Annie Jane Hughes Griffiths
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April 5, 1873
Annie Jane Hughes Griffiths | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Annie Jane Hughes Griffiths around 1920 | |
| Born | Annie Jane Davies April 5, 1873 |
| Died | October 7, 1942 (aged 69) Aberystwyth |
| Other names | Annie Jane Ellis; Annie Jane Davies; Annie Jane Hughes-Griffiths; Mrs Peter Hughes-Griffiths; Annie Cwrt Mawr |
| Known for | Peace campaigner |
Annie Jane Hughes Griffiths (April 5, 1873 – October 7, 1942) was one of the ten children of Frances (née Humphreys) and Robert Joseph Davies, born in 1873.[1] Members of the family, including her parents and several siblings, were well-connected and leading figures in both local political and religious life. They lived in Cwrt Mawr, a large Georgian mansion near Llangeitho village in Wales.[2] She was sent to schools in Aberystwyth, London and Chester.
She spent most of her life in either Aberystwyth or London. She was at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth for three years but did not undertake degree studies. She became a public figure due to association with the University College of Wales and the campaign for a Welsh National Library. She also worked to help young Welsh women in London as part of her membership of the Welsh chapel in Charing Cross, London.[1]
Griffiths was also involved in Welsh culture. She joined the Welsh Folksong Society (Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin Cymru)[3] in 1908, soon after it was founded. She played the harp and sponsored prizes for folksongs at a student's eisteddfod in Aberystwyth in 1911.
Davies was active in the League of Nations and became the president of the Welsh National Council of the League of Nations Union by 1923. She also acted as treasurer for a peace petition from the women of Wales to the women of the US to encourage their country to join the League and thereby promote world peace following the First World War. After 390,296 signatures had been collected, Griffiths led the group that took it to America, arriving in February 1924. It was presented at formal event in a New York hotel and Griffiths subsequently toured delivering several further speeches. She met the president, Calvin Coolidge, at an informal event in the White House. Although the US did not join the League of nations, she continued her activity and support for peace and humanitarian causes.[1] The petition was returned to Wales and is now in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. It is being transcribed to be searchable on-line.[4]
Her diary of the visit to America, press cuttings, some correspondence and other papers are in the National Library in Aberystwyth.[5]
