William Edwards
born 1719, Ty Canol farm, Groeswen, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
baptised 8th February 1719, St Ilan church, Eglwysilan, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
died 7th August 1789, Bryn Tail farm, Groeswen, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
buried St Ilan church, Eglwysilan, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
era Georgian
baptised 8th February 1719, St Ilan church, Eglwysilan, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
died 7th August 1789, Bryn Tail farm, Groeswen, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
buried St Ilan church, Eglwysilan, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
era Georgian
A biographical summary
William Edwards rose from humble beginnings to become a bridge builder of note and a non-conformist minister. He grew up on a farm in Wales, without formal education. Imbued with the confidence to make his mark, he taught himself stonemasonry, learned to read and write English in his 20s and mastered bridge construction. He has been called "a builder for both worlds" for his engineering excellence and pastoral stewardship.
Described as "an obstinate, stubborn, and self-willed boy", Edwards augmented his farm work by repairing dry stone walls — a skill gleaned from watching local masons and exploring the ruins of Caerphilly Castle. His first engineering projects were buildings, and in 1740, aged 21, he constructed an iron forge west of Cardiff Castle, powered by a leat (millstream) from the River Taff.
During the years 1746-56, Edwards built his best-known structure, a bridge over the River Taff at Pontypridd, now known as William Edwards Bridge (or Old Pontypridd Bridge). He explored the practicalities of bridge building by trying different configurations — three bridges failed and the arch that remains in use today was his fourth attempt. For many years (see side box), it had the longest single span of any bridge in Britain.
The eventual success of his record-breaking bridge led to contracts for at least 10 other smaller bridges in Wales. For three of them, such as Dolauhirion Bridge near Llandovery, he reduced dead load on the haunches and abutments by making cylindrical holes through the spandrels, as he had at Pontypridd.
His understanding of bridge design, forged by hands-on experience, soon meant local authorities turned to him for advice. He passed on his expertise to three of his four sons — David, Edward and Thomas — who also built bridges, David being the most prolific.
By the mid 18th century, Swansea was famous for smelting copper, using the plentiful south Wales coal for the process. Edwards worked on the construction of Forest Copper & Lead Works on the west bank of the River Tawe. He began associating with local industrialist John Morris (1745-1819) and prepared the town plan for the industrial village Morris instigated to house copper workers — Morriston, now part of Swansea.
A concurrent strand to Edwards' life was his involvement in religious activities. By the 1740s, the established church's influence in Wales was being challenged as the ideas of Baptist, Methodist and independent preachers gained popularity. Possibly as early as 1745, but certainly by 1752, he became a non-conformist minister and was pastor at Groeswen (White Cross) chapel, a vocation he fulfilled until his death.
| 1719 | Born (date unknown, baptised 8th February), one of at least six children of farmer Edward Dafydd (David) Edwards (c.1685-1726) and Catherine John (1690-1773) |
| 1726 | Father drowns (January) while fording the River Taff, mother moves from Ty Canol to a smaller farm at Bryn Tail with the surviving children |
| 1740 | Moves to Cardiff to construct a forge, lodges with blind baker Walter Rosser who teaches him English |
| c1741 | Marries Elizabeth Parry (1716-89), has at least five children: David (b.1748), Edward (b.1749, d.1778-82), Thomas (1750-1800), William (1751-91) who died from wounds received at the Siege of Gibraltar (1779-83) and Mary (b.1753) |
| 1742 | Groeswen Methodist chapel built, apparently under Edwards' supervision |
| c1745-52 | Preaches as an independent, possibly inspired by hearing Welsh evangelist Edmund Jones (1702-93) 'the old prophet', is ordained as a minister, has six of his hymns published (1747) |
| 1746 | Commissioned to build Pontypridd Bridge (now William Edwards Bridge or Old Pontypridd Bridge), completed 1756 (fourth attempt) |
| c1747-52 | Involved in the building of Forest Copper & Lead Works (opened 1752, largely demolished c.1840), probably also nearby Beaufort Bridge (demolished 1868) |
| 1752 | Becomes non-conformist minister of newly independent Groeswen chapel |
| 1760s | Involved in various projects in Morriston, including devising new village layout (c.1768) based on a rectilinear street grid |
| 1782 | Constructs Libanus Chapel for Morriston workers, initially no services allowed on Sundays |
| 1789 | Wife dies 4th January, Edwards dies 7th August after a long illness, bequeaths his six-volume Biblical commentary to Groeswen chapel |
Selected works
Water-powered iron forge, Cardiff, Wales, UK .... c.1740
Groeswen Chapel, Caerphilly, Wales, UK .... 1742
Pontypridd Bridge three failed attempts, River Taff, Pontypridd, Wales, UK .... 1746-1755
River Usk Bridge, Usk, Wales, UK .... 1746-1752
Pontypridd Bridge (now William Edwards Bridge), River Taff, Pontypridd, Wales, UK .... 1755-1756
Copper industry workshops, Morriston, Swansea, Wales, UK .... c.1768, dem. 1842
Aberavon Bridge, River Avon, Port Talbot, Wales, UK .... c.1740
Morriston village plan, Swansea, Wales, UK .... c.1768
Dolauhirion Bridge, River Towy, Llandovery, Wales, UK .... 1773
Glasbury Bridge, River Wye, Glasbury-on-Wye, Wales, UK .... c.1777, destroyed by flood 1795
Wychtree Bridge, River Tawe, Morriston, Swansea, Wales, UK .... 1778, dem. 1959
Libanus Chapel, Morriston, Swansea, Wales, UK .... 1782
Groeswen Chapel, Caerphilly, Wales, UK .... 1742
Pontypridd Bridge three failed attempts, River Taff, Pontypridd, Wales, UK .... 1746-1755
River Usk Bridge, Usk, Wales, UK .... 1746-1752
Pontypridd Bridge (now William Edwards Bridge), River Taff, Pontypridd, Wales, UK .... 1755-1756
Copper industry workshops, Morriston, Swansea, Wales, UK .... c.1768, dem. 1842
Aberavon Bridge, River Avon, Port Talbot, Wales, UK .... c.1740
Morriston village plan, Swansea, Wales, UK .... c.1768
Dolauhirion Bridge, River Towy, Llandovery, Wales, UK .... 1773
Glasbury Bridge, River Wye, Glasbury-on-Wye, Wales, UK .... c.1777, destroyed by flood 1795
Wychtree Bridge, River Tawe, Morriston, Swansea, Wales, UK .... 1778, dem. 1959
Libanus Chapel, Morriston, Swansea, Wales, UK .... 1782
Sources
Alec Skempton ed., Edwards, William (1719-1789), A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 1: 1500-1830, Thomas Telford Publishing Limited, Institution of Civil Engineers, London, pp.211–212
Edward Ivor Williams, Edwards, William (1719-1789), Welsh Biography Online available at yba.llgc.org.uk
Alsager Vian, Edwards, William (1719-1789), rev. Ralph Harrington, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, online edn May 2009
Further reading
Mrs G. Linnaeus Banks, The Making of William Edwards or the Story of the Bridge of Beauty, 2nd edn, Andrew Melrose, London, 1894, republished by Northern Grove Publishing Project, Manchester, 2012
David Barnes, The Companion Guide to Wales, Companion Guides, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, Woodbridge, 2005
Stephen Hughes, Copperopolis: Landscapes of the Early Industrial Period in Swansea, Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales, 2008
Benjamin Heath Malkin, The Scenery, Antiquities, and Biography of South Wales, from Materials collected during two Excursions in the Year 1803, 2nd edn, Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, London, 1807
Victoria Owens, A Builder for Both Worlds, in Western Courier, the newsletter of the Western Branch of the Newcomen Society, Issue 15, October 2014
portrait William Edwards courtesy Stephen K. Jones
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