Amy Dillwyn, 1845 – 1935, was a Welsh writer, feminist campaigner and one of the first female industrialists in Britain. 

Dillwyn wrote six novels on themes including feminism and social reform. She also wrote regularly - and anonymously - for The Spectator magazine. On her father's death in 1892, Dillwyn inherited his spelter works, which was in debt for today's equivalent of several million pounds. Dillwyn saved the business and later sold her shares to a German company.

Though at one time dubbed 'one of the most remarkable women in Great Britain,' Dillwyn was little known by the late twentieth century. In 1987, David Painting wrote her biography but suppressed her sexuality. The same-sex desire that underpins her feminist fiction also went unnoticed by critics. 

Professor Kirsti Bohata of Swansea University set out to discover the real Amy Dillwyn

Discovering the real Amy Dillwyn

Professor Bohata identified Dillwyn as a key writer of queer Victorian literature and a diarist who sheds new light on genderqueer identities and same-sex desire.

Professor Bohata researched the archives and used related critical theories to show how the narratives of same-sex desire in Dillwyn's writing connect with trans, class and Welsh national identities.

As such, Professor Bohata's work made an important contribution to the fields of queer studies, Welsh writing in English, and international debates on the relationships between gender, sexuality, nation and class in Victorian writing. 

Raising awareness of queer literature and history

Professor Bohata's research on Amy Dillwyn has raised awareness of women's experiences in history and shown the importance of queer literature and history, particularly among LGBTQ+ audiences.

Her work has transformed Dillwyn from a minor author to a celebrated figure in queer Welsh feminist literature and history. As a result, Dillwyn's previously embargoed papers are now in the Richard Burton Archives and accessible to the public.

New audiences have been introduced to Amy Dillwyn through plays, blogs, paintings and sculptures, a documentary, broadcast appearances by Professor Bohata, and a print edition of Amy Dillwyn’s diaries.

Professor Bohata gives regular talks for national and local organisations, including LGBTQ+ groups and a primary school, documentary markers and broadcasters.  Shehas written articles  on Amy Dillwyn for the national newspapers and for Diva, the UK's leading lesbian magazine.

In all, Professor Bohata's research has had a potential reach of around 500,000 people.

Research team

Professor Kirsti Bohata