Members at our 2007 BBQ

Cardiff
Naturalists' Society


Cymdeithas Naturiaethwyr
Caerdydd

 

 

Clement Waldron (1828-1906) 9th President


Back to the 150th Anniversary index

Go Back to last page visited

We have in our transactions Vol. XXXIX 1906 an Obituary of Clement Waldron which reads as follows

CLEMENT WALDRON. Born March, 1826. Died September 14TH, 1906.

In the death of Mr. Waldron, we lose one of our oldest members ; he joined the Society in the year 1868—the year following its inauguration. He was selected President in 1881, and in his inaugural address stated that he had been induced to take the office, not because he had any claim to be considered a " Naturalist," but because he felt that in a Society such as ours, each member should be ready, when called upon by the Committee, to take his share in the work we have set ourselves to do. Mr. Waldron's address then resolved itself into a strong plea for improvements in the condition and management of the Museum, which was at that time housed "in a closely-packed dingy room, on the upper floor of the Free Library in St. Mary Street."

In 1875, at Mr. Waldron's suggestion, the Society paid a visit to the ancient Roman Lead Mines at Charter House, on the Mendip Hills, near Cheddar, when he read a paper entitled " Roman Mining on the Mendip Hills."

Mr. Waldron was a man of varied tastes, but he was especially interested in Archaeology, and for many years attended regularly the meetings of the Royal Archaeological Society, of which he was a member for a long period.

born in Somerset, he was educated at Blnndell's School, Tiverton. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1850, he then came to South Wales, and, after practising for two years in Bridgend and Merthyr, came to Cardiff and founded the firm which came to be known as Waldron and Sons, with offices at 4, Church St Cardiff. He clearly had success in this area as he was acting for some high profile clients such as Henry Fox Talbot the inventor of the Calotype photographic process. His relationship seems to be based on a relationship with Charles Henry Talbot apprenticed to John Prichard, Welsh architect and documented in the Foxtalbot Archives

Clement Waldron  - from Society Archives

Clement Waldron Ninth President of the Society - from Society Archives

He was the first president of the Cardiff Incorporated Law Society, and always one of its principal and most respected members. In Llandaff he was equally well known, as he had resided there at the White House for nearly fifty years. He became registrar of the Probate Court of Llandaff in 1877, and had held the office until his death. he was also Clerk to the governors and then a Governor of Howells School, and Clerk to the Canton Local board of health

he is mentioned in connection with various Wills in the London Gazette at dates ranging from the 1850's to the 1870s (as seen by this writer there may be more) and in Slaters Commercial Directory 1880 he is listed as the District Registrar in Her Majesty's Court Of Probate and Secretary of Howell's Charity Schools, Llandaff and living at The Green, Llandaff

In 1863-4 and 1864-5 he is listed as a Councillor for North Ward Cardiff

In Cardiff Council Minutes, 1881–1882 he is listed as a member of the University College Committee

Archaeology was a keen interest of his and in the Cardiff times of 6th April 1895 it is reported that

INTERESTING DISCOVERIES AT LLANDAFF. During some excavations on property belonging to Mr Clement Waldron, near the old Castle walls at Llandaff, some interesting relics have been unearthed. Bits of ancient pottery, bones, etc. are among the finds, but whether the bones are human has not yet been ascertained. A hideous carved head, in splendid preservation, was also brought to light, and is evidently a gargoyle belonging to the old Norman Cathedral. The excavations also exposed what are apparently portions of the old Castle walls, one running parallel with the lane leading to the Cathedral being of immense thickness. The excavations are still in progress, and doubtless further relics will he found.

His funeral was reported in the local press such as this from The Cardiff Times 22nd September 1906.

FUNERAL OF MR CLEMENT WALDRON.

The funeral of the late Mr Clement Waldron, one of the senior solicitors of Cardiff, and district registrar of probate for the Diocese of Llandaff, took place on Monday at the Llandaff Cemetery, and was attended by a large number of mourners. The body, encased in a coffin of plain, unvarnished oak, surmounted by a cross and covered with a purple pall, was conveyed by bearers from the White House, the deceased gentleman's residence, to the cathedral, where a short service was held.

Clement Waldron Funeral,The Cardiff Times 22nd September 1906

Clement Waldron Funeral,The Cardiff Times 22nd September 1906

Page Update 12-Aug-2018

At the event when we hosted the Insole Court Tree Walk on Saturday on the 9th of June 2018, I was approached by one of the Insole Court research group about a possible picture of one of our former presidents. On finding that book "Contemporary Portraits Men and Women of South Wales and Monmouthshire, Western Mail Limited 1896" I found that it contained a number of portraits of our former presidents. Included was a copy of the picture we have in our archives (above), reproduced here from the book

Clement Waldron - from Contemporary Portraits Men and Women of South Wales and Monmouthshire, Western Mail Limited 1896

Clement Waldron - from Contemporary Portraits Men and Women of South Wales and Monmouthshire, Western Mail Limited 1896



Back to the 150th Anniversary index

Before this... Louis Tylor (1837-1905) 8th President

Next up... George E. Robinson (1832-1914) 10th President

See our Full list of Presidents

These pages are part of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society 150th Anniversary celebrations and are about our history and are celebrating the people who developed our Society and helped build the city and the cultural heritage of Cardiff. You can read more about that using the links above

If you want to read about the ways we study the wildlife and environment of the Cardiff area and its surroundings, and about the talks we have about the wildlife of the world, and find the programme of talks, walks and other events that we do then please take a look at our main website, our blog and our facebook and twitter feeds for up to date news