Robert William Griffiths

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.

Infobox Writer
name = Robert William Griffiths

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caption = Portrait as High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1953
birthdate = birth date|1896|5|28|mf=y
birthplace = Montgomeryshire, Wales
deathdate = death date|1962|1|29|mf=y
deathplace = London, England
occupation = farmer, businessman, High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire

Family

The son of Montgomeryshire 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 [ [http://library.cf.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Pscandoc.cgi?app=9&folder=43&doc=1 GRIFFITHS, William Arthur: ‘The 150th Anniversary of the Death of Ann Griffiths, of Dolwar Fach, the Hymn Writer (1776-1805)’, The Montgomeryshire Collections, vol. 53, part 1 (1953), pp.18-33.] ] .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.

Dairy Farming

During World War I he started farming a rented 99 acre hill farm at Garthllwyd with six Blue Albion milking cows and a hand operated seperator [ [http://www.theresposh.com/NMB/emails/email_001/nmb_gold_jb_1.html Farmers Weekly, May 20th 1983] ] . As the herd grew, he was unsatisfied by thelow 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 herenovated 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 convert|900|acre|km2.In the 1950s he bought Woodlands and then the convert|2000|acre|km2|sing=on 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 [ [http://www.walcothall.com/about.shtml History of Walcot Hall] ] .

R.W. Griffiths built up his prize winning Montgomery Herd of tubercular tested pedigree Friesian cows at Woodlands by introducing bulls from asfar away as the Netherlands and Canada. To further his pedigree breeding plans he became a partner in one of the first artificial inseminationand 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 theRoyal Welsh Agricultural Society responsible for the establishment of the permanent groundsfor the Royal Welsh Show at Llanelwedd near Builth Wells in mid Wales. Because of his interest in thefuture 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.

National Mik 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 [ [http://www.theresposh.com/NMB/emails/email_001/nmb_opens_1937_report.html NEWS REVIEW, February 4th 1937] ] . The bars had black and white chequered floors, jukeboxes and 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 where65% 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 [ [http://www.classiccafes.co.uk/welsh_cafes.htm Classic Cafes] ] .

High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire

In recognition of his achievements as a farmer and businessman he was appointed High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire 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.

References

External links

* [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp72145 Portraits of RW Griffiths at the National Portrait Gallery]