The ‘cottage-bred’ boy who rose to rule the Empire
Born in Manchester in 1863, David Lloyd George rose to become the first, and so far only, Welsh speaker to hold the office of Prime Minister of Britain. Upon the death of his father, his mother Elizabeth George returned, with her two-year-old son David, to her home village of Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire. These humble origins helped shape the principles upon which Lloyd George built his career in politics, always favouring the interests of the common man above those he himself referred to as ‘the Dukes’.
After establishing a busy firm of solicitors in Porthmadog, Lloyd George was elected Liberal MP for Caernarfon Boroughs in 1890. At that period of time this was an unpaid position, so Lloyd George continued to practise as a solicitor in London to support himself financially. Early on in his political career he was a strong proponent of Welsh national identity, establishing several branches of Cymru Fydd (Young Wales).
In 1906 Lloyd George entered the Liberal Cabinet of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and ultimately became Prime Minister in 1916, steering Great Britain through the chaos of the First World War. He also helped to lay the foundations of the welfare state, and remains a much loved character in his native Gwynedd to this day.
The museum contains a collection of objects associated with Lloyd George including paintings, freedom caskets, costumes, his personal copy of the Versailles Treaty and other memorabilia. Also connected to the museum is Highgate Cottage, Lloyd George’s childhood home. His grave, on the banks of the River Dwyfor, is a short walk from the museum.