Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1767-1951 (accumulated 1901 x 1951) / (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
0.144 cubic metres (14 boxes, 1 volume)
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Arthur John Williams (1830-1911), from Bridgend, Glamorgan, was Liberal M. P. for Glamorgan South, 1885-1895. He was called to the Bar in 1867. He was active in Liberal Party affairs for many years, and stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate for Birkenhead in 1880. He was one of the founders of the National Liberal Club in 1881. He campaigned for proportional representation and the abolition of hereditary peers in the House of Lords, corresponding with prominent Liberals on these matters. Together with Lloyd George, he promoted the disestablishment of the Church of England in Wales and the reform of land tenure in Wales. In 1887, he married Rose Harriette Thompson Crawshay (1848-1943), against the wishes of her father, Robert Thompson Crawshay of Cyfarthfa, who, in a codicil to his will, ensured that no child from the marriage would benefit from the Crawshay fortune. They had two sons, Leonard Eliot (1879-1962) and Leslie (b. 1880).
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Purchased by NLW at Phillips' saleroom, London, in 1986.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of Arthur John Williams, 1881-1943, including political papers comprising letters, 1868-1911; papers relating to legal, electoral and land reforms, 1867-1911; papers relating to his parliamentary elections in Birkenhead and Glamorgan, 1880-1895; papers relating to South Glamorgan politics, 1886-1924; material concerning the National Liberal Club, 1883-1951; diaries, 1864-1911; diaries of Rose Harriette Thompson Crawshay 1868-1943; and family and financial papers, 1767-1943.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Action: All records have been retained..
Accruals
Accruals are not expected.
System of arrangement
Arranged by NLW into the following: papers of Arthur John Williams, 1767-1951 (A-J); and papers of Rose Harriette Thompson Williams (nee Crawshay), 1848-1950 (K-Q); each is subdivided by type and date.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.
Conditions governing reproduction
Usual copyright regulations apply.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
English, Welsh.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the National Library of Wales. The catalogue can be accessed online.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Title supplied from contents of fonds. Some family papers pre-date A. J. Williams' birth. The archive also includes his wife's papers and notes made by his son, post-dating his death.
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Project identifier
Access points
Subject access points
- Politicians -- Wales -- Correspondence.
- Politicians -- Wales -- Archives.
- Elections -- Wales -- South Glamorgan.
- Land reform -- Law and legislation -- Wales.
- Liberalism -- Wales.
- Politicians -- Wales -- Diaries.
- Proportional representation -- Great Britain.
- Women -- Wales -- Diaries.
- Election districts -- Wales -- South Glamorgan.
- South Glamorgan (Wales)
- Bridgend (Wales)
- Birkenhead (England)
Place access points
Name access points
- Church of England -- Establishment and disestablishment -- Wales. (Subject)
- Liberal Party (Great Britain) (Subject)
- National Liberal Club (London, England) (Subject)
- Williams, Arthur John, 1833-1911 -- Archives (Subject)
- Crawshay-Williams, Eliot, b. 1879 (Subject)
- Williams, Rose Harriette Thompson, 1848-1943 (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Description follows ANW guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd ed.;AACR2; and LCSH
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
August 2003
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Compiled by Annette Strauch for the ANW project. The following source was used in the compilation of this description: NLW, Schedule of A. J. Williams Papers.