Elma Mary Williams


Elma Mary Williams was an author from the United Kingdom.
She was born in Moseley, Birmingham, in 1913 and educated at St John's Convent School.
Having previously written several thrillers and romances, she became nationally well-known during the 1960s and early 70s for her books describing the animal sanctuary she had established on a farm at Tre'r Ddol near Machynlleth in Wales. Valley of Animals was a best-seller and was followed by several others, such as Animals under my Feet, leading to a number of radio and television appearances. Williams, a Roman Catholic who said she had drawn inspiration from St Francis of Assisi, later planned to develop a community where pensioners could retire along with domestic pets who they would otherwise not be allowed to keep. After initial planning setbacks she gained permission to proceed, but died in 1971 before the plans were fully realised. The trust she set up initially planned to open a therapeutic facility on the site, but it was later sold and the last tenant, Winifred Berry, was asked to leave in 1975.
In 1967 the composer Ian Parrott wrote a piece called Pant Glas Idyll inspired by Williams' farm.
Her books were published as by Elma M Williams:
Fiction:
The Waiting Years
House with Loving Walls
To Africa – the Bride
The Fifth Lake
Something of the World
Love in a Mist
Strange Legacy
Escape to Death
The Valley
Tomorrow a Stranger
The Winking Cat
Owls Do Cry
The Shaft of Light
Where is Sylvia?
Paul’s Secret Courage
Pant Glas:
Valley of Animals
Pig in Paradise
Animals Under My Feet
Elma M Williams Introduces The Valley of Animals, Pant Glas, Tre’r Ddol, Machynlleth
Heaven on my Doorstep Foreword by Sir George Thomas.
The Pant Glas Story
Ride a Cock Horse