Preserving Wales’ cultural memory through history, community and leadership
My research and writing explore overlooked stories of Welsh farming families, the moral worlds of Nonconformist chapels, and the deeper questions of identity, resilience, and respectability that shaped rural communities.
Alongside these historical studies, I also examine contemporary themes of leadership, organisational culture, and civic engagement. Drawing on decades of genealogical investigation, archival sources, professional experience, and personal ties, my books illuminate the lives of ordinary people whose values and struggles built the fabric of rural Wales—and offer fresh insight into the modern workplaces and institutions that shape society today.
📖 Voices from the Uplands: The Davies Family and the Soul of Rural Wales (2025)
A richly textured work of social and family history, Voices from the Uplands uncovers the remarkable story of the Davies family of Caeadda and the wider rural communities of Montgomeryshire. Drawing on more than two decades of archival research, oral testimony, and fieldwork, it illuminates a world of Nonconformist identity, upland farming culture, and enduring kinship ties.
Written with clarity and depth, the book captures a rural Welsh culture now fading from living memory, preserving its rhythms, values, and landscapes for future generations. It stands as both a tribute to an extraordinary family and a wider reflection on the heritage and soul of the Welsh uplands.
📖 From Fields to Railways: The Jenkins Family Story (2025)
This book follows the extraordinary journey of one working-class family—from the fields of rural Herefordshire and Denbighshire to the industrial towns of Crewe, Carlisle, London, and beyond. It brings to life the Jenkinses’ world through meticulously researched stories of railway drivers, clerks, artisans, and the women who held their households together.
Based on family letters, certificates, census records, union archives, and local histories, From Fields to Railways interweaves personal lives with the sweeping transformations of industrial Britain: unionisation, migration, the footplate experience, and the rise of suburban respectability.
At its heart is the enduring dignity of work, and how ordinary people—through resilience, adaptation, and quiet pride—helped build modern Britain.
📖 The Davies Caeadda Family: A Welsh Farming Dynasty, 1700–1966 (2014)
This book traces the lives of a Montgomeryshire farming family from the early 18th century to the mid-20th century, exploring themes of Nonconformity, rural resilience, and cultural identity in Wales. Based on extensive archival research and oral history, it reconstructs the values and rhythms of rural life over multiple generations.
📖 The Allcroft Family of Worcester and Stokesay Court (2016)
An architectural and genealogical history of the Allcroft family — prominent Victorian industrialists, MPs, and philanthropists — tracing their rise, public impact, and lasting legacy at Stokesay Court. Informed by both archival sources and personal family connections.
📖 Old Llyfnant Valley Farming Families (2015)
A deeply researched genealogical and historical study of a rural Welsh community, tracing farming families from the 18th century to the present day. Combines chapel records, family memory, and regional history to preserve the cultural heritage of the Llyfnant Valley in Montgomeryshire.
📖 Faith, Service, and Respectability: A Historical Biography of the Shorto Family, 1680–1997 (2025)
An academic biography of a Victorian schoolmaster, churchman, and Freemason in Exeter, exploring the intersections of education, faith, civic duty, and middle-class identity. Grounded in primary sources, it situates individual lives within the wider currents of educational reform and respectability in 19th-century Britain.
📖 Duty and Dignity: George Roberts Shorto (1836–1905) (2025)
A biographical portrait of George Roberts Shorto (1836–1905), a Victorian civic leader, public servant, and family man. The book examines moral leadership, local governance, and the forging of middle-class respectability in Exeter.
🔎 Ongoing work & advocacy
I continue to campaign for the preservation of Welsh Nonconformist chapel records and rural burial registers — vital yet fragile sources that risk being lost to future generations. This commitment to safeguarding our shared past underpins much of my writing and public commentary.
⭐ Explore more
You can find excerpts, published articles, and recent opinion pieces on my Published Articles page.
Antony David Davies FRSA FRAS AFRHistS MCMI MIoL 