to maidenhead 9 miles
Do. Crossed the thames at maidenhead in barkshire
Ditto 25 marched from maidenhead to cranford in Middlesex 19 miles
Do. 26 marched from cranford to Greenwich 16 miles
Do. 27 marched from Greenwich to Deptford
Do 28 marched from Deptford to Northfleet 16 miles kentshire
Do. From Northfleet to Gravesend 2 ? miles
Do. 29 marched from Gravesend to Cittenbourn 19 miles (? Sittingbourne)
Do. 30 marched from Cittenbourn to Canterbury 16 miles
June the 1st ? marched from Canterbury to Dover
June the 15th marched from Dover to hearn bay 23 miles (Hearn Bay)
July 23 marched from hearn bay to Canterbury 81? miles
Do. Marched from .? (? Canterbury to Ahford)
April 22 1799
Marched from asford to Moncrefe fort 14 miles
May 11 marched from Moncrefe to Rumley 8 ? miles
Do 13 marched from new Romley to rye 13 miles
Do 14 marched from Rye to Battle 16 miles in the county of Cefvese ??
Do the 16 from battle to Hethfield 18 miles
Do the 17 Marched from Hethfield to Lewis 16 miles
Do the 18 marched from Lewis Shoream to Arundel 13 miles (? Lewes to Shoreham)
Do the 20 marched from Shoream to arundel 9 miles
Do the 21 marched from arundel to Cheseter (? Chichester)
Do marched from Chesester to Hemsworth 10 miles
Do the 22 marched from from hemsworth to portsmouth
The towns portsea and Gosport
June 15 Embark for Irland at portsmouth sailed the 16, passed by the Needles
Do sail by torbay
17 passed the Lizard 9 Leagues from the Lizard to the Lands End of Cornwall
20 arrived at the Cove of Cork after 10 hundred and 60 miles
Do. The 21 marched to Cork 7 miles
Do. The 28 Marched to Tremoy 15 miles
December 29 Marched to Clohil miles 15
Do. 30 marched to Clomell 16 miles
Do. 01 marched to Callan 18 miles
January 1 1800
Marched to Kilkaney 81 miles
Do 2 marched to Lochlen bridge the County of Carlo 5 miles
Do. 6 marched to balletloon ? 10 miles
Do. 7 marched to Dublin 16 miles from Naas to Dublin Castle 113 miles
May the 27 1800 we did embark for England thank god we left the Paddy Land
Do. The ? we did Disembark at Liverpool after 180 (or 1800) miles
Do. The 29 marched to Chester 17 miles
Do 30 marched to Wrexham 12 miles in Denbyshire and come through Flintshire - - -
Do. 31 marched to Ellismane 12 miles in Shropshire ( Ellesmere)
June the 2 marched to Shrewsbury 16 miles County of Salop
July 18 marched to Streton miles 13 (? Church Stretton)
19 marched to Loudlow miles 16 (Ludlow)
20 marched to Limster miles 10 (Leominster)
21 marched to hereford miles 13
22 marched to monmouth miles 10 ?
25 marched to Usk miles 13
26 marched to newport miles 10
halt at Newport four Day
August 1 marched to Cardiff 12 miles
Ogust 9th 1857
Pandel anguar ar fy naith yn i fynd a mwyd
fi us Dyssliau
Dros bedwar hugian ranu rwyg-fy
O flynerau corff am Enaid
fy in Orglwyd Naid gaedael byd
Tirion gwna fry a pob rwy undeb
Barod cyn Del Ongua Gwneba Barn
I efanfod a thragwyddoldeb
August 9 1857.
When death comes on my voyage in the World, Over eighty ?..
From the cares of the body and my soul,
Lord Father keep me ready, before death comes, to face eternity.
But there are experts who could give an accurate translation, and Dilys and I would be pleased to have it.