JONES, ROBERT LLOYD (1878 - 1959), schoolmaster, children's writer and dramatist
Date of birth: 1878
Date of death: 1959
Spouse: Sarah Jones (née Roberts)
Spouse: Elin Alice Jones (née Jones)
Parent: Elizabeth Jones (née Williams)
Parent: Robert Jones
Gender: Male
Occupation: schoolmaster, children's writer and dramatist
Area of activity: Education; Literature and Writing
Author: Arwyn Lloyd Hughes
Born 7 December 1878 in Porthmadog, Caernarfonshire, the sixth of the ten children born to Robert Jones, master mariner, and his wife Elizabeth (née Williams). He was educated at the elementary schools in Porthmadog, Minffordd and Penrhyndeudraeth, the higher grade school, Blaenau Ffestiniog, the grammar school, Bala, and the Normal College, Bangor (1899-1901). He began his career as a teacher in his old school in Porthmadog and afterwards became headmaster of the elementary schools in Tremadog (1906-13), Trefor (1913-28) and Lloyd Street, Llandudno (1928-44). He took a keen interest in educational matters throughout his life and held a number of offices in the county branch of the National Union of Teachers. He was for a number of years a member of the governing body of John Bright School, Llandudno.
He began writing at a young age winning in many local eisteddfodau and as many as 13 prizes in the national eisteddfod. He is mainly remembered, however, as the author of the following adventure novels for children in Welsh: Ynys y trysor (1925); Plant y Fron (1926); Atgofion hen forwr (1926); Capten (1928); Mêt y Mona (1929); Dirgelwch y Cwm (1929); Ogof yr ysbïwyr (1933) and Ym Môr y De (1936). He learnt a great deal about life at sea from his father and spent much of his childhood on the busy Porthmadog quayside watching the ships and questioning the sailors. He read with zest the works of R.L. Stevenson, Ballantyne, Henty and others and all of this became raw material for his own novels later. He also contributed to Cymru'r Plant and to denominational publications such as Y Drysorfa and Y Goleuad. At the time his novels and stories filled a considerable gap in writing in Welsh for children. In addition he published 24 popular, short one-act plays in Welsh entitled: Y pymtheg mil, Y walet, Y census, Nos Sadwrn, Y doctor, Yr etifedd, Y basgedi, Dau ben blwydd, Wyt ti'n cofio?, Arian modryb, Y troseddwr, Anghofio, Brawd a chwaer, Croeso, Y drws agored, Gweinidog Tabor, Y gwir a'r golau, Pan oeddym fechgyn, Rhiannon, Safle, Y scwlmis, Santa Clôs a'i fab, Y tair chwaer, Teulu'r Gelli. It was he who was mainly responsible for forming the Drama Society of North Wales in Caernarfon in 1929, which was to function as a branch of the Welsh Drama Union. He served several times as an adjudicator in the Urdd Gobaith Cymru national eisteddfod.
He was twice married: (1) in 1906 to Elin Alice Jones, Minffordd (died 1942), and three sons were born to them; (2) in 1944 to Sarah Roberts, Bethesda (died 1962). He died at Tre-garth 3 February 1959 and was buried at Coetmor cemetery, Bethesda.
Author
- Arwyn Lloyd Hughes
- Information given by his brothers, the late William and Goronwy Jones
- Arwyn Lloyd Hughes, 'Robert Lloyd Jones,' Lleufer, 20 (1964), 27-30
- Mairwen and Gwynn Jones, Dewiniaid Difyr (Llandysul 1983)
Sources
Published date: 2001
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
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