Papers of William Jones MP

This collection comprises a range of documents relating to William Jones including material relating to his career as a teacher before entering parliament and afterwards as Liberal MP for Caernarfon. It also includes material relating to family and local affairs.

Items 5446-5465, consist of diaries and notebooks, some containing lists of addresses of friends, Liberal agents, and a variety of inquirers. Items 5454-5465 contain notes on his visits to the USA and India, the latter as part of the Anglo-Indian Temperance Association in 1906, including notes on people he met there, addresses he intended to look up and observations on all kinds of educational institutions.

Items 5466-5486, contain letters, some, often undated, are from his sister Jane Jones at Llangefni, referring to career, political, family and local matters; others are from teaching colleagues and friends. Also includes press cuttings, memoranda etc.

Items 8194-8198, contain letters, press cuttings, texts and extracts of speeches including posthumous tributes to William Jones, in the Welsh and English language press and letters of condolence.

William Jones MP (1857-1915) was Liberal Party MP for Arfon Division, Caernarfonshire, north Wales and a government whip for Wales.

A popular man, known for his skill as a political orator in the Welsh and English languages, he was born at Ceint Bach, Penmynydd, near Llangefni, Anglesey. His career began as a teacher at the British School in Llangefni before he attended a teacher-training course at Coleg Normal in Bangor from 1873 -1875. After this he became head master of Goginan School near Aberystwyth and about 1879, went to teach at a north London school, where he stayed until 1888 and then spent a period of about six years at Oxford working as a tutor. When William Rathbone retired as Arfon representative in 1894, William Jones won an easy victory to succeed him the following year and held this position until his unexpected death in 1915.

Material is arranged in chronological order and incorporated into the General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts .

Open to all users

Deposited ca. 1944 by E.E. Jones of Bodnant, Llangefni, Anglesey.

Description compiled by Anne Lenaghan, December 2001.

Item level word-processed list is available at the Archives Department of the University of Wales, Bangor. Reference numbers: General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts: 5446-5486, 8194-8198

Usual copyright conditions apply. Reprographics are made at the discretion of the Archivist.