By David Raymond Hughes

Joseph Eaton, whose reflections on ‘Old Mold’ were reproduced in previous issues of this journal ( with permission of the Chester Chronicle ) died 27 May 1888 at his son Llewelyn Eaton’s home in Bootle, Liverpool., as reported in the Chester Chronicle ( 2 June 1888 ). He had been a builder by trade and was Town Surveyor for the Mold Local Board. The account described him as a strong Liberal supporter, faithful member of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in New Street, teetotaller and firm supporter of the temperance movement. We are also told that his writings were regarded as very humorous and quite original. His series of articles that appeared in that Chester paper were deemed to have been of great interest to a large number of readers in different parts of the county. He was buried at Mold Cemetery.

According to the 1881 Census he lived at 69 Wrexham Street, next to the Leeswood Arms A decade later the 1891 Census reveals that his son Llewelyn Eaton had moved to live there and was aged 48 years at the time. He was recorded as a timber merchant. He died 3 November 1899, aged 56 years. In his obituary in the County Herald ( 10 November 1899 ) it is stated that he had been involved in the timber trade in Liverpool for about thirty years.

He was very interested in public affairs and was Chairman of the Mold Urban District Council in 1897. He played a considerable part in the Daniel Owen Memorial Fund movement and acted as one of its secretaries. According to the 1903 biography of Daniel Owen by Isaac Foulkes, Llewelyn Eaton was one of the novelist’s oldest friends and chief admirer. At the time of his death he lived at Bryn yr Afon in Mold, and unfortunately for him, did not live to see the Daniel Owen memorial* unveiled on 31 October 1901 at the town’s County Hall Field.

Joseph, Llewelyn and Daniel are buried close together at the west end of Mold public cemetery.

* since re-erected at The Daniel Owen Precinct. [ see Philip Lloyd’s article. Infra. ]

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