David Lloyd George statue, Caernarfon

button_lang_welsh button_lang_frenchDavid Lloyd George statue, Y Maes, Caernarfon

The statue of David Lloyd George in Y Maes (Castle Square) was unveiled in 1921, when he was still Britain’s Prime Minister.

He was born in Manchester to Welsh parents in 1863. His schoolmaster father died in 1864 and the family moved to Llanystumdwy, where his mother’s brother was a shoemaker.

After attending Llanystumdwy school he was articled to solicitors in Porthmadog, passing his final examinations in 1884. His new practice in Criccieth soon expanded into other towns. He joined the local debating society and in 1889, aged 26, won a seat on Caernarvonshire County Council (newly created by the Local Government Act 1888). There he was known as the “Boy Alderman” – for the rest of his life!

For the same county Lloyd George became a magistrate (JP) in 1910, chairman of Quarter Sessions (1929-38) and Deputy Lieutenant (1921). It was at his instigation that Caernarfon Castle hosted the Prince of Wales’ 1911 investiture.

In 1890 Lloyd George narrowly won a Parliamentary by-election for Caernarvon Boroughs, the boroughs of Caernarfon, Bangor, Conwy, Criccieth, Nefyn and Pwllheli. He held the seat as a Liberal until two months before his death in 1945. The town’s former Liberal Club is a short distance north of here.

He held key Government posts: President of the Board of Trade (1905-1908); Chancellor of the Exchequer (1908-1915); Minister of Munitions (1915-1916); and Prime Minister (1916-1922).

He was a controversial figure, particularly for his stances on the Boer War, Palestine and Irish independence. Although mostly supporting votes for women, his fluctuating stance made him an enemy of the suffragette movement and his meetings were often disrupted. His personal life was sometimes a source of gossip but he is primarily remembered as the initiator of the welfare state and as Britain’s leader in the First World War.

He died at Llanystumdwy on 26 March 1945 and is buried beside the River Dwyfor. His daughter Megan was Wales’ first female MP. His son Gwilym was Minister for Food and Power in the Second World War and later Home Secretary.

This statue was created by Sir William Goscombe John and unveiled on 6 August 1921 by William Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia, who grew up in Llandudno, with Dame Margaret Lloyd George representing her husband. The panels on the plinth depict Llanystumdwy school and the post-war peace conference in Paris in 1919.

With thanks to Robert Cadwalader

Postcode: LL55 2NN    View Location Map

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