Welcome to our Family History in Weaving
We are proud to be Welsh, heritage stretching back centuries, deeply rooted in the woollen and weaving industries on both sides of our family tree.
Our passion for Welsh woven blankets and quilts drives us to keep this rich ancestry alive, blending tradition with innovation. At Dinefwr Blankets, we honour the craftsmanship of the past by introducing new woven blankets, all while preserving the beauty of vintage Welsh patterns such as Caernarfon and Penmachno for future generations to cherish.
David Humphreys (great, great, great, great grandfather of director Jonathan) had spent his life amidst the rhythmic clatter of the looms. Born in 1848, he was raised in the quiet village of Pencader, South Wales, where the hum of the woollen mills was as familiar as the rolling green hills. By the time he was a young man, he had followed in the footsteps of many before him, working long days in one of Pencader’s two mills, his hands skilled in the ancient craft of weaving.
For decades, he toiled, each thread passing through his fingers a testament to his labour. But by 1900, the world had changed. Wales was struggling, and opportunities seemed scarce. David, now 52, made a decision that would alter the course of his life forever—he would leave his home, his family, and the land he had always known to seek a new beginning across the Atlantic.
The journey was long and uncertain. Crossing the vast ocean, he arrived in America, where the clang of industry echoed through the streets. North Adams, Massachusetts, with its bustling woollen mills, became his new home. The mills were larger, noisier, but the work was familiar—spinning, weaving, dyeing—tasks he had perfected over a lifetime. He built a life in Ward 1, among fellow immigrants who, like him, had left their pasts behind for the promise of something more.
Though he had left Pencader behind, the memory of his homeland must not had faded. In the quiet hours of the evening, he could have run his hands over the fine wool, remembering the soft hills of Wales and the mill where he had spent his youth. He was a man of two worlds, forever bound by the fabric of his trade.
And so, David Humphreys continued to weave—not just wool, but the story of resilience, of a Welshman who had journeyed far, yet carried his heritage with him in every thread he spun.