Edward Davies

A carte-de-visite portrait of Edward Davies (1843-1869). An inked inscription on the back of the mount reads: ‘My precious son Edward. He departed this life on the 22nd of March 1869’.

Born on 1 February 1843 at Oystermouth near Swansea in Wales, Edward Davies was the fourth and youngest son of Samuel Davies, the Vicar of Oystermouth. The family appear on the 1851 census living at The Grange in Oystermouth. The household included seven servants, amongst them a Lady’s Maid and a Coachman. Only the four youngest children were still living at home.

In 1861 Edward was still living at The Grange. Although his brothers were articled clerks to a solicitor, Edward, aged 18, was recorded as ‘No profession’. I’ve found no documentary evidence concerning the state of Edward’s health but his appearance suggests that he might have had some chronic condition, perhaps a thyroid problem. Crouzon syndrome has also been put forward as another possibility.

Edward died at The Grange in Oystermouth on 22 March 1869, aged 26. According to this death certificate, the cause of death was ‘Meningitis (28 hours)’. His father had died at the end of 1864 so the inscription on the back of the mount must have been written by his mother, Mary Ann Davies.

Photographed by James Andrews of Swansea.