A newspaper black-and-white photograph of Gwilym Lewis, a man in his late 40s with a moustache, wearing a dark jacket, light shirt and a tie. Gwilym Lewis as depicted in the Rhondda Leader, 7th March 1914.

Gwilym Lewis was, according to his obituary, “a leading Rhondda educationist, musician, and Freemason”. He was born in Aberdare on 19th September 1866, the youngest of eight children of John Lewis, a coal miner, and his wife Catherine (my 4th great grandparents). When Gwilym was a child, the family moved from Aberdare to Llwynypia, and there the young Gwilym was a pupil of Tom John - another well-known man in the district and beyond, and also a relative of mine on a different branch[1] .

In October 1893, less than a month after his 27th birthday, Gwilym, who was already assistant master at Ystrad Higher Grade School, was appointed headmaster of Maerdy Schools, a position in which he served for some 20 years until 1914, when he was appointed headmaster of Llwynypia School - the very same in which he had been educated by Tom John as a youngster. He would stay at that school until his retirement, circa 1930, and lived in the same village for the rest of his life.

A good deal of biographical information about Gwilym can be found in an extensive article from the Rhondda Leader on 7th March 1914, which also gives some insight into his character and the esteem in which he was held in the community. The article is a report of an event held at the Workmen’s Hall in Maerdy in Gwilym’s honour, presenting him with an illuminated address and gifts in recognition of his service in that town as he moved to Llwynypia. According to Mr T W Berry, director of education:

Mr. Lewis had rightly construed his duty in living amongst the people, and thus gaining their sympathy and respect. He said Mr. Lewis was very genial, and his bonhomie disposition was a great asset in his difficult work. As a musician of considerable ability he had made an impression in Mardy which would never be obliterated. His work as trainer, organiser and conductor of the oratorial concerts had had a great uplifting influence as well as an educational effect of great value. There was not a church in Mardy that had not directly or indirectly benefited by his labours, while many had received substantial monetary advantages from his concerts. Though he had had his own distinct religious tenets, he was nevertheless most catholic in his conceptions, and always willing to give a helping hand when called upon to do so, or when he saw a deserving opportunity.

Mr Berry highlighted one of the gifts that was to be presented: a walking stick, from the children of the school, noting that “it was not an infrequent event in school-life for a master to have to give the children the cane, but this was a complete reversal of that custom, for the children of his late school now presented him with a stick - a beautiful walking-stick. The children could well afford to choose the stick, because they knew that Mr. Lewis was one who used the cane in school very sparingly.” In reply, Gwilym “asked Mr. Williams to convey to the lads his warm thanks for the walking-stick, adding that although he had had occasion to use the cane, which the boys deserved, they had now retaliated by giving him the stick, which he did not deserve.”

Gwilym was a bachelor, a fact that was highlighted by Mr Berry in his speech:

The Director referred to the case of the Patriarch [Abraham], who, after seven years' faithful service, received Leah as his reward and a further seven years brought him Rachel, whereas twenty years' service in Mardy had brought neither Leah nor Rachel for Mr. Lewis. Where were the ladies of the Rhondda to allow such a generous man to toil alone? Perhaps it was his excessive generosity which placed marriage beyond his reach.

Certainly a man of Gwilym’s character and standing in society would have no difficulty in finding a wife, should he want one, and so it is reasonable to conclude that he had chosen to stay single. He summarised his own thoughts on the matter by noting that “that he had not yet mustered sufficient courage to subject himself to home rule in a matrimonial sense; he would strongly recommend his bachelor friends to try the experiment” - I’m not entirely sure what he meant by this, and no further explanation is given!

The gifts given to Gwilym included the aforementioned walking stick, a silver-mounted dressing case and a purse of gold. The illuminated address read as follows:

AN ADDRESS Presented to Gwilym Lewis, Esq., Mardy.
Dear Sir, - On behalf of your many friends in Mardy, we ask you to accept this address, together with the accompanying purse of gold, as a small token of the respect and high esteem in which you are held amongst us.
For the last twenty years you have occupied the position of Headmaster of the Mardy Schools, and, in this capacity, have always taken such a great interest in the welfare of those under your charge, that you have gained their affection, and the regard and esteem of the parents.
You have, on every possible occasion, generously given your great musical abilities to assist any good cause, regardless of sect, and thereby earned the gratitude of all interested in the welfare of the locality. In this connection, you have produced some of the most important works of the great masters of music, and we would particularly refer to the brilliant performance, given in 1909, of Mendelssohn's "Elijah" by the Mardy Musical Society under your able conductorship.
Whilst we greatly regret your departure from our midst, we sincerely trust your future may be prosperous and happy, and that in your new position as Headmaster of the important Schools at Llwynypia, you may be, as you have been at Mardy, successful in securing the goodwill and respect of all who come in contact with you.
Signed on behalf of the Committee:- H. E. Maltby, chairman; S. Glanville Morris, treasurer; Alfred Evans, secretary. December, 1913.

Gwilym was also an accomplished musician. As a young man, he travelled to America as the accompanist of the Royal Welsh Choir, before returning home to study as a teacher at the Bangor College. Throughout his adult life he frequently served as accompanist at concerts throughout the Rhondda and as a sought-after eisteddfod adjudicator. He was also a keen cyclist, and in 1898 undertook a fortnight’s tour with a friend, travelling first to London by train, then by boat to France, travelling around Normandy and Brittany and returning via Jersey. Upon his return, Gwilym wrote an account of his trip, which was serialised across four editions of the Glamorgan Free Press:

Once more mounting our faithful steeds we pursued our course. On both sides of the road were to be seen innumerable apple and pear trees. No wonder cider is so cheap in Normandy and Brittany. An unlimited supply of it is always put on the dinner-tables at all the hotels. The road was now level, and spelt but one word - "Go!" and so, obedient to that instinctive command, we went hard until once more Mont St. Michel hove in sight. The milestones showed that we were yet eight miles from it, and in our eagerness to reach it in the least possible time, we took the wrong turning, and found ourselves ploughing our way through sticky, clayey soil by the side of the sea. We dismounted, and walked ankle deep in it for over four miles. Surely we may be forgiven for alluding to that patience-testing trudge in terms which the best authors are not accustomed to use.
Glamorgan Free Press, 10 September 1898

Gwilym passed away on 3rd February 1936 at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary, at the age of 69 years, and was buried with his parents at the Trealaw Cemetery. The funeral was a Masonic one, as Gwilym had been Worshipful Master of the Merlin Lodge in Pontypridd. The chief mourners were his nineteen nephews, and in his will he left everything to his niece, Mary Jane Owen.

Notes

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