Gwredog Farm Diaries

E.J.

These are of great value, because they illustrate in a very comprehensive manner the administration of one of the largest farms in Anglesey - the Gwredog rent, to Lord Stanley of Penrhos, was £217 per annum; it was a common occurrence for Elias Jones to receive £432 for one sale of oxen (21 June 1873), £540 on 14 June 1875. The stock of cattle alone at the beginning of 1883 was 44 cows, 10 heifers, 3 bulls. The outgoings and incomings are faithfully entered here day by day - wages of cowmen, blacksmiths, &c., the export of butter; transactions with Bangor butchers; the sale of oats and potatoes.

E.J. inherited important interests at Penmaenmawr - a good deal is heard of his negociations with the Darbishres. He was in great demand to settle disputes among neighbours and others in the country; he also acted frequently as valuer and arbitrator, e.g. his reference to the Tyfatta apportionment opposite 25 March 1873, is corroborated by Bangor Ms. 638, 19, which preserves his actual award written out two dates later.

Besides the multifarious incidents of a large farm, there are chronicled here important family references, such as the emigration to the U.S.A. of E.J.'s brothers Samuel and William (see Diaries marked 53, 54, 59). There was great interest in the General Election of 1874, see entries under 1 November 1873, and 6 February 1874. Several entries about the British School of Rhosybol - a draft testimonial to the schoolmaster (dated 11 September 1875, but entered in 1874), visits of inspectors; amount of Government grant. Naturally his election as first County Councillor for the parishes of Rhosybol and Llanddyfrydog was a matter of great pleasure to him; he was the provisional chairman at the first meeting of the County Council (entries: 1889, 22-23 January: 31 January).

Mr. Elias Jones died on 3 October 1892. It is highly significant of his generous broad-mindedness that almost the last entry in the diary written in his own hand was to record a gift of £2 to the Baptist cause at Rhosybol. The rest of the diary is written up by his children. It is important to note that though much the greater part of MSS.51-82 have been written by E.J. himself, yet his son O. Lloyd Jones also kept his own diary (in which the entries are much shorter and fewer), and Miss Jones has one diary all to herself (GWR/67). Further, both son and daughter jotted down particulars in their father's diaries.