LEWIS
,
JOHN DAVID
(
1859
-
1914
),
bookseller, local historian, and founder of a printing press
.
He was b.
22 Jan. 1859
at
Llandysul
, where he lived all his life, the only son of
David
and
Hannah
Lewis
,
Market Stores
. He was educated at the following schools at
Llandysul
: the
British school
, a private school kept by
Herbert
Jones
in a house called
Penwalcau
, and
the
grammar school
kept by
Gwilym Marles
(q.v.)
— ‘
the memory of which is dear to me
,’ to quote
J. D.
Lewis
's own words. On his father's side he was descended from a highly respected family in the
Cerdin valley
, the famous
preacher
Christmas
Evans
(q.v.)
being of the same stock, while on his mother's side he was descended from a family of
well-to-do farmers
in the parish of
Cilrhedyn
. From his early days he was
interested in the literature, history, and folk-lore of his neighbourhood
, and
made a collection of books, pamphlets, and periodical
s which were of interest to
Llandysul
, either because of the subject-matter or because they were by local writers. This early
love for books and literature
caused him to start
selling Welsh books, periodicals, and papers
in his father's general shop, and was responsible for his decision in
1892
to
start a printing press
. As his assistant he engaged a young lad from
Llannerch-y-medd
,
Anglesey
, of the name of
William John
Jones
, who was to remain the
head printer
of
Messrs. J. D. Lewis and Sons
from
1892
until his death in
1955
. In
1894
the business was moved from the
Market Stores
to the present building in the ‘
Gomer Press
,’ and from then on was confined to
publishing
and
bookselling
. The press was so named probably out of compliment to
Joseph
Harris
(
Gomer
, q.v.)
whom
J. D.
Lewis
admired. The first books to be published there were
Hanes Plwyf Llandyssul
(
W. J.
Davies
,
1896
),
Hanes Plwyfi Llangeler a Phenboyr
(
Daniel E.
Jones
,
1899
), and
Hanes Plwyf Llangunllo
(
E. Cunllo
Davies
,
1905
). Here, too, were published the monthly
Cwrs y Byd
(ed.
E. Pan
Jones
), and from
1900
on
Yr Ymofyn(n)ydd
, the
Unitarian
monthly. In
1911
Lewis won a prize at the national eisteddfod held at
Carmarthen
for a collection of
Welsh
ballads, which is now in the
National Library of Wales
. He also collaborated with the late
John
Davies
(
1860
-
1939
) (q.v.)
in writing the winning essay in the national eisteddfod held at
Aberystwyth
,
1916
, ‘
Llenorion Sir Aberteifi, braslun o'u hanes a rhestr gyflawn o'u gweithiau cyhoeddedig rhwng 1600 a 1900
’. (
N.L.W. MS. 8705
.)
He m.
Hannah
Lewis
of
Llandysul
, and they had four sons. He was a
justice of the peace
, and a founder-member of the
Welsh Bibliographical Society
on the council of which he sat in
1911
. He d.
30 Sept. 1914
, and was buried in the burial-ground of the
Baptist chapel, Pen-y-bont
,
Llandysul
, of which he had been
deacon
and
treasurer
in succession to his father from the year
1899
.
Bibliography:
-
Cymru
;
-
Y Genhinen
,
Oct. 1952
, 198-202.
Author:
John Tysul Jones, M.A., (1902-86), Llandysul
