Henry Davies (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Henry Davies was a Wales-born journalist, publisher and librarian at Cheltenham
, England who took an active part in the town’s political life, and edited the Cheltenham Looker-On
for 57 years.
, Glamorgan
. Little is known of his childhood, but he had a good literary education, while at the same time becoming steeped in the traditions of Wales
and the Welsh language
. At the age of 18 in 1822 he wrote patriotic Welsh poetry that was read at the Brecon Eisteddfod. In his early twenties, he spent a few years in London, establishing friendships at the London Institution
, and began his literary career by contributing both prose and verse to the Literary Souvenir and other publications edited by Alaric Watts. He was living at Throgmorton Street in 1826 when he wrote another "spirited poetic address" for the opening of the Brecon Eisteddfod that year. He was librarian of the Metropolitan Cambrian Society or Cymmrodorion Society
in 1828 while John Parry
was Registrar of Music. In 1829 he won a prize from the Metropolitan Cambrian Society for an essay in Welsh on "Settlement of the Normans in Wales". He was appointed editor of the new Cambrian Quarterly Magazine but was asked to resigh before the first issue was published. Pearson Thompson
invited him to Cheltenham in 1830, to undertake duties at the new Montpellier Rotunda
, where he opened the Montpellier Library, a subscription library. He appeared at the Beaumaris Eisteddfod in the same year. In 1832 he read a poem at the Royal Eisteddfod at Beaumaris attended by Princess Victoria.
, publishing the first issue in May 1833. Initially, the Looker-On was a literary periodical rather than a journal of fashion and was what it professed to be "A Note Book of the Sayings and Doings of Cheltenham". He remained editor for 57 years until his death in 1890, when his son Edward Llewellyn Davies took over publication. As well as editor it is likely that he was a major contributor to the periodical’s literary output. All this time he ran a circulating library and bookshop from Montpellier.
From 1837 he produced each year the "Cheltenham Annuaire", a local directory and diary. The Gentleman's Magazine, reviewing this wrote "This is a work elevated above the class to which it would otherwise belong, by the ability and good taste manifested in its accessories… The first [of a series of essays] is by the editor Mr H Davies whose talents both as an editor and as an essayist have been honourably displayed." He also produced a number of local guides.
Davies was very fond of music and in 1835 he started the St David's Day concerts in the town and was associated with them for the rest of his life. For this, in 1870 he received a testimonial and a volume of subscribers which included many Welsh enthusiasts including Lady Llanover
, Lady Charlotte Schreiber
, Dowager Countess of Dunraven (Caroline, widow of the 2nd Earl of Dunraven
), Sir Thomas Phillipps
and Michael Hicks Beach MP. He inspired his children to perform and his daughter Mary sang and played the Welsh harp so beautifully, she was nicknamed "y Deryn" (the bird). He played a part in the founding of Cheltenham College
in 1842, and was very actively involved in the Literary and Philosophic Institution at Cheltenham. He was the moving spirit behind the only visit of the British Association
to Cheltenham which took place in 1856, and he acted as one of the Hon. Secretaries. He was however an implacable opponent of the establishment of a public library in the town. In 1858 he took the chair at the Llangolen Eisteddfod, regretting that he had lost his fluency in his native Welsh.
nominated in the Improvement Act of 1852, and subsequently was Chairman of that body. He remained until the town obtained a Charter of Incorporation
in 1876. He was the only Member of the Board of Commissioners who held his seat from first to last, "not indeed undisputed, but undisturbed". The strong individuality which marked his career "in the days of his health and vigour" was considered of great service to the town in many respects
He provided effective support to the Conservative Party
in the town and county both directly and through the organ of his periodical. In the 1847 election, Sir Willoughby Jones
was returned as Conservative MP for Cheltenham, after several years of Liberal dominance. The Cheltenham Examiner, which represented the Liberal Party wrote that Davies "was aided towards the prominent part he took in discussions by oratorical powers of no mean order, and by a courage in the expression of his views which enabled him to face the tumultuous and hostile demonstrations inseparable from political contest." In 1865 Davies’ political efforts helped secure the election of Charles Schreiber
as Conservative MP. His political services to the Conservative party were recognised when he was presented with a Testimonial in 1877 by James Agg-Gardner
, M.P who was returned as a Conservative three times
By the end of 1889 Davies strength began to fail. Working on his newspaper he may be said literally to have died in harness. His last expedition out of doors was to visit the Parish Church to inspect the windows presented by his friend, Mr W. H. Gwinnett and the town to the Parish Church, on which occasion the Cheltenham Chronicle recorded that he called at their office, and exchanged friendly greetings from his bath chair. The last letter which he wrote was addressed to the Mayor offering to the public library one of the volumes which had become his property after being donated to the Philosophic Institution during its existence. There is a memorial window in the North transept of the Parish Church and in this, his children dedicated a pane representing St John to his memory.
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, England who took an active part in the town’s political life, and edited the Cheltenham Looker-On
Cheltenham Looker-On
The Cheltenham Looker-On was a social and literary weekly periodical published in Cheltenham, England between 1833 and 1920.The Looker-On was founded in 1833 by Henry Davies, then the librarian and bookseller of Montpellier Spa, with its first issue in May 1833. Davies had established his own...
for 57 years.
Early life
Davies was the son of John and Ann Davies and was born at BridgendBridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
, Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
. Little is known of his childhood, but he had a good literary education, while at the same time becoming steeped in the traditions of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. At the age of 18 in 1822 he wrote patriotic Welsh poetry that was read at the Brecon Eisteddfod. In his early twenties, he spent a few years in London, establishing friendships at the London Institution
London Institution
The London Institution was an educational institution founded in London in 1806...
, and began his literary career by contributing both prose and verse to the Literary Souvenir and other publications edited by Alaric Watts. He was living at Throgmorton Street in 1826 when he wrote another "spirited poetic address" for the opening of the Brecon Eisteddfod that year. He was librarian of the Metropolitan Cambrian Society or Cymmrodorion Society
Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion
The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion was founded in 1751 as a literary society devoted to the preservation of the Welsh language. It was founded by two brothers, Lewis Morris and Richard Morris, natives of Anglesey...
in 1828 while John Parry
John Parry (Bardd Alaw)
John Parry , commonly known by his bardic name "Bardd Alaw", was a Welsh harpist and composer.-Biography:Parry was born in Denbigh, in northern Wales, the son of a stonemason...
was Registrar of Music. In 1829 he won a prize from the Metropolitan Cambrian Society for an essay in Welsh on "Settlement of the Normans in Wales". He was appointed editor of the new Cambrian Quarterly Magazine but was asked to resigh before the first issue was published. Pearson Thompson
Pearson Thompson
Pearson Thompson was an English solicitor and property developer who was responsible for the layout of a great part of Cheltenham, and of the Ladbroke Estate in London. He subsequently emigrated to Australia where he practiced law.Thompson was the son of Henry Thompson and Judith, née Teshmaker...
invited him to Cheltenham in 1830, to undertake duties at the new Montpellier Rotunda
Montpellier Rotunda
Montpellier Rotunda is a Grade I listed building in Montpellier, Gloucestershire. It is currently a Lloyds TSB bank.In 1809, Henry Thompson constructed a wooden pavilion with a colonnade and by 1817 it was rebuilt in stone as Montpellier Spa became more and more popular. He employed the architect...
, where he opened the Montpellier Library, a subscription library. He appeared at the Beaumaris Eisteddfod in the same year. In 1832 he read a poem at the Royal Eisteddfod at Beaumaris attended by Princess Victoria.
Journalism and arts
In 1833, Davies declined the Editorship of the Gloucester Chronicle, which was then about to be started, and originated his own weekly newspaper and social register, the Cheltenham Looker-OnCheltenham Looker-On
The Cheltenham Looker-On was a social and literary weekly periodical published in Cheltenham, England between 1833 and 1920.The Looker-On was founded in 1833 by Henry Davies, then the librarian and bookseller of Montpellier Spa, with its first issue in May 1833. Davies had established his own...
, publishing the first issue in May 1833. Initially, the Looker-On was a literary periodical rather than a journal of fashion and was what it professed to be "A Note Book of the Sayings and Doings of Cheltenham". He remained editor for 57 years until his death in 1890, when his son Edward Llewellyn Davies took over publication. As well as editor it is likely that he was a major contributor to the periodical’s literary output. All this time he ran a circulating library and bookshop from Montpellier.
From 1837 he produced each year the "Cheltenham Annuaire", a local directory and diary. The Gentleman's Magazine, reviewing this wrote "This is a work elevated above the class to which it would otherwise belong, by the ability and good taste manifested in its accessories… The first [of a series of essays] is by the editor Mr H Davies whose talents both as an editor and as an essayist have been honourably displayed." He also produced a number of local guides.
Davies was very fond of music and in 1835 he started the St David's Day concerts in the town and was associated with them for the rest of his life. For this, in 1870 he received a testimonial and a volume of subscribers which included many Welsh enthusiasts including Lady Llanover
Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover
Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover , born Augusta Waddington, was a Welsh heiress, best known as a patron of the Arts in Wales.-Early life:...
, Lady Charlotte Schreiber
Lady Charlotte Guest
Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Guest, , later Lady Charlotte Schreiber, was an English businesswoman and translator...
, Dowager Countess of Dunraven (Caroline, widow of the 2nd Earl of Dunraven
Windham Quin, 2nd Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl
Windham Henry Quin, 2nd Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl was an Irish Peer.The eldest son of Valentine Richard Quin, 1st Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, he was styled Lord Adare from 1816 to 1822 and Viscount Adare thereafter until he succeeded to the Earldom on the death of his father in 1824.He...
), Sir Thomas Phillipps
Thomas Phillipps
Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet was an English antiquary and book collector who amassed the largest collection of manuscript material in the 19th century, due to his severe condition of bibliomania...
and Michael Hicks Beach MP. He inspired his children to perform and his daughter Mary sang and played the Welsh harp so beautifully, she was nicknamed "y Deryn" (the bird). He played a part in the founding of Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
in 1842, and was very actively involved in the Literary and Philosophic Institution at Cheltenham. He was the moving spirit behind the only visit of the British Association
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
to Cheltenham which took place in 1856, and he acted as one of the Hon. Secretaries. He was however an implacable opponent of the establishment of a public library in the town. In 1858 he took the chair at the Llangolen Eisteddfod, regretting that he had lost his fluency in his native Welsh.
Political activity
Davies was very active in the political life of Cheltenham as an "uncompromising Conservative". All his life he took a warm and deep interest in the welfare of Cheltenham and became involved in the running of the town from around 1833. He was one of the Improvement commissionersImprovement commissioners
Boards of improvement commissioners were ad-hoc boards created during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom. They were an early form of local government.The first Improvement Commission was the Manchester Police Commission, established in 1765...
nominated in the Improvement Act of 1852, and subsequently was Chairman of that body. He remained until the town obtained a Charter of Incorporation
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....
in 1876. He was the only Member of the Board of Commissioners who held his seat from first to last, "not indeed undisputed, but undisturbed". The strong individuality which marked his career "in the days of his health and vigour" was considered of great service to the town in many respects
He provided effective support to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in the town and county both directly and through the organ of his periodical. In the 1847 election, Sir Willoughby Jones
Sir Willoughby Jones, 3rd Baronet
Sir Willoughby Jones 3rd Baronet was a Norfolk landowner and an English Conservative Party politician. He was briefly Member of Parliament for the Cheltenham constituency...
was returned as Conservative MP for Cheltenham, after several years of Liberal dominance. The Cheltenham Examiner, which represented the Liberal Party wrote that Davies "was aided towards the prominent part he took in discussions by oratorical powers of no mean order, and by a courage in the expression of his views which enabled him to face the tumultuous and hostile demonstrations inseparable from political contest." In 1865 Davies’ political efforts helped secure the election of Charles Schreiber
Charles Schreiber
Charles Schreiber was an English academic, fine arts collector and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1865 and 1884....
as Conservative MP. His political services to the Conservative party were recognised when he was presented with a Testimonial in 1877 by James Agg-Gardner
James Agg-Gardner
Sir James Tynte Agg-Gardner JP was an English brewery-owner and Conservative Party politician from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire...
, M.P who was returned as a Conservative three times
By the end of 1889 Davies strength began to fail. Working on his newspaper he may be said literally to have died in harness. His last expedition out of doors was to visit the Parish Church to inspect the windows presented by his friend, Mr W. H. Gwinnett and the town to the Parish Church, on which occasion the Cheltenham Chronicle recorded that he called at their office, and exchanged friendly greetings from his bath chair. The last letter which he wrote was addressed to the Mayor offering to the public library one of the volumes which had become his property after being donated to the Philosophic Institution during its existence. There is a memorial window in the North transept of the Parish Church and in this, his children dedicated a pane representing St John to his memory.
- "A long innings, and not ill played withal, and if some strokes fell short, and others were misjudged, the score at the close is one of which "his field" - a town he loved - will speak with some just pride and satisfaction."
Publications
His publications included various guides to Cheltenham and catalogues of picture collections- Stories of Chivalry and Romance, 1827 (attributed by Cheltenham Public Library)
- The Stranger's Guide through Cheltenham (1832), (1834) (1842) (1843)
- Catalogue of the Montpellier Library, 1843
- Catalogue of Cheltenham College Library. 1843
- Picture galleries of Thirlestone House, Cheltenham, being notices of some of the principal paintings in Lord NorthwickJohn Rushout, 2nd Baron NorthwickJohn Rushout, 2nd Baron Northwick was an English peer, landowner and collector of art works.Rushout was the son of John Rushout, 1st Baron Northwick and his wife Rebecca Bowles. He was educated at a school at Hackney rather than Eton like his father and did not go to an English university....
's collection (and variations) 1843, 1846, 1853 - The Cheltenham Looker-OnCheltenham Looker-OnThe Cheltenham Looker-On was a social and literary weekly periodical published in Cheltenham, England between 1833 and 1920.The Looker-On was founded in 1833 by Henry Davies, then the librarian and bookseller of Montpellier Spa, with its first issue in May 1833. Davies had established his own...
, 1833-1890 - Cheltenham Annuaire, 1837-