Lewis Davies (18 May 1863 – 18 May 1951) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

writer and schoolmaster. He was from the

Hirwaun Hirwaun is a village and community at the north end of the Cynon Valley in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. It is NW of the town of Aberdare, and comes under the Aberdare post town. At the 2001 census, Hirwaun had a populati ...

area of

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

(now

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vil ...

), where his father worked as a refiner at Crawshay Ironworks. He attended Penderyn Elementary School and, when old enough, became a

pupil teacher Pupil teacher was a training program in wide use before the twentieth century, as an apprentice system for teachers. With the emergence in the beginning of the nineteenth century of education for the masses, demand for teachers increased. By 1840, ...

before winning a scholarship to

Bangor Normal College The Normal College, Bangor ( cy, Y Coleg Normal) was an independent teacher training college, founded in 1858. It was created through the efforts of the British and Foreign School Society and the educator Sir Hugh Owen, and was funded by £11,0 ...

, which he attended from 1881 to 1882. When he returned to Hirwaun, he took up the position of headmaster of the local school (from 1884 to 1886), and he then became headmaster of Cymmer School in the Afan Valley, remaining there until he retired in 1926. His writings include contributions to a number of local and national newspapers in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

, including to '' Y Brython'' under the pseudonym "Eryr Craig y Llyn", the ''Radnorshire'' volume in Cambridge University Press's "County Series" (1912), ''Outlines of the History of the Afan Districts'' (1914), ''Ystorïau Siluria'' (1921), ''Bargodion Hanes'' (1924), four adventure novels (''Daff Owen'', ''Lewsyn yr Heliwr'', ''Y Geilwad Bach'' and ''Wat Emwnt'') and also musical compositions such as the hymn-tune "Cymer". He died in May 1951 and was buried in Cymer Afan Cemetery. A commemorative plaque to him is displayed in Hebron Chapel. Some of the papers of Lewis Davies and his son, Gwyn Lewis Davies ('Ap Lewsyn'), are in Cardiff University Library's Special Collections and Archives. He should not be confused with Lewis Davies ('Lewis Glyn Cynon'; 1866-1953) of Merthyr Vale.

References

1863 births 1951 deaths People from Aberdare Welsh schoolteachers Welsh writers {{wales-writer-stub