Peter Francis
Lot 323
WELSH FAMILY HISTORY: HENRY WATKIN LEWIS, (Welsh, died 1897), a significant, extensive and interesting archive of ephemera, photographs and personal diaries, including 1889-90 personal diary of British Empire trip to Egypt, India etc. including sketches, records of meetings with notable people including Czar of Russia, further diary of a trip to the USA including: New York; Chicago; Missouri; San Francisco; meeting President Cleveland at the Whitehouse; Chicago penitentiary etc. Further personal diary for the whole of 1887 to include: America; daily working life at Bute Docks; homelife at Abercanaid; Plymouth etc. Various sketch and diary type books including: engineering and other sketches; sketches of his horse; marine sketches; Egyptian boarding card with passenger list, 1889; collection of 50 Carte de Visite photographs and various other framed family photographs; indenture and other estate and legal type of documents; hand coloured sketches after Charles Dickens; significant number of letters, mostly from 1875, personal and work related and many other interesting entries and items. Note: Henry Watkin Lewis of Abercanaid, Merthyr Tydfil, died Harrogate, September 10th, 1897, founder of the Treherbert Engineering Works, associated with Mr. Anthony Hill at the Plymouth works and with Mr. Crawshay Bailey at Nant y Glo, significant for his mechanical and engineering abilities and for risking his life in situations of colliery accidents, one notably at Tynewydd, where his services were recognised by the bestowal of a medal bearing that name. One on the oldest members of the South Wales Institute of Engineers, a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and one of the original members of the Iron and Steel Institute. Founder Director of the Bute Ship Building and Engineering Works, Cardiff.
