Robert William Griffiths
Encyclopedia
Robert William Griffiths (28 May 1896 – 29 Jan 1962) was a farmer and businessman whose principal interests lay in dairy farm production in Wales
. The Griffiths philosophy was to explore all markets, pinpoint the best and gear production to exploit it. He was appointed High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire
in 1953.
Councillor
Robert Griffiths of Cynhinfa and his wife, Mary Anne Tudor; the eldest of four children.
He was descended in an unbroken male line from Brochwel Ysgithrog
through the Princes of Powys, Elisedd ap Cyngen
and Ieuan, the older brother of Sir Gruffudd Vychan
.
His family had lived in Montgomeryshire
for as long as records are available.
His 19th century ancestors were active in the Welsh Methodist revival
, one of whom married the Welsh hymn-writer Ann Griffiths
.
He was educated at Llanfyllin
British School and The Oaks Institute, Liverpool
.
He married Florence Gethin in 1922 with whom he had his only child Barbara in the same year.
he started farming a rented 99 acre
hill farm at Garthllwyd with six Blue Albion milking cows and a hand operated separator. As the herd grew, he was unsatisfied by the
low price he could get for his milk locally, so started to produce cream that he sold to Harrods
in London
. In 1926 he moved to a larger farm, Woodlands at Forden, Powys
where he
renovated the farm buildings and equipment, enlarged his herd, improved their productivity and then expanded further by renting other farms in the area.
By 1937 R.W. Griffiths was milking cows on 900 acres (3.6 km²).
In the 1950s he bought Woodlands and then the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) Walcot Estate near Lydbury North
from the Earl of Powis
, which had come
into his family when Robert Clive
purchased it on his return from India
in 1760.
R.W. Griffiths built up his prize winning Montgomery Herd of tubercular tested pedigree Friesian
cows at Woodlands by introducing bulls from as
far away as the Netherlands and Canada. To further his pedigree breeding plans he became a partner in one of the first artificial insemination
and progeny testing companies in the UK. In 1961 he won the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's coveted Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Award for an exceptional contribution to dairy farming in Wales.
He was a prominent member of the National Farmer's Union, and a member of the regional Committee of the Milk
Marketing Scheme when it was established in the 1930s - later to become Dairy Crest
. He was a council member of the
Royal Welsh Agricultural Society responsible for the establishment of the permanent grounds
for the Royal Welsh Show
at Llanelwedd
near Builth Wells
in mid Wales. Because of his interest in the
future of agriculture he became a governor of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, and a
member of the Agricultural Research Council, following one of whose meetings in London he died in 1962.
gleaming chrome fixtures, with stools beside bars selling milk and related products.
At the end of World War II
he was operating 11 milk bars and the Four Crosses Creamery, Llanymynech
- later operated by Dairy Crest
.
At their height, there were 17 National Milk Bars in North Wales and North West England where
65% of the milk, cream, pigmeat, eggs, bread and confectionary sold came from R.W. Griffiths'
bakery, creamery and farm. In the 1960s The Beatles
frequented the milk bar in Lime Street,
Liverpool
and many teenagers followed their example.
in 1953, and was responsible for events in the county relating to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
.
In 1956 Queen Elizabeth II
awarded him the honour of Commander of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The Griffiths philosophy was to explore all markets, pinpoint the best and gear production to exploit it. He was appointed High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire
High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire
The office of High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire was established in 1541 since when a High Sheriff was appointed annually until 1974 when the office was transformed into that of High Sheriff of Powys as part of the creation of Powys from the amalgamation of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and...
in 1953.
Family
The son of MontgomeryshireMontgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
Robert Griffiths of Cynhinfa and his wife, Mary Anne Tudor; the eldest of four children.
He was descended in an unbroken male line from Brochwel Ysgithrog
Brochwel Ysgithrog
Brochwel ap Cyngen , better known as Brochwel Ysgrithrog, was a king of Powys in Eastern Wales. The unusual nickname Ysgithrog has been translated as ‘of the canine teeth’, ‘the fanged’ or ‘of the tusk’ .-Family:Brochwel was the son of King Cyngen Glodrydd and his wife St...
through the Princes of Powys, Elisedd ap Cyngen
Elisedd ap Cyngen
-Biography:He was a son of Cyngen ap Cadell the last King of Powys of the Gwerthyrnion Dynasty who claimed descent through Brochwel Ysgithrog. Cyngen died in Rome in 855 having fled the aggression of Gwynedd...
and Ieuan, the older brother of Sir Gruffudd Vychan
Sir Gruffudd Vychan
Sir Gruffudd Vychan was a Welsh knight who supported the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr against the English, captured the Lollard John Oldcastle and was finally executed after the murder of Sir Christopher Talbot.-Family:...
.
His family had lived in Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
for as long as records are available.
His 19th century ancestors were active in the Welsh Methodist revival
Welsh Methodist revival
The Welsh Methodist revival was an evangelical revival that revitalised Christianity in Wales during the 18th century. Methodist preachers such as Griffith Jones, William Williams and Howell Harris were such powerful speakers that they converted thousands of people back to the church...
, one of whom married the Welsh hymn-writer Ann Griffiths
Ann Griffiths
Ann Griffiths was a Welsh poet and writer of Methodist Christian hymns.-Biography:Ann was born in April 1776 near the village of Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa, six miles from the market town of Llanfyllin in Powys...
.
He was educated at Llanfyllin
Llanfyllin
Llanfyllin is a small town in Powys, Mid Wales, United Kingdom.- Location, history and amenities :Llanfyllin's population at the date of the 2001 Census was 1,407. The town lies on the River Cain by the Berwyn Mountains in Montgomeryshire. It is known for its holy well, dedicated to Saint Myllin....
British School and The Oaks Institute, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
He married Florence Gethin in 1922 with whom he had his only child Barbara in the same year.
Dairy Farming
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he started farming a rented 99 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
hill farm at Garthllwyd with six Blue Albion milking cows and a hand operated separator. As the herd grew, he was unsatisfied by the
low price he could get for his milk locally, so started to produce cream that he sold to Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1926 he moved to a larger farm, Woodlands at Forden, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
where he
renovated the farm buildings and equipment, enlarged his herd, improved their productivity and then expanded further by renting other farms in the area.
By 1937 R.W. Griffiths was milking cows on 900 acres (3.6 km²).
In the 1950s he bought Woodlands and then the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) Walcot Estate near Lydbury North
Lydbury North
Lydbury North is a village and a geographically large parish in Shropshire, England. It is locally called Lydbury and there is no settlement of "Lydbury South"....
from the Earl of Powis
Earl of Powis
Earl of Powis is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 in favour of William Herbert, 3rd Baron Powis. In 1687 he was further honoured when he was made Marquess of Powis...
, which had come
into his family when Robert Clive
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive
Major-General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, KB , also known as Clive of India, was a British officer who established the military and political supremacy of the East India Company in Bengal. He is credited with securing India, and the wealth that followed, for the British crown...
purchased it on his return from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1760.
R.W. Griffiths built up his prize winning Montgomery Herd of tubercular tested pedigree Friesian
Holstein (cattle)
Holstein cattle is a breed of cattle known today as the world's highest production dairy animal. Originating in Europe, Holsteins were bred in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland...
cows at Woodlands by introducing bulls from as
far away as the Netherlands and Canada. To further his pedigree breeding plans he became a partner in one of the first artificial insemination
and progeny testing companies in the UK. In 1961 he won the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's coveted Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Award for an exceptional contribution to dairy farming in Wales.
He was a prominent member of the National Farmer's Union, and a member of the regional Committee of the Milk
Marketing Scheme when it was established in the 1930s - later to become Dairy Crest
Dairy Crest
Dairy Crest Group plc is a major dairy products company in the United Kingdom. Its brands include Cathedral City Cheddar cheese, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite, Clover, St Ivel and Frijj. The company delivers milk to around 1.1 million households via their milkmen...
. He was a council member of the
Royal Welsh Agricultural Society responsible for the establishment of the permanent grounds
for the Royal Welsh Show
Royal Welsh Show
The Royal Welsh Show is the biggest agricultural show in Europe. It is organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, which was formed in 1904, and takes place in July of each year, at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells, in Powys, Mid Wales....
at Llanelwedd
Llanelwedd
Llanelwedd is a village near Builth Wells, in Powys, Wales. It lies within the historic boundaries of the former county of Radnorshire.-Location and geography:...
near Builth Wells
Builth Wells
Builth Wells is a town in the county of Powys, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, mid Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Wye and the River Irfon, in the Welsh of the Wye Valley. It has a population of 2,352....
in mid Wales. Because of his interest in the
future of agriculture he became a governor of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
, and a
member of the Agricultural Research Council, following one of whose meetings in London he died in 1962.
National Milk Bars
R.W. Griffiths founded Direct TT Supplies Ltd in 1933 to market the milk products of his farms directly to the public through National Milk Bars. The bars had black and white chequered floors, jukeboxes andgleaming chrome fixtures, with stools beside bars selling milk and related products.
At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was operating 11 milk bars and the Four Crosses Creamery, Llanymynech
Llanymynech
Llanymynech is a village straddling the border between Montgomeryshire/Powys, Wales and Shropshire, England about 9 miles north of the Welsh town of Welshpool. The name is Welsh for "Church of the Monks"....
- later operated by Dairy Crest
Dairy Crest
Dairy Crest Group plc is a major dairy products company in the United Kingdom. Its brands include Cathedral City Cheddar cheese, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite, Clover, St Ivel and Frijj. The company delivers milk to around 1.1 million households via their milkmen...
.
At their height, there were 17 National Milk Bars in North Wales and North West England where
65% of the milk, cream, pigmeat, eggs, bread and confectionary sold came from R.W. Griffiths'
bakery, creamery and farm. In the 1960s The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
frequented the milk bar in Lime Street,
Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and many teenagers followed their example.
High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire
In recognition of his achievements as a farmer and businessman he was appointed High Sheriff of MontgomeryshireHigh Sheriff of Montgomeryshire
The office of High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire was established in 1541 since when a High Sheriff was appointed annually until 1974 when the office was transformed into that of High Sheriff of Powys as part of the creation of Powys from the amalgamation of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and...
in 1953, and was responsible for events in the county relating to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
In 1956 Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
awarded him the honour of Commander of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.