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The final description comes from David Painting's biography of Amy Dillwyn (1845-1935) of Hendrefoilan (1987), who mentions Bolney's abortive courtship of Amy. She was the daughter of Lewis Dillwyn, Liberal member of parliament for Swansea, a local industrialist and a member of one of the leading county families in Glamorgan. Lewis's sister, Mary, was the wife of M. E. Welby, so Bolney might have thought there was an interesting precedent in his favour. But the young Miss Dillwyn disliked Bolney's personality, considered he read the services too slowly and mumbled the lessons, although she gave him much help in the mission work Bolney had started at Killay in an attempt to stem the tide of dissent there. By 1870 Bolney was endeavouring to make Amy his wife, using his sister as the bearer of letters and messages. Rebuffed at his first attempt, he replied by letter; repelled, he waited four years, and tried once more. But Amy would not have him, and they parted with Bolney hoping they would remain friends, but promising to remain single as long as she did. Though Amy regarded him as mad, Painting makes clear this was not so, though he considers Bolney to have been insensitive and unwise. Amy had no wish to follow aunt Mary as a vicar's wife! She thought such a life would be dull and disappointing. On her father's death Amy discovered that her family was almost bankrupt. Losing her home she took lodgings and eventually managed to rescue the Llansamlet Spelter Works and made it into a viable concern. Bolney retired in 1903 and died, a bachelor, in May 1906. In his only parochial cure he had proved to be a man faithful to his calling, and he well deserved the high regard in which he was held.