Robert Bird (13 February 1839 – 3 January 1909) was a Liberal politician and owner of a Tar Distillery, Robert Bird & Sons, in East Moors,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Wales.

Biography

Bird was born in Soundwell, near

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, but moved to Cardiff in 1872. He was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician. He served as mayor of Cardiff in 1882. Appointed an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

he later served as President of the Cardiff Liberal Association. A loyal Liberal, he opposed the revolt of

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

, Frank Edwards,

Herbert Lewis Sir John Herbert Lewis (27 December 1858 – 10 November 1933) was a Welsh Liberal politician. Background and education Born at Mostyn Quay, Flintshire, Lewis was the only child of Enoch Lewis and Catherine Roberts. It is possible that Lewi ...

and

David Alfred Thomas David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda, PC (26 March 1856 – 3 July 1918), was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician. He was UK Member of Parliament (MP) for Merthyr Tydfil from 1888 until the January 1910 general election, then M ...

over

Welsh Disestablishment The Welsh Church Act 1914 is an Act of Parliament under which the Church of England was separated and disestablished in Wales and Monmouthshire, leading to the creation of the Church in Wales. The Act had long been demanded by the Nonconformis ...

in 1894. In 1896, Robert Bird achieved notoriety among Welsh nationalists. On 16 January, the proposal to merge the South Wales Liberal Federation with the Welsh National Federation was put to the Annual General Meeting of the South Wales Liberal Federation, held at

Newport, Monmouthshire Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2011 census, Newport is the third-largest au ...

. Speaking against the motion, Robert Bird declared: “You will find, from Swansea to Newport, a cosmopolitan population who will not submit to the domination of Welsh ideas!” causing outrage among the supporters of Cymru Fydd. In spite of the inflammatory nature of his comments, Bird seems to have been directing his ire more at the removal of a separate South Wales Liberal organisation, as he was later found among the supporters of a single Welsh Liberal organisation which recognised the economic and social differences between North and South Wales. Further political controversy engulfed Bird when he was chosen as

candidate for

, due to his opposition to the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

. He was eventually dropped and Sir E. J. Reed, the former MP was chosen instead. Bird was described as: ‘a

Nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

both by birth and conviction.’ A prominent member of the

United Methodist Free Church United Methodist Free Churches, sometimes called Free Methodists, was an English nonconformist community in the last half of the 19th century. It was formed in 1857 by the amalgamation of the Wesleyan Association (which had in 1836 largely absorbed ...

and President of the

Cardiff Free Church Council Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingdo ...

for 1901, Alderman Bird was a generous benefactor to the cause of Nonconformity. Trinity Methodist Church at Newport Road, where he was a member, and where his wife laid the foundation stone of the halls attached, benefited greatly from the family of Robert Bird. He also built the Church on Penarth Road and leased it to the Free Methodists. Robert Bird was the first superintendent of Penarth Road's Sunday School (and owned the building). Alderman Bird served on the Committee which secured the

National Museum of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

for Cardiff. Robert Bird was instrumental in facilitating the negotiations which led to the formation of the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

in 1907, bringing together the

Bible Christians The Bible Christian Church was a Methodist denomination founded by William O’Bryan, a Wesleyan Methodist local preacher, on 18 October 1815 in North Cornwall. The first society, consisting of just 22 members, met at Lake Farm in Shebbear, ...

United Methodist Free Churches United Methodist Free Churches, sometimes called Free Methodists, was an English nonconformist community in the last half of the 19th century. It was formed in 1857 by the amalgamation of the Wesleyan Association (which had in 1836 largely absorbed ...

and

Methodist New Connexion The Methodist New Connexion, also known as Kilhamite Methodism, was a Protestant nonconformist church. It was formed in 1797 by secession from the Wesleyan Methodists, and merged in 1907 with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist F ...

, after the failure of efforts to bring together all the Methodist denominations failed. Bird's ashes were buried in a family tomb in

Cathays Cemetery The Cathays Cemetery is one of the main cemeteries of Cardiff, Wales. It is in the Cathays district of the city, about north of Cardiff city centre. At 110 acres it is the third largest cemetery in the United Kingdom. History The cemetery was ...

, Cardiff.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Robert 1839 births 1909 deaths 20th-century Methodists 19th-century Methodists Councillors in Cardiff Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Methodist Church of Great Britain people Mayors of Cardiff Welsh Methodists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 20th-century Welsh businesspeople People from South Gloucestershire District