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Elizabeth Amy Dillwyn - the Life of a Remarkable Woman

Born in 1845 to one of Swansea’s most prominent industrial families, Elizabeth Amy Dillwyn, known as Amy, was the third child of Elizabeth De la Beche and Swansea MP Lewis Llewellyn Dillwyn. Brought up in wealth and privilege at the family home at Hendrefoilan in Killay, Amy would have been expected to live the cossetted, conventional life that society deemed appropriate for women of her fortune and status during Queen Victoria's reign. However, nothing about Amy was conventional and she led a much more varied and adventurous life than seemed destined for her. She was during her lifetime an industrialist, a writer, a campaigner and a pioneer.

The blue plaque commemorating Amy Dillwyn's life. Photograph by Eva Barker.

In 1863 Amy’s life looked assured to follow the traditional Victorian values of matrimony and motherhood. At 18 she had accepted an offer of marriage from Llewellyn Thomas of Llwynmadoc, whom she had known since they were children. The marriage was not to be, however, as Llewellyn unfortunately died of smallpox in early 1864. Amy never accepted another offer of marriage. Following her fiancé’s death, she became more active in working for the community of Killay in Swansea, at that time an area of real deprivation. She established a class for girls at the Sunday School, co-founded a reading room and visited those who were sick or injured. She was also devout in her faith, and at one time considered joining an Anglican sisterhood.

From her late twenties, Amy experienced a period of illness which kept her largely confined to Hendrefoilan. To keep herself active, she turned to literature and wrote 6 novels. Her book The Rebecca Riots (1880) is written from the perspective of the rioters and reveals a sympathy for them that, in light of Amy’s own class, is surprising. Her later novels, particularly Jill (1884) are significant contributions to the queer literature of the period. Amy’s diaries reveal her deep enduring love for her friend Olive Talbot, who she refers to as her ‘wife’.

Amy’s father, Lewis Llewellyn Dillwyn, died in 1892 of a stroke and Amy’s beloved Hendrefoilan passed to the next male heir, depriving her of her home. She instead inherited her father’s spelter works at Llansamlet, although it may have seemed a poisoned chalice as the works had debts of nearly £100,000. Amy was up to the challenge, and through hard work and frugal living she was able to turn the spelter works around, paying off her father’s debts and securing the deeds outright.

Having ensured the success of her business, Amy secured her position as one of Swansea’s most prominent citizens. She held positions on the school board, the education board and the Board of Guardians, and sought election to the Local Authority. She was a strong supporter of suffrage for women and we would today think of her as a feminist for her promotion of women’s rights.

In her later years, Amy achieved a measure of celebrity. Her distinctive dress, her forthright manner and willingness to always speak her opinion and especially her penchant for good cigars led to interest in her from the press, and she was the subject of newspaper articles in publications from around the world. Amy’s remarkable life ended in 1935 after a short illness a few months after her ninetieth birthday.

Amy Dillwyn’s diaries, notebooks and papers are held at the Richard Burton Archives at Swansea University. They provide fascinating insights into her extraordinary life, thoughts and ideas which show her progress and development into the woman that many remember her as today. In these webpages we have sought to share some of these with you.

References

Richard Burton Archives - Swansea University

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Elizabeth Amy Dillwyn - the Life of a Remarkable Woman

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