Grave of William Allan
William Allan (d.1911)
William Allan was headmaster of the National School for boys in Conwy for 40 years. The school building (now home to a shop called Conwy Visitor Centre) remains a landmark in the town.
He grew up in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, and trained as a teacher at Carmarthen College. He was offered two headships in 1871 and chose Conwy, taking up the post at the age of 20. It was said that he was unusually successful in getting boys through exams, and many of his pupils won scholarships to continue their education.
National Schools were created to provide education for children from poorer households. Children from the local workhouse attended the girls’ and boys’ National Schools in Conwy, and in 1888 William praised them for good conduct and for getting full marks in their exams. By then he was master of both schools.
William was also an organist at St Mary’s Church, vice-president of Conwy Boy Scouts and master of St David’s Masonic Lodge, Bangor. He lived with his wife Mary in Victoria Terrace, Rosemary Lane. The couple had at least six children.
In August 1911 he was taken ill while having tea after a long walk. He died a fortnight later, aged 60. It was estimated that half the town’s population attended his funeral. Many of his past pupils travelled “from far and near” to attend.
Mary lived for another 30 years and is also buried here. Her son Sinclair was headmaster in the school building which is now Conwy Church Hall, where his pupils included Betty Pattinson, later a Conwy historian. She recalled in 2019 that one of Sinclair’s sisters, called Gail, taught at the school in Plas Mawr.