| The second warden of Llandovery College was to be in office for only fifteen months. The Reverend David James was appointed by a majority vote of the trustees, including Lady Llanover and William Rees, but their choice was highly controversial, causing a considerable furore amongst the community. His suitability for the position was questioned, as he was no classical scholar nor had any real experience of schoolmastering. There was a marked decline in pupil enrolment from eighty to twenty-five, “great defection of teaching’, and neglect of the sciences.
The Reverend Evan Owen Phillips became the third Warden in 1854 at the young age of twenty-seven. His policy of kindness and forbearance was evident, but he showed considerable firmness and fairness with his pupils and thereby gained their respect. Pupil enrolment increased from twenty to eighty by 1861 and the school enjoyed considerable academic success. On his departure in 1861 the tributes to Phillips’ wardenship were laudatory, and the efficient state of the school being particularly stressed.
At the age of twenty-five, the Reverend William Watkins was appointed warden in 1861. He was an old boy of the school, being one of John Williams’ first pupils. From Llandovery he gained a mathematical scholarship at Cambridge, and then taught at Eton. He was a fine teacher, able to arouse great enthusiasm amongst his pupils. However, the fabric of the College gradually declined during Watkins’ fourteen year tenure, and by 1875 the buildings were in need of considerable repair. There was considerable disillusionment with the wardenship, and the numbers sank to about forty. There was also a lack of discipline, and Watkins resigned in 1875.
The task facing the new Warden was a daunting one, and the Reverend A.G.Edwards, currently Second Master, was appointed. He has properly been described as the second founder of Llandovery. He abolished the boarding-out system, and renovated rooms in the College to provide suitable accommodation. The number of pupils increased from twenty in 1875 to 178 in 1881. Edwards regarded Llandovery as an English public school and pupils gained great success at Oxford and Cambridge. However, his wardenship did see almost total neglect of the Welsh language. Motivated by a misguided belief that academic success as measured in the public school league was irreconcilable with the study of the Welsh language, Edwards utterly ignored the provisions of the trust deed. For many years Llandovery College was to follow the path laid out by its fifth warden. Edwards moved to Carmarthen in 1885, later to become Archbishop of Wales.
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Reverend Evan Owen Phillips
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John Williams
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A.G.Edwards
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