Davies, J. Conway (James Conway), 1891-1971

Person

Davies, J. Conway (James Conway), 1891-1971

James Conway Davies (1891-1971), historian and palaeographer, was born in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. He was educated at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and Cardiff, and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. From 1916 to 1918, he lectured on economic history at Holloway College, London. In 1917, he was for a while a short course lecturer in economic history at UCW, Aberystwyth, and in October the same year, he was appointed sixth form master and Head of Department of Civics at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After a career as Secretary of the Government Hospitality Fund, the War Cabinet Committee on Peace Celebrations and the secretary, 1918-1929, to Alfred Mond, Liberal MP, Minister of Heath and later Lord Melchett, Davies became an editor at the Public Record Office. In 1938, he was appointed Consultant Archivist to Monmouthshire County Council and Court of Quarter Sessions, and established the Monmouthshire County Record Office. He worked as an archivist in the National Library of Wales, 1941-1945. He served as honorary editor of the Historical Society of the Church in Wales, and honorary consulting archivist to the Church in Wales, 1946-1952. He was lecturer in Palaeography and Diplomatic in the University of Cambridge, 1945-1947, and appointed Reader in Palaeography and Diplomatic in the Durham College and Keeper of Archives to the Dean and Chapter of Durham. He was the first editor of the Journal of the Society of the Church in Wales and edited or published materials on medieval themes and official muniments, including Baronial opposition to Edward II (1918), The Welsh assize roll 1277-1284: assize roll no 1147 (Public Record Office) (1940), Abstracts of episcopal acts and cognate documents relating to the Welsh dioceses, 1066-1272 (2 vols, 1946-1948), A calendar of the records of the Court of Augmentations relating to Wales (with E. A. Lewis, 1954), Studies presented to Sir Hilary Jenkinson (1957), The cartae antiquae rolls 11-20 (Pipe Roll Society, 1960), Catalogue of manuscripts in the library of the honourable society of the Inner Temple (OUP, 3 vols, 1972).