Thomas, Sir James William Tudor Thomas (1893-1976)
Leading Opthalmic Surgeon. Thomas was born in industrial Ystradgynlais, the son of the schoolmaster at Ynyscedwyn school. He graduated from cardiff University and went on to train at Middlesex Hospital. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the Great War. From 1921 he settled in cardiff as an opthalmic surgeon at the cardiff Royal Infirmary. He pioneered research into corneal grafts and achived world fame in 1934 when he restored the site of a man using this technique. In 1935 he set up a corneo-plastic department at Central London Opthalmic Hospital. He was knighted in 1956 and served as High Sheriff of Breconshire.
[DWB; "Awakening the Giants " leaflet]
[DWB; "Awakening the Giants " leaflet]
Thomas, Onfel MBE (1911-1979)
Born in Carmarthenshire, he spent most of his adult life in Breconshire. He taught at Hay-on-Wye and in 1952 became Headmaster of Builth Wells County Primary School. Highly regarded among his fellow professionals he served on many ministry and university committees. His services to education were recognised with the award of an MBE in 1975. He was a devoted local historian, a regular contributor to Brycheiniog and closely involved with the publication of Atlas Brycheiniog. He recorded many older inhabitants of Breconshire for an oral history collection. He served as a member of the Court of Governors of the National Library of Wales for many years and was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
[B 18]
[B 18]
Thomas, Captain W. Morgan (1867-1906)
Chief Constable of the Breconshire Constabulary 1905-6. Born in Llandovery the son of John Morgan Thomas former manager of a bank in Brecon. He was educated at Christ’s College, Brecon and Cheltenham after which he worked for a while in a bank in Brecon before obtaining a commission in the 3rd Battalion of the South Wales Borderers. He served with the regiment 9 years, retiring with the rank of Captain. He then joined Nottingham police force as a PC serving under a Chief Constable who was himself from Brecon. After 3 years there he took a post as superintendent of the Swansea police, rising to Deputy-Chief Constable. His appointment as the Chief Constable of the Breconshire Constabulary was very popular and he was much respected by his fellow officers in the county. He died in 1906.
[The Brecon & Radnor County Times, March 16th 1906]
[The Brecon & Radnor County Times, March 16th 1906]
Thomas, William (d.1554)
Born at Llanigon or possibly Crickhowell, Thomas earned a considerable reputation as a scholar in the 16th century. After leaving Oxford in 1529 he entered government service and was involved in some way in the dissolution of the monasteries. He seems to have been responsible for paying the pensions of the former nuns at Limebrook convent near Lingen. He worked under the patronage of Sir Anthony Browne, Master of the King’s Horse to Henry VIII, and was rewarded by him with the posts of Clerk of the Peace and of the Crown for Radnorshire, Breconshire and Montgomeryshire. He became a convinced Protestant in 1545 but had to flee to Italy when he used public funds to pay his gambling debts. In Italy he wrote several works which he published on his return to England in 1549. He established himself with the new Protestant hierarchy and became Clerk to the Privy Council and received the manors of Presteigne, Builth and Elvael and the rectory of Presteigne. He had the ear of King Edward VI and was probably the first writer to advocate English as a proper language for historical and philosophical debate. The ascension to the throne of the catholic Mary Tudor and her marriage to Philip of Spain must have caused concern and Thomas allowed himself to get involved in discussion of a possible overthrow of Mary with Sir Nicholas Arnold. When a Catholic crackdown gathered momentum Thomas came to London to appeal to the Queen but was denounced by Arnold and thrown in the Tower. He was hanged, beheaded and quartered at Tyburn in 1554.
[Stephens; Keith Parker in Presteigne Parish Magazine 1995]
[Stephens; Keith Parker in Presteigne Parish Magazine 1995]
Three Cocks: Old Gwernyfed, Felindre
Present house was probably built c1600 and modernised in 1633 by Williams family of Ystalyfera, near Swansea. They also built Llangoed at Llyswen and made that their home. These were Catholic sympathisers who harboured priests in Cromwellian times. The projecting porch has a 13th century doorway (possibly from Llanthony Abbey) used as an arch. After a disastrous fire in 1780 the Williams family, which had married into the Woods of Norfolk, moved away leaving Old Gwernyfed as a farmhouse. Re-used as a residence by the Woods during World War II. Extensively restored by the Beetham family from 1964.
[Western Mail, 1990; Haslam]
[Western Mail, 1990; Haslam]
Tibbott, William (d.1830)
Tried at Montgomeryshire Great Sessions 1830 for murder of his father and executed. In the parish of Llanllwchaearn on 27 July 1830 he mixed 8 drachms of white arsenic into the food of his father John who swallowed the food, was sick and distempered and died the following day. His execution is reported in the Shrewsbury Chronicle. In a broadsheet his age is given as 40.
[Mossop]
[Mossop]
Tir Ralph
Commote in Brycheiniog consisting of the parishes of:
Y Faenor, Llanddeti, Llanfigan, Llanfihangel Talyllyn, Llanfilo, Llanfrynach, Llangasty, Llanhamlach, Llansanffraid, Llan-y-wern.
[Richards]
Y Faenor, Llanddeti, Llanfigan, Llanfihangel Talyllyn, Llanfilo, Llanfrynach, Llangasty, Llanhamlach, Llansanffraid, Llan-y-wern.
[Richards]