John Bancroft Willans (1881 - 1957) was an English landowner, historian, photographer and philanthropist

Early life

Willans was born on 27 May 1881 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, the only child of

John William Willans John William Willans (c.1843-1895) was a British mechanical and electrical engineer, most known for his role as Chief Engineer of the Liverpool Overhead Railway. Early life Willans was born in 1844 in Hunslet, near Leeds to Benjamin and Ann W ...

- the chief engineer of the

Liverpool Overhead Railway The Liverpool Overhead Railway (known locally as the Dockers' Umbrella or Ovee) was an overhead railway in Liverpool which operated along the Liverpool Docks and opened in 1893 with lightweight electric multiple units. The railway had a number ...

- and Mary Louisa Willans. In 1894, Willans' father purchased Dolforgan Hall from the executors of James Walton and Willans moved there with this family.

War Service

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Willans served in a non-combat role in Italy.

Public service

Willans was the

High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire The office of High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire was established in 1541 since then a High Sheriff was appointed annually until 1974 when the office was transformed into that of High Sheriff of Powys as part of the creation of Powys from the amalgama ...

in 1917, and a Justice of the Peace from 1919.

Historical research

Willans was interested in the history of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and the Unitarian Church, of which he was a member. He was a member of the

Powysland Club The Powysland Club is a historical society for the county of Montgomeryshire, Wales. It was founded in 1867. Among the society's members was Elias Owen Elias Owen may refer to: * Elias Owen (footballer) Elias Owen (1863 – 20 September 1888 ...

from 1899, rising to become its Chairman in 1957. He was also a member of the

Cambrian Archaeological Association The Cambrian Archaeological Association ( cy, Cymdeithas Hynafiaethau Cymru) was founded in 1846 to examine, preserve and illustrate the ancient monuments and remains of the history, language, manners, customs, arts and industries of Wales and the ...

from 1901 until his death. He was also a governor of the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

and the

National Museum of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Philanthropy

He made significant donations to causes during his lifetime including £11,000 to the

University College of Wales , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

and £12,000 to the

. On his death he bequeathed £12,000 to the Unitarian Church.

Photography

Willans was an early and enthusiastic photographer. He was commissioned by the Powysland Club to record scenes throughout

Powys Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...

. He also recorded the Dolforgan Estate and his extensive travels through Europe. He accompanied archeologist Professor Emyr Estyn Evans on research trips to France and Spain. In 2005, his collection of photographs was rediscovered and donated to the

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

. The collection was described by local historian David Pugh as "...important in documenting the history of mid Wales a century ago - these photographs have been a great find."

Death

He died on 12 April 1957, aged 76, at the

Royal Salop Infirmary The Parade Shops, formerly the Royal Salop Infirmary, is a specialist shopping centre at St Mary's Place in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building. History The original facility on the site was the Salop Infirmary design ...

and was buried in the churchyard of St. Michael's Church in

Kerry, Powys Kerry ( cy, Ceri) is a village and geographically large community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The village lies on the A489 road southeast of Newtown and possesses two pubs — the Herbert Arms and the Kerry Lamb — a village hall, a bowl ...

near to Dolforgan Hall.

Works

References

External links

Part of the Willans photography collection

Photograph of Willans
1881 births 1957 deaths Willans Academics from Liverpool English philanthropists English landowners Historians of Wales Dolforgan Estate 20th-century British philanthropists {{England-bio-stub