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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Caernarvonshire => Topic started by: dragonT on Monday 11 June 18 08:44 BST (UK)
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The burial register for Llanberis records the burial of Hugh Lewis, age 60, of Pen y bryn (Nant Isaf) on the 23 Mar 1886. A comment has been added - an old quarry agent dismissed. In the margin at the foot of the page there is a further comment in Welsh referring to this burial. I have attached it to this post (I hope). I have translated it as best I can:
He was a very prominent man with the Calvinists. He was a deacon and a .... preacher. Once ..... in Dinorwig Quarry, he was among the officers who were dismissed. Between the end of 1885 and the start of 1886........
..... are the parts I'm struggling with. I'll be very grateful if someone can correct and complete the translation.
Does anyone know any more about this story?
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Hi
1st line OK. 2nd line insert 'lay' before 'preacher'. Then:
At the time of the lockout at the Dinorwig (Dinorwic) Quarries he was among the officials (I assume it means Union officials) dismissed (I assume by the quarry owners, not the Union). The lockout occurred between late 1885 and early 1886.
A lot has been written about the quarrying disputes, and there's a lot of material in the local archives.
The lockout that is more commonly known about is the one at Penrhyn Quarry.
Emyr
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According to 'Bargen Dinorwig' by Emyr Jones, Hugh Lewis had a shop, kept by his wife and two daughters. He was warned by the quarry office that nobody who was in business should be an 'officer in the quarry' (I presume a supervisor of some sort). He had to close his shop, at a substantial loss.
During this lock-out, which was the result of a dispute between the Quarrymen's union and the manager, Walter Vivian, a number of quarrymen were 'picked-on'
Edward Foulkes, Hugh Owen (hafod uchaf) William Rowlands) Wiliam Davies (Cerrig y Nyth) , William Morris ( Bref y Fuches). It appears that one thing all of the above had in common was that they were prominent Presbyterians. The lock-out lasted from Autumn 1885 until March 1st 1886. One can speculate that Hugh Lewis must have suffered, as he died less than a month afterwards.
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Here's a full obit - not sure how your welsh is. I'm off out now sorry,else I;d help out a bit
http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4303608/4303615/44/
it suggests he was an under-supervisor at Dinorwig and he should have had some small pension but had little information, and once sacked he wasn;t fit enough to take on physical work, so the writer ascribes his death to the impact of his reduced circumstances. An organising committee was pulling togther a testimonial collection for him at the time of his death
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Thank you both.
I have been reading an account of the start of the dispute on the NLW Welsh Newspapers Online site from the North Wales Express (18 Dec 1865) which seemed quite supportive of the men's case.
Relating to Huwcyn's comment the report includes a suggestion that the dispute originated after the general election of 1880, when the men took an active part in the return of the Liberal candidate and that, since then, 'those of the quarrymen who were Liberals and Nonconformists have suffered for their religious and political belief, whilst Churchmen and Conservatives have profited thereby'.
The workmen's appeal pamphlet and song can be viewed here:
https://www.peoplescollection.wales/items/7647
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Here's a full obit - not sure how your welsh is. I'm off out now sorry,else I;d help out a bit
http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4303608/4303615/44/
it suggests he was an under-supervisor at Dinorwig and he should have had some small pension but had little information, and once sacked he wasn;t fit enough to take on physical work, so the writer ascribes his death to the impact of his reduced circumstances. An organising committee was pulling together a testimonial collection for him at the time of his death
Thank you Mabel, my welsh is very limited but I get the impression he was very highly regarded.
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My g-grandfather was the secretary of the quarrymen's union in Dinorwig in the late 19th Century, and arranged some sort of insurance for the quarrymen.
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I researched this family and arranged a Family History Tour for Hugh's G. Granddaughter about three years ago. It was a fascinating story.