The Bristol Sloth : Remembering Elijah Williams (07-x-1809 08-ix-1854)

[John Upham]

Elijah Williams (aka The Bristol Sloth) is perhaps, not such a well-known player but has an interesting past nonetheless :

https://britishchessnews.com/2020/09/08 ... -williams/

If you aware of any likeness of EW then I would be grateful.

I suspect time spent consulting Bristol newspaper archives would help.

[Matt Mackenzie]

There is no known confirmed image of the probably better known Alexander McDonnell, so you may or may not be in luck perusing local archives.

[Tim Harding]

I don't think there is any likeness of Elijah Williams to be found. Many years ago I looked at some of his early Bath and Cheltenham Gazette columns and there were no pictures in the paper.

The best hope might be in finding him in an illustrated report of the 1851 tournament but I do not recall seeing one.

[John McKenna]

In a rare, if not unique, physical description of Williams, he was noted by H.A. Kennedy in an article entitled “A Desultory Ramble with the Chess-men”, which appeared on page 47 of Charles Tomlinson’s Chess Player’s Annual (London, 1856) as having “burly form, light hair and eyes, and florid complexion”.

(Chess Notes by Edward Winter)