Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Davies, Robert
DAVIES, ROBERT (1816–1905), philanthropist, born at Llangefni, Anglesey, on 1 April 1816, was second son of Richard Davies (1778–1849) by Anne, daughter of Owen Jones of Coedhowel near Llangefni. The father (son of a yeoman at Capel Farm, Llangristiolus) was a general store-keeper at Llangefni and a Calvinistic methodist. Robert was educated at the national school, Llangefni, and at a private school at Chester. As he and his brothers grew up, their father extended his business, opening a branch for importing timber and iron at Menai Bridge, which he placed under the management of his eldest son, John, who died unmarried in 1848 and to whose business ability the successful development of the family firm was largely due. A foundry at Carnarvon was put under Robert's charge, while a store at Red-wharf Bay was entrusted to the youngest son, Richard. From purchasing ships to carry their own timber the firm came to confine itself to shipowning, with headquarters at Menai Bridge (where the three brothers settled), and the other businesses were disposed of. While at Carnarvon, Robert took an active part in the work of a ragged school there, and in subsequent years he had charge of a class of children in a Sunday school of which he was for a short time superintendent. With these exceptions, and that of serving as high sheriff for Anglesey for 1862, he took no part in public work. About 1856 he settled at Bodlondeb, a house overlooking the Menai Straits, near Bangor, and here he led a somewhat eccentric and parsimonious life, letting his share of the profits of the business accumulate. After 1885 he began giving money, generally anonymously or under assumed names, towards liquidating the debts of Calvinistic methodist chapels. He was popularly credited with giving half a million sterling towards chapel debts, but most probably it did not much exceed 150,000l. His other benefactions were 177,000l. to endow the Welsh Methodist Mission in India, 10,000l. to an orphanage (of the same connexion) at Bontnewydd, Carnarvon, and 10,000l. to the British and Foreign Bible Society (of which he was a vice-president). At a cost of 5000l. he built an English chapel for his connexion at Menai Bridge (where he is commemorated by a window and tablet), and gave 1200l. towards restoring the Welsh chapel at the same place, to the erection of which he and his brother had contributed largely. His gifts to educational objects, comparatively few and small, included 1000l. to the founding of the Normal College at Bangor in 1856, 1000l. to the University College at the same place in 1884, besides assistance in establishing and maintaining a British school at Menai Bridge. His almsgiving took the eccentric form of a weekly distribution for many years of twelve lbs. of flour to from seventy to a hundred persons, presumably poor, but not a few of them undeserving. It was a condition that each recipient should personally fetch this dole from Bodlondeb on Tuesday in each week.
Davies died unmarried and intestate at Bodlondeb on 29 Dec. 1905, and was buried in the parish churchyard of Llangefni. His estate was valued at under 500,000l.
His younger brother, Richard Davies (1818–1896), possessed business and public qualities of a high order. A liberal in politics, he unsuccessfully contested Carnarvon Boroughs in 1852, but in 1868 he was returned unopposed for his native county of Anglesey, for which he sat till 1886. He was high sheriff of Anglesey in 1858, and was appointed its lord-lieutenant by Gladstone on 27 April 1884, being probably the first nonconformist to hold those offices in Wales. He died at his residence, Treborth, near Bangor, on 27 Oct. 1896. He married in 1855 Annie, only child of the Rev. Henry Rees, a nonconformist divine, of Liverpool, and left issue (Mardy Rees, Notable Welshmen, p. 445).