Devauden School, September 9th, 1847.

MY DEAR SISTER,

I am truly glad to hear you are better. God deals very mercifully with you in giving you so many warnings: I hope you will make the best use of them in seeking earnestly His mercy, and devoting the remainder of your time in His service and to His glory, and doing all you can to provide for the eternal world. I have been to Llangattock the last week, and took with me thirty-six Bibles, twenty-four Prayer-books, and twelve Testaments and tracts, to give to poor cottagers that could read; and, from all I could see, they were much wanting, and I hope I may be able at Christmas to send them the worth of two pounds of the best and most suitable publications on religious subjects I can lay hold of. All your old acquaintances are gone —Bethel and Vaughan and their wives are dead. I gave a Bible to Bethel's son. Only Jack Pritchard, of all the old standards, is living. The public-house has been rebuilt, and my brother Edward's grandson owns it, and lives in it: and, by some means, he has a considerable property. He is single, and rents what James Price used to rent. He keeps seven cows, and, has bought several places in Llangattock: he is Nelly's son, and his name is James Jones. I slept two nights in his house; he was useful to me, helping me to give the books away. Ransley House is all in ruins, and I am very sorry for it. It was an old family mansion belonging to our family. I have been with some of our relations on my mother's side: they are decent, respectable, well-disposed people, and are in very comfortable circumstances. I suppose Mr. Johnson you mention is a gentleman who has sent two towards the endowment of our church. He is a stranger to me. When you write let me know who he is.

Wishing you your health, I remain, your brother,

JAMES DAVIES.

From Archdeacon Crawley to Sir Thomas Phillips.

Bryngwyn Rectory.

MY DEAR SIR THOMAS,

I have not forgotten the account I promised you, of the proposal made to me by James Davies, the good old schoolmaster of Devauden. On the 30th of August last, I had a visit from him. He was on his way to Abergavenny to purchase Bibles and Prayer-books at the depository of the Christian Knowledge Society, which he proposed to take to Llangattock-Lingoed, for gratuitous distribution among the farmers' servants and labourers of. that parish, on the confines of which he was born, and passed his early life. He has been accustomed for years to employ the harvest season, when his school at the Devauden is dispersed for a month's holiday, in conveying books and tracts to some part or another of the county in which he takes an interest, and Llangattock-Lingoed was this year the place of his choice for the exercise of this annual bounty. I saw him on his homeward return on the following Friday, when he expressed much interest about the parish which he had visited, and in which he had spent two days in distributing three dozen Bibles and as many Prayer-books. He lamented that there was no school, either on Sunday or during the week, for the instruction of the children, and begged me to see what could be done to establish one; saying that he would willingly subscribe one pound annually towards its support.

On the 24th of September I called upon him, on my way over the Devauden, when he expressed his satisfaction at the opportunity, which he had greatly desired, of again speaking to me on the subject of a school at Llangattock-Lingoed, which, as he said, had occupied his thoughts ever since his recent visit to that place.

He then proposed (if a school could be built at Llangattock) to give up his present situation at Devauden, worth about twenty-five pounds per annum,— to which, he remarked, a more capable person than himself might be appointed,— to remove to Llangattock, and to occupy the new school-room there, and to teach the children without requiring any payment for his services.

I pointed out to him what a great change this would make in his arrangements and habits, and that it was not a step to be taken without consideration. He said he was aware of that, and had thought much upon it, but that his object was to establish a school at Llangattock, which may be carried on after his days; adding, 'I cannot tell, but perhaps God may have spared my life thus long that I may be enabled to go and do some good there.'

He subsequently told me that he thought he had enough to maintain him during the remainder of his life, and that he would gladly contribute five pounds towards building the new school at Llangattock, and begged me to make his proposal known to the clergyman and gentry of the place, and especially to Mr. Rodney, of Llanvihangel, and to let him know the result as soon as I could ascertain it.

The energy of this truly Christian character is as remarkable, as the self-denial by which he is enabled to do more. with his single talent than others with their ten.

He is now in the 83rd year of his age, of which the last thirty years have been spent at Devauden; where a chapel of ease—endowed and consecrated—a school-room, and-dwelling-house for the master, are the apparent fruits of his own labour, and of the interest excited in others by his patient continuance in the occupation which he had chosen for himself,— that of teaching the children of his poor neighbours, and promoting, in every way in his power, their temporal as well as spiritual good.

His present object is, as I trust, in the way to be accomplished.

The vicar of Llangattock and the curate have both entered warmly into the proposal, which has also been taken up with much interest by Mr. Rodney, of Llanvihangel-Crucomey, who has promised to promote the undertaking in every way in his power.

As soon as a site has been settled, and a plan and estimate obtained, you shall hear from me again. In the meantime any assistance you can procure will be needed, for there are no persons of wealth in the parish of Llangattock, and little can be expected from the tenants but the use of their teams, which will, I believe, be freely given, in collecting materials for the building.

I am, very faithfully, yours,

WILLIAM CRAWLEY.

It was resolved that the building should be called ' James Davies' School,' and that the first stone should be laid by himself, after a service in the parish church. The Wednesday in Easter week, being the 26th April, 1848, was selected for the ceremonial; and on that morning the farmers and cottagers, with their children, and several of the neighbouring clergy and gentry, assembled in the church of Llangattock. The appointed service was read by the curate, the Rev. John Price; and a sermon, remarkable for its justness of view and appositeness of allusion, was preached by Archdeacon Crawley.

A procession was then formed to the ground, where the minister and people alternately repeated the 127th Psalm.

Except the Lord build the house, their labour is but lost that build it. . . .

Archdeacon Crawley having inquired how he meant to live at Llangattock without wages, he replied that he still regained the sum of £100, which had been given him ten years before by the Rev. Dr. Warneford, for his support in old age :— that £14 yearly would be enough for his own wants; that £3 would supply books for his school, and £3 would be needed for other charities in the parish; and that by thus limiting his whole expenditure to £20 a year, he would possess a provision for five years.

The school buildings at Llangattock were completed in the autumn of 1848, at a cost of £254 19s. 4d.; and they comprise a schoolroom for 45 children, with a convenient residence for the master.

The sums raised for the building were :—
 

The old man arrived at Llangattock on the 28th October, 1848, and on the 6th November he opened the school, which was attended, on an average, by 40 children. The school was altogether free, and the good schoolmaster not only took no payment from any one for his services, but provided the books and school necessaries at his own cost.

The following letter was addressed to his sister and her grandson on the death of that sister's daughter, and shows his sense of the good which his labours were already effecting at Llangattock:—

MY DEAR SISTER,

I am truly sorry to hear of your daughter's death. We can place no dependence upon anything but upon the Eternal God. I have been at Llangattock since the beginning of November last. I had yesterday thirty-five children in our Sunday-school and at church; and such a thing as a Sunday-school, and so many children at church, was never known at Llangattock.  The congregation is increased, and, with humility, I hope God is putting his blessing on the undertaking, so that it is and will continue a blessing to this parish and neighbourhood. I am truly glad to hear from Mr. Newell; God Almighty bless him; please to give my sincere love to him.

My dear sister, I remain your brother,
                                    JAMES DAVIES.

Whereas it has been represented to me that there are certain persons in the parish of Llangattock-Lingoed who are carrying guns and killing game on the Lord's day,—I do most earnestly and affectionately desire such persons to consider the greatness of the crime they are guilty of, in breaking the laws of the land, and thereby subjecting themselves to a heavy fine or imprisonment; and further to consider how they will answer the Almighty God for breaking his commandment, and bidding defiance to his authority. They are therefore requested to leave off a practice that cannot fail of being most injurious to themselves; but if, after this notice is given, this practice shall be continued, any person giving such information so that he or they so offending be lawfully convicted, shall receive a reward of one Guinea on application to me.

The school was opened at nine o'clock, when a suitable prayer was read, followed by a chapter of the Bible, which he explained as he proceeded, in the plainest manner, adapting his explanations to the opening minds of his youthful flock.

The school hours, on week-days, were from 9 to 12 A.M., and from 2 to 5 P.M.; and as the school was a mixed one, the girls were sent on alternate afternoons to the Vicarage, where they were taught sewing by Mrs. Evans.

The Lord's-day service in the church is on the morning of one Sunday, and on the afternoon of the next. The children always assembled on that day in the school-room at 9 A.M., and were dismissed to their homes immediately after the church service, when that was in the afternoon; but when the service was in the morning, they returned to school after dinner, and were not dismissed until five o'clock.

The Sunday-school was attended by farm house lads and others who were not daily scholars, but the week-day scholars were required to be always present on Sunday. The rule of the school visited the neglect of Sunday attendance, by the exclusion of the offender from the day-school, for the whole of the following week. No other excuse than sickness was admitted, and there have been occasions when ten children have been refused admission for the week, because they had neglected to attend the church, and the school, on the preceding Lord's-day.At noon, after the children had been dismissed from the school, he withdrew daily into his own house, and there knelt alone in prayer for a quarter of an hour; and so absorbed was he on such occasions, as to be unconscious of the presence of persons, who have entered to summon him to his dinner. So much of the time between twelve and two, on week-days, as was not occupied by private devotion and his dinner, and such week-day evenings as were not spent in visits to the cottagers, as well as his morning hours before breakfast, were employed in his garden, where he might be seen hard at work, often without hat or coat.

He had planted many fruit-trees in the garden, and frequently expressed anxiety to increase its value for his successor; and he had resolved to plant the ground with potatoes, for distribution in the relief of such of the cottagers as might require assistance of that kind.

On two days of the week his dinner consisted of bread and cheese alone; but on the remaining days he ate meat. Puddings when sent him he never ate, but gave away, thinking it a needless pampering of the flesh to eat more than one description of food, whether meat, or bread and cheese, at his noontide meal. Abstinence animal food on two days of each week, he thought conducive to health, and serviceable to digestion, which in him was feeble. Beer he could never drink without inconvenience.

The next morning he rose early, and worked as usual in his garden until the hour of breakfast, when he returned to the house and partook of his simple fare.

The labours of our humble friend had not, however, come to an end, and he was once more to meet those, whom he used to call his dear little ones. Having begun his school labours by a prayer for God's blessing, he opened his little book called 'Daily Bread;' the day was Monday, the first of October, and the passage allotted for the day is taken from the 20th and 21st verses of the 3rd chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians. The entire chapter was then read to the school, with appropriate explanations, and the work of the day proceeded as usual. It was nearly two o'clock when he returned to the house, and ate heartily a dinner of stewed meat, which had been prepared for him. He very soon complained of being unwell, and requested Mrs. Evans to go to the school-room and dismiss the children until the morning, when, if it pleased God, he would be with them again; and he desired her not to detain the girls, whom, in the usual course, she would have then taught to sew, because he wished her to be near him. He complained of flatulence, and as this was sometimes relieved by a small quantity of gin, he was prevailed upon to take a little. But the pain in his stomach, which was severe, was not lessened by that remedy, and he took a little brandy, after which he seemed to suffer less. He went to bed at three o'clock in the afternoon, and complained of pain throughout the evening and night. He would not submit to the visit of a medical man, but used to say, when his time was come he should depart. Mrs. Evans proposed to send to Mr. Rodney, who, as well as Mrs. Rodney, was ever ready to contribute to his comfort, and had affectionately ministered to his wants during his residence at Llangattock; but this he would not allow her to do, saying that Mr. Rodney would be sure to send for a doctor. Still urged by Mrs. Evans, he became angry; but at length, wishing appease her anxiety on his account, he gave her permission to send for Mr. Rodney in the morning, should he not then be better. He told her that there was a sum of £8 in his pocket, and a promissory note for £80 in his box, which, in case of his death, he wished her to deliver to Mr. Rodney. After midnight he complained of much pain at the shoulder and back of the neck, and said to Evans, who was then with him, 'A death-bed repentance is a poor preparation for eternity. How could I make my peace with God, if I had neglected the concerns of my soul until racked with sickness?'

About two in the morning of the 2nd October, his pains seemed to increase, and he desired that warm water should be provided for his feet; which being done, he got out of bed, bathed and wiped his feet without assistance, and returning into bed, was dead in a quarter of an hour. He was sensible to the last, and having solicited the prayers of his kind attendants, repeated the words, 'God Almighty pity me!' and fell asleep in Jesus whom he loved.

His remains were placed in a plain coffin. . . . On the coffin-lid was a plate inscribed thus: 'James Davies, died Oct. 2nd, 1849, aged 84 years.' The day of his funeral was of that summer character which we love in autumn. Gentle and simple assembled to honour the memory of a good man; and whilst the children he had taught and the poor he had visited knelt around his grave, the sun shone brightly on the village churchyard. The following account of his funeral was furnished to a local paper by Archdeacon Crawley:

On Saturday last, the remains of this excellent old man were committed to the ground in the churchyard at Llangattock-Lingoed, in a spot on the north side of the church, which had been selected for the purpose by himself. It was very gratifying to observe the genuine tokens of respect and affection for his memory, and unfeigned sorrow for his loss, which met the eye on every side of the churchyard, where many of the inhabitants of the parish, and others from a distance, had assembled to attend his funeral. He had not resided in that place more than a year, but his readiness to do good, and his uniform kindness, especially to the little children of his school, whom he had taught gratuitously, had already won for him the esteem and love of his neighbours.
. . . .

The corpse was met at the entrance of the churchyard by the Rev. John Price, the curate of the parish. Four of the principal farmers had offered themselves as bearers. The pall which covered the bier on which the remains were carried to the grave was borne by the Hon. W. P. Rodney, Sir Thomas Phillips, Iltyd Nicholl, Esq., and Archdeacon Crawley; while ten of the clergy of the diocese, viz., the Revs. F. C Steele (rural dean), William Price (rural dean), Thomas Williams (Abergavenny), Thomas Morgan, Theophilus Morgan, A. M. Wyatt, S. C. Baker, P. J. Lewis, Wm. Gray and H. 0. Crawley, followed as mourners, many of whom had come from some distance.

This is the last Will and Testament of me, James Davies, of Devauden, in the parish of Newchurch, in the county of Monmouth, schoolmaster. I give and bequeath unto the Venerable William Crawley, Archdeacon of Monmouth, all my money, goods, chattels, and effects, and all the property of which I shall be possessed and to which I may be entitled at the time of my death. And I appoint the Honourable William Powell Rodney, of Llanvihangel-Court, in the parish of Llanvihangel-Crucorney, sole Executor of this, my Will and Testament. To the Venerable William Crawley, Archdeacon of Monmouth.

It is my wish and desire that the whole proceeds of my property bequeathed to you by my last will and testament, bearing date the 20th day of August, 1848, be invested by you for the better endowment of the school at Llangattock-Lingoed, called 'James Davies's School.'
JAMES DAVIES.
 

Mention has been made of a meeting which was held in the school-room immediately after the funeral, to make arrangements for raising by subscription, such a sum of money as would ensure an adequate endowment for the school, and thus give permanence to the work for which the good old man was induced to remove from Devauden, and engage in a new field of labour when he had entered upon the 84th year of his age.

The sums which have been contributed for the endowment of the school are as follows :—
 

When that sum is invested, the yearly proceeds will be insufficient to secure the services of such a teacher as the trustees desire to provide, and they now ask a Christian people to bless the memory of the just, by contributing an adequate endowment for 'James Davies's School.'

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