ROBERTS, LEWIS JONES (1866 - 1931), inspector of schools, and musician

Born 29 May 1866 at Aberaeron, Cardiganshire, the son of Lewis Roberts and his wife, Margaret (Jones). He was educated at S. David's College, Lampeter (B.A.), and Exeter College, Oxford (M.A.); whilst he was at Oxford he was a member of ' Cymdeithas Dafydd ap Gwilym.' He married, 1888, Mary Noel Griffiths, daughter of capt. Griffiths, Old Bank, Aberaeron; there were six sons and three daughters of the marriage. He lectured for a while at his old college at Lampeter (he had read history at Oxford) and became one of H.M. inspectors of schools in Wales, being stationed at first at Aberystwyth, then in North Wales (living at Rhyl and, later at Llandudno), and afterwards in South Wales, living then at Swansea. On retirement he went to live at Aberaeron. He was a keen eisteddfodwr, acting as adjudicator at some national eisteddfodau. For about thirty years he and J. M. Howell, of Aberaeron, collaborated in the production of a Christmas carol for publication in the December numbers of Cymru (O.M.E.), Roberts writing the music to words composed by Howell. He acted as music editor of Cymru and Cymru'r Plant for many years. Carols written by him were published in other journals also, and many were separately published (at Caernarvon, etc.). His best-known hymn-tune was that written to the words beginning ' Bydd canu yn y Nefoedd,' which proved a firm favourite with both children and older people. He wrote a short account (in Welsh) of Owain Glyn Dŵr (published at Wrexham, 1904, with at least two other editions) and edited Awelon o Hiraethog, vol. i, containing selections from the poetical works of William Rees (Gwilym Hiraethog) (Denbigh), 1908. Letters written by him are preserved in NLW MS 2810C , NLW MS 2826D , NLW MS 6270B , and NLW MS 7994D , and a piece of music (in memory of Sir O. M. Edwards) in NLW MS 2119D . He died 20 December 1931, and was buried in Henfynyw churchyard, near Aberaeron.

Author

• Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)

Sources

• Who's who in Wales, 1921
• Western Mail, 22 December 1931
• The Welsh Gazette, 24 December 1931
• Cymru (O.M.E.), lx, lxii, lxv, lxvii, lxix-lxxii
• E. Alfred Jones (ed.), Memorials of Old North Wales (London 1913)

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20804737

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/