Dictionary of Welsh Biography

WALLACE, ALFRED RUSSEL (1823 - 1913), naturalist and social reformer of a rare beetle in the upper reaches of the Neath valley. In 1848, accompanied by his fellow-naturalist Henry Walter Bates, Wallace set out for South America. His four years there resulted in the publication of two significant works - Palm trees of the Amazon and their uses (1853) (now an extremely rare book) and A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro (1853). Wallace spent the period
WARNER, MARY WYNNE (1932 - 1998), mathematician appointed to a diplomatic post in Burma (now Myanmar) and lived in its capital, Rangoon. Mary still wished to pursue her work in mathematics and applied for a post at Rangoon University. However, no wife of a British diplomat had ever been allowed to take a full-time job; women were supposed to be addenda and supports to their husbands. With Gerry's backing, Mary stood her ground and the rules were bent
WARTSKI, MORITZ (MORRIS) (1855 - 1946), businessman Bangor. Morris's first wife, Flora, died suddenly in 1903, aged 56. The tributes in the Jewish Chronicle were fulsome, describing her as 'the most prominent and the most representative Jew in North Wales' who actively assisted her husband in all his communal and philanthropic work. It continued, 'It was largely due to her piety, hospitality and vigorous commonsense, that our community is now so highly
WATKINS, Sir TASKER (1918 - 2007), barrister and judge objective he found an anti-tank gun manned by a German soldier; his Sten gun jammed, so he threw it in the German's face and shot him with his pistol before he had time to recover. Lieutenant Watkins' company now had only some 30 men left and was counter-attacked by 50 enemy infantry. Lieutenant Watkins directed the fire of his men and then led a bayonet charge, which resulted in the almost complete
WATKINS, WILLIAM (fl. 1750-1762), cleric in Breconshire and author of the first published book on trees of Wales. He is on record as a pensioner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, from June 1750 to 1754, but he regularly signed the registers of Hay as a curate assisting an absent vicar during 1750-52. He left Hay soon after his wife and daughter died there of smallpox in 1752, and published A Treatise on Forest-Trees (London, 1753), which is now a very rare book. In
WAYNE family, industrialists . From now on, father and sons were busily employed with the iron-works at Gadlys, with their associated coal-pits (Pwll Newydd, and the Graig Colliery), and the new colliery at Cwm-bach. For example, in 1839 they sent, by the canal, 1,081 tons of iron, and 3,373 tons of coal; in 1845, they raised 38,000 tons of coal from Cwm-bach, and in the following year, 48,000 tons. By this time they were able to
WHITE, EIRENE LLOYD (Baroness White), (1909 - 1999), politician to withdraw her bill. Unfortunately, the Royal Commission took a more conservative view and its report closed further discussion for thirteen years. Legislation in later years took up Eirene White's views on this difficult matter. David Astor, a family friend, approached her to take up the cause of Seretse Khama, exiled from Bechuanaland (now Botswana) after he married Ruth Williams, an English
WHITFORD, RICHARD (d. 1542?), priest and author in 1541; but in a copy of one of his books, now at Lambeth, under the words 'the olde wretched brother of Syon,' a contemporary hand has added 'ob. an. Dni. 1542'; so, it may be assumed that that was the year of his death, though some believe that he lingered on almost until the end of queen Mary's reign. The D.N.B. gives a list of sixteen books published by him, while archdeacon A. O. Evans has
WILKINS family JOHN WILKINS (1713 - 1784) Economics and MoneyLaw, Born 15 November 1713, deputy-protonotary from 1759 (at least) till 1784; he married SYBIL JEFFREYS, niece and heiress of WALTER JEFFREYS (died 1746), a banker, of a Llywel family. Here lay the origins of 'Wilkins and Co.', or the 'Brecon Old Bank' (now merged in Lloyds Bank), whose notes circulated throughout the region (including north Glamorgan
WILLIAM, THOMAS (1697 - 1778) Mynydd-bach, Independent minister, and author the latter's ministry at Mynydd-bach (1724-48), he himself was ordained minister of the church in 1757, and industriously laboured in that field until his death, 12 June 1778. He was buried at Llanfynydd. It appears that he was also the secretary of his church, for the entries in the old Mynydd-bach register (now kept in N.L.W.) were for many years made in his handwriting.
WILLIAMS family Gwernyfed, 1727, and this is far more credible, for two brothers died without male issue, leaving their sister, ELIZABETH WILLIAMS, as sole heiress. With her marriage Gwernyfed passed to a new line of the Williams family. (2) We must now turn to the Williams family of 'Tallyn' in the parish of Llangasty Tal-y-llyn (see W. R. Williams, Old Wales, iii, 195-205, and Theophilus Jones, iii, 84). This family was
WILLIAMS family Marl, old house crashed down one stormy night in 1790 or thereabouts. Terence Prendergast died in 1776, leaving the remnants of the estate to his brother Jeffrey Prendergast; the latter emigrated to the U.S.A., and the estate was bought by Thomas Williams of Llanidan (1737 - 1802), and, later on, by the Mostyns. About the middle of the 19th century the latter sold it to Pennant of Penrhyn - and now it

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