Dictionary of Welsh Biography

WATKINS, VERNON PHILLIPS (1906 - 1967), poet Born 27 June 1906, at Maesteg, Glamorganshire, only son and second child of William Watkins (a native of Taff's Well), manager of Lloyd's Bank, and Sarah Watkins (née Phillips) of Sarnau, Carmarthenshire. Before Vernon was six the family had moved to Bridgend, to Llanelli and finally to Swansea. The boy entered Swansea Grammar School, but after one year was dispatched to prep. school at
WATTS, HELEN JOSEPHINE (1927 - 2009), singer Helen Watts was born in Milford Haven on 7 December 1927, the daughter of Thomas Watts, a pharmacist, and his wife Winifred (née Morgan). She grew up in Haverfordwest and attended St Mary and St Anne School, Abbot's Bromley, Staffordshire. There was music in the family: she started to play the piano at the age of seven, and her brother was a chorister at Llandaff Cathedral and later a choral
WAYNE family, industrialists -wyllt, Merthyr. With the David family of Abernant-y-groes, Cwm-bach, Matthew, with his two sons, Thomas and William Watkin Wayne, formed the Wayne's Merthyr-Aberdare Steam Coal Company, and commenced sinking the colliery in June 1837. By December of the same year, having sunk a distance of forty-nine yards, they had reached the coal, and despatched and exhibited a quantity in London on 13 December
WEBB, HARRI (1920 - 1994), librarian and poet Harri Webb was born on 7 September 1920 at 45 Tŷ Coch Road, Sketty, Swansea, the son of William John Webb (1890-1956, a foreman at the Tir John North power-station in Swansea, originally from a Gower farming family, and his wife Lucy Irene (née Gibbs, 1890-1939), the daughter of a worker on the Kilvrough estate. The family moved in 1922 to 58 Catherine Street where Harri was brought up. His
WHELDON, Sir WYNN POWELL (1879 - 1961), lawyer, soldier, administrator essentially a warm-hearted man and a true friend. He understood the feelings and aspirations of his countrymen, in committees and on the field of battle, in religion and in politics. He clung faithfully to the Calvinistic Methodist denomination; the chief beneficiary of his will (apart from the family) was Tabernacl, Bangor (his father's former church). He was a leading layman in his denomination. His
WHITE, EIRENE LLOYD (Baroness White), (1909 - 1999), politician closely with David Lloyd George, the family moved between Barry and London where Eirene Jones attended a primary school in Upper Norwood. Thomas Jones decided in 1919 to move his family permanently to London and Eirene Jones entered St. Paul's Girls' School in 1920. She won a scholarship in 1929 to Somerville College, where she read philosophy, politics and economics. While she was a student at Oxford
WHITE, JOHN (1590 - 1645), Puritan Born 29 June 1590, the second son of Henry White of Henllan (Hentland) in the parish of Rhoscrowther, Pembrokeshire. He was descended from a family of Tenby merchants, one of whom, Thomas White, is said to have helped Henry Tudor to escape to Brittany in 1471. John White matriculated from Jesus College, Oxford, on 20 November 1607, was admitted to the Inner Temple on 6 November 1610, and called
WHITEHEAD, LEWIS STANLEY (1889 - 1956), secretary of the Representative Body of the Church in Wales Born 12 January 1889 in Stoke-on-Trent, son of George Whitehead. Four years later the family moved to Cardiff where he was educated at the High School. From 1910-16 he was manager of Rank Mills, Truro, and, indicative of his love of music, he became lay vicar choral of Truro and (later) Llandaff cathedral s. After serving with the Royal Flying Corps, 1916-19, he became assistant to Frank Morgan
WHITFORD, RICHARD (d. 1542?), priest and author it is thought that he was born at Whitford, Flintshire; he had an uncle of the same name who had an estate in Hopeland, which he left (with other property in Lancashire) to his nephew John Edwards, his sister's son; and it appears that another member of the family was Hugh Whitford who was rector of Whitford, 1537-60. Richard entered Queens' College, Cambridge, 1495, and was elected to a
WILDE, WILLIAM JAMES (1892 - 1969), boxer, world flyweight champion (1916-23) Born 12 May 1892 in Quakers Yard, Merthyr Tydfil, the son of James and Margaret Wilde. When he was four years old the family moved to 8 Station Road, Pontygwaith, Tylorstown, Rhondda, Glamorganshire. When still young he showed considerable toughness in defending himself in street fights and when he began work at the local colliery, he worked with Dai Davies, an old mountain fighter, who taught
WILKINS family a Norman family surnamed ' de Wintona,' settled apparently at Llandough (it may be Llandow), Glamorganshire, changed its name in the 14th century to ' Wilcoline ' or ' Wilkyn,' and in the 17th to ' Wilkins.' THOMAS WILKYN (died 1623), his son ROGER WILKINS (died 1648), and his grandson THOMAS WILKINS (1625/6 - 1699) Literature and WritingScholarship and Languages, were successively rectors of S
WILKINSON, JOHN (1728 - 1808), 'father of the iron trade' 1753, his father took a lease of the Bersham furnace (Wrexham), which for over twenty years had been worked with coal but yielded poor results, and settled with his wife and younger children at Plas Grono, the ancient home of the Yale family on Erthig estate, John co-operated in the venture and went to live in Wrexham while retaining his Midland interests. Using ironstone from Llwyn Einion and coal

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