John Kenneth Williams, Llysnewydd Cilycwm, papers

The collection contains the diaries of John Kenneth Williams of Henllys Estate Farm, Llandovery, later Llysnewydd Cilycwm. Born 18 august 1912, died 2007. A total of 73 diaries from 1935 to 2007 detailing farming and domestic life in rural Carmarthenshire. The diaries outline the daily duties of the farms at Henllys Estate and later the smallholding near Waungroeddir, Cilycwm where he and his wife Betty continued to rear sheep well into their retirement years. The diaries include detailed information about the planting and harvesting of various crops as well as a wide range of animal husbandry. They also provide an insight to the cultural and domestic life of surrounding uplands near Llandovery. Also in the collection miscellaneous items relating to the Williams and Thomas families of Henllys, Llandovery and Cilycwm. They include references to the Rev. Thomas Williams, a former pastor at St. Matthew, Highfied, Winstanley, Wigan, who had travelled widely through Europe, eventually settling in Nice, France.

The Henllys estate was originally owned from the early 16th Century by the Lewis family of Morgan Gwal Y Ci then in 1788 to 1815 the property was occupied by Colonel David Williams of the East India Company. Colonel David Williams nephew, William Jones occupied the property from 1815 to 1850.From 1919 the property was rented by Rev Constable and sold to Ken Williams in 1945. Ken Williams also inherited the Old Post Office at Cilycwm, Carmarthenshire, and with it the adjacent 25 acres of smallholding land at Waungroeddir, on which he built the bungalow Llys-Newydd on retiring from full time farming, continuing to raise close wool sheep there.

Chronological order

Ar Agor / Open

Dim cyfyngiadau / No Restrictions

Adnau preifat / Private deposit

Acc No: 8040.

Mae copiau clawr caled o`r catalogau ar gael yn Archifau Sir Gaerfyrddin ac yn y Gofrestr Cenedlaethol Archifau. Polisi Archifau Sir Gaerfyrddin yw catalogio yn iaith y ddogfen / Hard copies of the catalogue are available at Carmarthenshire Archives and the National Register of Archives. It is the policy of Carmarthenshire Archives to catalogue in the language of the document.

Cyflwr da / Good condition

Compiled by Gareth H. Davies for Archifau Sir Gaerfyrddin / Carmarthenshire Archives using the following source: Carmarthenshire Archives Service, Business Records.

Mae'r holl gofnodiadau sy'n cydymffurfio â pholisi casglu Archifau Sir Gaerfyrddin wedi eu cadw / All records which meet the collection policy of the Carmarthenshire Archives have been retained

Deposited on the 21st October 2008.

Ni ddisgwylir croniadau / Accruals are not expected