Career
Born in Dolgellau, Merionethshire (present day Gwynedd), in north-west Wales, he moved to the seaport of Liverpool, England in 1827 to improve his educational opportunities. He spent the rest of his life by the River Mersey, becoming a very successful cotton merchant and a generous supporter of the Welsh community. Pugh contributed £1,000 annually to religious causes, as well as supporting educational and missionary work.
A committed Christian, he contributed thousands of pounds anonymously to build the Chatham Street Welsh Calvinistic Chapel which today is part of the campus of the University of Liverpool.
He died on 9 December 1903 after a life of service and philanthropy. He was regarded as one of the wealthiest Welsh-speaking Welshmen in the whole of Liverpool.
