In March this year as a result of a previous email to the list I did quite
a lot of research for someone researching William Williams of Maesygwernen.
I am happy to share it off list.
From the 'Cambrian' Cwmbwrla Tin Works seems to have been open
in 1851 with
Thomas BOUNDY running it.
William Williams (Maesygwernen) was a remarkable man who rose from being an
ordinary young man working in a tinplate works to being one of the richest
men in Swansea, effectively owner of two large tinplate works, mayor of
Swansea. JP and briefly MP.
I have photocopies of the press report of the presentation in May 1878, his
obituary and his funeral report.
William WILLIAMS was born November 14th 1840 and died April 21st 1904. He
married Margaret JEREMIAH on December 11th 1867 at St Mary's, the parish
church of Swansea. At the time he was of full age, bachelor, Works Manager,
of Morriston, son of William WILLIAMS, a sawyer.
Margaret was a minor, of 'Upper Division', daughter of David Jeremiah, Iron
Founder. The Cambrian report refers to David Jeremiah of Cwmdu Foundry.
I am fairly sure that William's parents were William WILLIAMS and Margaret
JENKINS who married 27 Jan 1834 at Llangyfelach Parish Church. I can't find
another William and Margaret at Llangyfelach in the right time period.
Neither signed their name to the register.
The obituary contains an astonishing story, what the paper calls a 'Romantic
and Splendid Career'. He started as a boy in the cold roll section of Upper
Forest Steel and Tinplate Works, Morriston. An accident with machinery meant
his leg had to be amputated. His employer, a Mr HALLAM, gave him a job in
the works counting-house, where business talent was displayed. He went to a
post at College Iron Works, Cardiff, then back to Swansea as under-manager
at Swansea Tinplate Works (Cwmbwrla), then owned by John Jones Jenkins
(later Lord Glantawe). In 1868 he took over the Worcester Tinplate works,
and then in 1878 the Upper Forest works, as the then owner, Edward BAGOT,
had 'failed' (bankrupt?). He was mayor of Swansea 1884-5 and MP for Swansea
1893 to 1895.
At various times he was also a director of a Bank, Guardian of the Poor, JP
and managing proprietor of Morlais Tinplate works, Llangennech. He had
property in London as well as South Wales. At one stage, with over 3200
employees, he was 'the largest tinplate manufacturer in the world'. In the
1890s the effects of US protectionist legislation which put a high tariff
(70%) on imported tinplate had a devastating effect on much of the Swansea
tinplate industry, which was the largest tinplate manufacturing centre in
the world. William WILLIAMS retired from business in 1898. At that point he
was believed to be a millionaire.
His first wife had died in 1893, and he married again. William Williams's
second wife was Maria Ann PHILIPPS, a widow, who had married Benjamin
PHILIPPS or PHILLIPS in Swansea in 1880. They married in London in 1894 when
he was still an MP. Her maiden name was BOWEN and a lot of BOWENs appear as
brothers-in-law in the funeral report. She was also from Morriston. She was
the daughter of Thomas BOWEN, chemical manufacturer and her first husband
Benjamin PHILLIPS, who she married in June quarter 1880, probably died
within weeks of the marriage, on 21st May 1880. He was the pastor of the
English Congregational Church Morriston.
Your Maria might have been related to the JEREMIAH's, the BOWEN's or indeed
to William WILLIAMS' siblings Ann (or Naomi/Nahome as listed in 1841 b
about 1838/9, Richard b 1842/3 or Margaret 1848/9.
Census refs for William Williams are
1841 HO107; Piece 1419; Book: 2; Civil Parish: Llangafelach; County:
Glamorgan; Enumeration District: 5; Folio: 24; Page: 7; Line: 12; address
Morriston
1851 HO107; Piece: 2465; Folio: 329; Page: 35 schedule 138 address
Morriston
1861 RG9; Piece: 4098; Folio: 90; Page: 39 sched 223
1871 RG10; Piece: 5446; Folio: 24; Page: 4 sched 23
1881 RG11; Piece: 5365; Folio: 79; Page: 15 sched 69
Let me know off-list if you want more, or copies of obituary etc.
Jeff
----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Davies" <daviesmob(a)daviesmob.freeserve.co.uk>
To: "Glamorgan List" <Glamorgan-L(a)rootsweb.com>; "Swansea List"
<WLS-Swansea-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 6:30 PM
Subject: [WLS-SWANSEA] William Williams of Maesygwernen Hall; Cwmbwrla Works
Hello,
While filling out details of my grandfather's (William David Davies
1868-1948) life I came upon the following funeral notice via the Cambrian
Index:
South Wales Daily Post, Friday 26th August 1898 "DAVIES - On August 25,
1898, Maria, the beloved wife of Mr. William Davies, late tinhouse
superintendent of Cwmbwrla Works, and niece of Mr. Williams, Maesygwernen
Hall. Deeply regretted. Public funeral Saturday, August 27, 1898, at
3.0p.m., for Horeb Chapel, Morriston."
Can anyone point me in the right direction to find out more information on
the Cwmbwrla Works, on William Williams of Maesygwernen Hall, and whether
the two were connected.
Many thanks,
Greg Davies
Nash, Bucks, UK
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