Lord Roberts of Conwy

[DaveR]

Obituary: Lord Wyn Roberts of Conwy
Lord Roberts of Conwy has died at the age of 83.

He piloted the Welsh Language Act in 1983 and as Wyn Roberts served as Conservative MP for Conwy from 1970 until his retirement from the House of Commons in 1997.

During 18 years of government, he was the longest-serving minister in the same department.

Welsh Secretary David Jones called him "an extraordinary man" and a "powerful exponent" of the Welsh language.

Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "I'm sad to hear a great Conservative, Lord Roberts of Conwy, has died. He did so much for Wales, including piloting the Welsh Language Act."

The non conformist minister's son from Anglesey turned to politics after starting his career in journalism.

After Margaret Thatcher won the 1979 election, Wyn Roberts was made Welsh Office minister and his responsibilities included the Welsh language.

He never made it into the cabinet but served under four Secretaries of State and two prime ministers.

He became Baron Roberts of Conwy when he retired as an MP in 1997 and was as an opposition spokesman on Welsh affairs in the Lords until 2007.

Lord Roberts leaves a wife, Enid - who he married in 1956 - and sons Huw and Geraint. His son Rhys died in 2004.

Welsh Secretary David Jones said Lord Roberts had been "a very active man" in the House of Lords until becoming ill a few months ago.

Continue reading the main story
LORD ROBERTS, 1930-2013

Born 10 July 1930, Llansadwrn, Anglesey
Educated at Harrow (scholarship) and Oxford
Married Enid, three sons
Former journalist with The Liverpool Post, BBC Wales, TWW and programme executive Harlech TV
MP for Conwy 1970-1997
Opposition spokesman on Welsh Aff 1974-79
Parliamentary Under Sec Welsh Office 1979-87, Minister of State for Wales 1987-94
Opposition spokesman on constitutional affairs (Wales) House of Lords 1997-2001, and Welsh Affairs 2001-07
President of Univ of Wales College of Medicine 1997-2004, vice-pres Univ of Cardiff 2004-07; member Gorsedd National Eisteddfod 1966; honorary fellow Bangor Univ 1995, Aberystwyth Univ 1997; honorary doctorate Univ of Wales 2005
He called him "the greatest Welshman of his generation."

"The greatest of his many political achievements was the Welsh Language Act, which gave full and proper recognition in public life to the language of which he was such a masterful and powerful exponent, and which he loved so much," said Mr Jones.

'Guardian angel'
He said this was his "personal achievement" and marked him as "doing more for Welsh cultural life than any man of his generation."

Mr Jones added that Lord Roberts was "an extraordinary man, very kind, extremely wise with a tremendous sense humour."

"To me, he was a kind friend and wise counsellor. He will be greatly missed, both in Wales and in Westminster."

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies AM called Lord Roberts "a great politician and a great man".

He added: "His hard work and commitment to public service had a hugely positive impact upon the future of the Welsh language and Wales as a whole.

"I know he will be greatly missed and my heartfelt condolences go out to his family on this very sad day."

Huw Jones, chairman of the S4C Authority, called Lord Roberts "a guardian angel for the Welsh language and for S4C within the Conservative government of the 80s and 90s".

"Both were close to his heart and he did everything he could to promote and support them."

Mr Jones added: "Alongside his measured and careful style, he had humour and mischief in his eye and great personal warmth.

"He made a huge contribution at a critical time for the Welsh language and he will be greatly missed."

Veteran journalist and friend Derek Bellis told BBC Radio Wales: "He was a very kind, gentle and humorous man with a giant intellect but no ego at all.

"I never saw him have a single cross word. He often had to run the brunt of demonstrations but took it all in good heart."

Mr Bellis added: "I visited him over the last few months when he was ill but his brain was as sharp as a tack.

"He was no toff was Wyn - he was a man of the people."

[Cordyline]

Good write up DaveR

He lived here for a while

[DaveR]

The BBC must take the credit for the Obituary, rather than me. 

[Bellringer]

He lived here for a while

I think that was the other Lord Roberts -  this one lived in the Conwy Valley.

[Hugo]

Yes,   Wyn Roberts lived in the Conwy Valley and it was Roger Roberts who lived in those apartments

[Michael]

 This is all very sad. The death of Lord Wyn Roberts of course. But also the fact that even after death there is still confusion with Lord Roger Roberts of Llandudno.
  Lord Wyn Roberts was the son of a non conformist chapel minister.  Born in Noth Wales, always in adult life involved with politics as a Conservative Welsh was his first language. An M P for this area for very many years. That was Lord Roberts of Conwy.
 But also a gentleman of roughly the same age was we ad truly around. The present Lord Roberts of Landudno He was,, maybe still is, a non conformist minister with his own chapels in Llandudno and Degawy  Born in North Wales, very involved in politics but, and a big but, he was a Liberal right down to his roots Welsh is his first language.
 I think I am correct in saying that Roger Roberts is the record holder for having contested as a candidate for Parliament unsuccessfully for the greatest number of times against the same opponent in the same Parliamentary district. Five times definite. Maybe six.
 Wyn Roberts won every time. But every time with a decreasing majority. So if this trend continued Roger Robertswould have won the final contest and would have been our M P.
 But the ironic twist came in. After battling and battling for so many years, when, every thing else being equal, he would have been on his way to Westminster, fate took a hand.
 It was the election around 1997. A landslide win for Labour, Wyn Roberts lost---but not to Roger, his rapidly gaining ground opponent, but to the Labour candidate who came from nowhere in the. National tide wave of Labour support.
 Both the Roberts,s Accepted nomination to the House of Lords by their respected parties. Not at the same time, but not far apart.

[Cambrian]

Roger stood against Wyn 5 times.  Wyn did not lose in 1997, he had retired and the losing Tory candidate was a certain David Jones, now Secretary of State for Wales.

[Michael]

   Sorry, I'm obviously wrong here. I just knew that the Labour landslide had arrived. I suppose i just assumed that the late Wyn Robert  s had fought the seat, he had done so for so many years. And over the 15 or so years that have passed, in my mind my original assumption had become a fact.
  If he was still alive I would have loved to apologise and ackno wledge that he never lost a single election. Even though, at that time and if past projections had continued, he would have lost to the Liberal, Roger Roberts.
  But --- but, what might have been. Anyone can say that.

[Michael]

  Ive just been looking through the list of TTF members, I needed to email our hard working Dave Roberts, and completly by chance on another page was the name WynRoberts. Now i imagine a public spirited man as he was, he could well have been a member, taking an interest in what goes on in what was his patch. However, the name Wyn Roberts is very very common in North Wales, so possibly I am off track.