Davies, Elwyn, 1908-1986

Person

Davies, Elwyn, 1908-1986

Dr Elwyn Davies (1908-1986), administrator, was the son of the Rev. Ben Davies (1878-1958), minister at Eglwys Capel Newydd, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. Elwyn Davies studied geography at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; his MA thesis was 'Seasonal sheep-movements in Wales' (1933) and his PhD thesis 'Race, demography and rural settlement in the Isle of Man' (1937). He became a civil servant, and was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Department of the Ministry of Education in 1963. He served on the Council of the National Library of Wales NLW and was President of the library, 1977-1986. He also served the National Museum of Wales and the Court of the University of Wales. Elwyn Davies was interested in transhumance and published academic papers on the subject. His publications include Welsh rural communities (1960), Rhestr o enwau lleoedd / A gazetteer of Welsh place-names (3rd ed., 1967) and 'Hafod, hafoty and lluest', Ceredigion, 9 (1980), pp. 1-41.
Professor Alun Davies of the History Department, University College Swansea, was Elwyn's brother; he was a member of the Council of the Historical Association, 1969-1977.

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