EDMUNDS, MARY ANNE (1813 - 1858), teacher

Born 25 April 1813 at Carmarthen, daughter of William and Mary Jones. She was educated at a boarding school and also benefited materially from the invaluable instruction she received at home, where she acquired an exceptional knowledge of the Scriptures, was an avid reader of edifying books, and was well versed in Welsh hymnology; she possessed natural gifts of an unusually high order. For twenty years she kept Welsh diaries in which were recorded chiefly her religious emotions and her prayers. Her knowledge of English was extensive and her English hymns show that she had read the works of Gray and Cowper.

She sought to promote education in Wales at a time when the common people were hardly aware of the need of it. She became an able Sunday school teacher, and throughout her life was an active and faithful supporter of literary and temperance societies. From the beginning, she had been anxious to become a teacher and, after years of preparation and unshakable perseverance, succeeded in gaining admission to the British and Foreign School Society's Training College, London, March 1847. After a highly satisfactory course there she was, in October 1847, appointed a mistress at the Society's school at Ruthin. In January 1849 she was transferred to Bangor to start the British school at Garth, where she laboured successfully for six years. In 1850 she married John Edmunds 1815 - 1886, born at S. Davids, headmaster of the Garth school and, before that, of the Ruthin school. They had two sons. She died 22 March 1858, and he afterwards set up in business at Caernarvon, and died there 10 March 1886.

Author

• Thomas Roberts, (1885 - 1960)

Sources

• Yr Athrawes o Ddifrif sef lloffion o hanes bywyd a marwolaeth Mrs. Edmunds, Bangor, yn nghyda detholiad o'i hysgrifeniadau (Caernarfon 1959). This is a memoir of Mrs. Edmunds by her husband and brother and includes her verse, extracts from her diaries, and an introduction by Dr. Lewis Edwards
• W. Hobley, Hanes Methodistiaeth Arfon, iii, 190-2, vi. 424-8

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Mary Anne Edmunds

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20733879

Published date: 1959

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