Category: societies

4 October (1940) Fire at the Cliff Hotel

  • 4 1940 (Fri.) Fire at the Cliff Hotel caused £200 of damage
  • 4 1892 (Tues.) Death of Col. C W Miles, owner of the Priory Estate at Burton Hill House, Malmesbury, Wiltshire. 6th son of Mr Philip John Miles, MP, Col Miles was succeeded by his son Capt Napier Miles of the First Life Guards.
  • 4 1843 (Wed.) Y Gwir Iforiaid (Cardigan Lodge of the True Ivorites) composed of 129 full members.

18 June (1880) Revd John Williams begins his ministry at Bethania

  • 18 1760 (Sat) 1st official meeting of the Sea Sarjants, in the Long Room, Black Lion.
Revd John Williams (1850–1929)
Revd John Williams  (1850–1929)
  • 18 1880 (Fri.) Revd John Williams begins his ministry in Bethania. He arrived in Bethania from Birkenhead. A native of Llansadwrn, he was a popular minister and a prominent individual in the political life of the town and county. He became a member of the Cardigan School Board in 1882, and a chairman of that body ten years later. In 1895 – a year before the new school opened – he became a chairman of the Board of Governers of the Secondary School and he remianed so until his resignation in 1913. He was elected again in 1929. He became a county councillor shortly after the establishment of the County Council in 1889 and he was a chairman twice, in 1894–5 and again in 1914–15. He was elected alderman in 1916.  He served on almost every committee on the County Council and he was chairman of the education committee for three consecutive years and a chairman of the police committee twice. He was also a member of the Court of Aberystwyth and Cardiff colleges for many years. In 1903 he became a member of the Board of Guardians and from 1911 onwards was the chairman. He was also chairman of the Cardigan and District Education Committee and a chairman of the local Pension committee. He served as a JP for many years.

He also climbed the ranks within the Baptists and achieved presidency of the Baptist Union of Wales in 1905. He was a staunch Liberal and when he died in 1929 the officials of Bethania received a telegram from the former Prime Minister David Lloyd George:

‘Deeply regret to hear of the death of my old friend, Rev. John Williams … It will be a real loss not only to Cardiganshire but to Liberalism throughout Wales.’

Revd John Williams was probably one of the most influential person in Cardigan during the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 2oth century.

3 May (1824) Cymreigyddion established in the Angel

  • 3 1824 (Mon.) Cymdeithas Cymreigyddion Aberteifi was established at the Angel. Meetings were held on 1st Wed in each month. Present in the first meeting: Thomas Bowen, esq.,; vice pres Stephen Williams; chairman Rev John Herring, minister at Bethania; treasurer David Mathias; sec James Jones; poet J M Jones (Ioan Cunllo)

Cymdeithas, urddas a harddwch – y wlad

A’i haelodau harddflwch;

Ac eres dan Gwladgarwch

Trwy’n mynwesau’n fflamiau fflwch.

Brwd haf yn Aberteifi – yw weithian

Ar yr Iaith lan wisgi;

Boneddion, bawb, yn noddi

Ffrydiau per ei phurdeb hi.

 

30 March (1985) The day Cardigan’s bookies were in tears!

  • 30 1985 (Sat.) Hywel Davies’s big day winning the Grand National on Last Suspect at 50-1

History of the 1985 Grand National

Story of Last Suspect

1985 Grand National

  • 30 1908 (Mon.) Freemasons formed at Black Lion. Earliest members included William Woodward, David Davies solicitor, Llewelyn Davies, schoolmaster, D. Lloyd Jones, bank manager, G. W. Potter, Dr George E. Jones, Jenkin Jones, H. Nicholson, and M. L. Jones.
  • 30 1970 (Mon.) Tudor James, 7 Priory St., takes over newspaper round from J. C. Roberts, High St.

 

8 January (1872) Fire at J. R. Daniel

  • 8 1872 (Mon.) Oddfellows movement instituted in Cardigan. Some will claim to have seen odd fellows in Cardigan before this date!
  • 8 1872 (Mon.) Fire destroyed premises of J. R. Daniel, Cabinet Maker, St. Mary’s Street. The Council met and decided to purchase a Fire Engine. A manual Fire Engine cost £102. The money was to be raised by public subscription. Not really surprising then that a second hand fire engine (called ‘Ada’ from Neath), was not bought until the early 1930s! Until then it was buckets only.
  • 8 1867 (Tues.) ‘John Stuart’ lifeboat rescues the ‘Coronation’ of Bideford.