The National Library of Wales :: Dictionary of Welsh Biography

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CLARK family, printers and publishers in Monmouthshire , etc. JAMES CLARK (1781-1859) settled in Chepstow in 1823; b. 22 Jan. 1781 at Gloucester, he became an apprentice in the offices of The Gloucester Journal, and afterwards worked in London and Portsmouth. He m. Mary Baker (d. 1875, a centenarian) about the time that he returned to Gloucester, which was in 1808. He appears to have lived at Gosport, Hants., and Trowbridge, Wilts., before he settled at Chepstow (1823). A little later his son, WILLIAM EDWARD CLARK (d. April 1891), became partner, and it was the firm of Clark and Son which began (23 June 1855) to print and publish The Chepstow Weekly Advertiser, which continued to appear until 1916. The business was continued by WILLIAM EDWARD NEW CLARK and EMMELINE CLARK, son and daughter of William Edward Clark; it was sold in 1903 to Enoch Williams. James Clark d. 12 June 1859.

A fortnight after The Chepstow Weekly Advertiser began to appear, another Monmouthshire newspaper started its career — The Illustrated Usk Observer; this was printed and published at Usk by JAMES HENRY CLARK (1818-1913), another son of James Clark. J. H. Clark and his elder brother GEORGE A. CLARK (who, however, d. at Chepstow 12 April 1835) began business at Usk on 1 Jan. 1834. Both brothers had learned the craft of printing at their father's office. J. H. Clark was b. 23 Jan. 1818 in Gloucester and d. 16 Feb. 1913, aged 95. During his long life as printer and publisher he wrote and published several books, e.g. Usk and its Neighbourhood, 1856; Handbook to Monmouthshire and South Wales, 1861; Sketches of Monmouthshire, 1868; History of Monmouthshire, 1869; Usk Past and Present, 1893; etc. — for further details see Ifano Jones, History of Printing and Printers in Wales and Monmouthshire, and the ‘Monmouthshire Bibliography’ of William Haines (q.v.) (in manuscript in N.L.W.). The newspaper begun in 1855 continued, with change of name, to appear until 1907. J. H. Clark m., 15 March 1838, Sophia (d. 1901), eldest daughter of William Howell, Chepstow. For some years he had a book-selling shop in Cardiff also. In Aug. 1875 he began to publish a monthly, The Usk Gleaner and Monmouthshire Record, which continued to appear until the end of 1878. The Usk business was continued by his daughter, ELIZA BLANCHE CLARK.

WILLIAM HENRY CLARK, eldest son of J. H. Clark, left Usk in 1866 for Brecon, where he founded The Brecon County Times.

Bibliography:

To the sources named above add James Henry Clark, Reminiscences, 1908.

Author:

Sir William Llewelyn Davies, M.A., LL.D., F.S.A. (1887-1952), Aberystwyth