Benjamin Hall, 1st Baron Llanover (8 November 1802 – 27 April 1867), known as Sir Benjamin Hall between 1838 and 1859, was a Welsh
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
and politician. The famous "
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...
" may have been named for him.
Background
Hall was a son of the industrialist
Benjamin Hall. He went to
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
.
Political career
He was a
Sheriff of Monmouthshire
This is a list of Sheriffs of Monmouthshire, an office which was created in 1536 but not fully settled until 1540.
On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, the shrievalty of Monmouthshire was abolished, and replac ...
in 1826. He was elected Member of Parliament for
Monmouth
Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
in May 1831, but his name was erased from the return already in July of the same year. However, he was successfully re-elected for the same constituency in December 1832. He was instrumental in the passing of the
Truck Acts
Truck Acts is the name given to legislation that outlaws truck systems, which are also known as "company store" systems, commonly leading to debt bondage. In England and Wales such laws date back to the 15th century.
History
The modern success ...
of 1831 and campaigned against the abuse of parliamentary election expenses and championed the right of people in Wales to have religious services in
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
. He also engaged in bitter controversy with the bishops on the state of the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church in Wales and made attacks on the shameless exploitation of church revenues, complaining of unbounded nepotism. In 1837 he was returned for
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...
and the following year he was created a
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
.
He served under
Lord Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, (28 January 178414 December 1860), styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a British statesman, diplomat and landowner, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite politician and specialist in ...
and then
Lord Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...
as
President of the Board of Health between 1854 and 1855 and was sworn of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in 1854. In 1855 he introduced an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
which led to the establishment of the Metropolitan Board of Works.
He became
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and subsequent to 1922, within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ir ...
the same year and was responsible for many environmental and sanitary improvements in London. He oversaw the later stages of the rebuilding of the
Houses of Parliament
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north ban ...
, including the installation of the 13.8-tonne hour bell, "
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...
", in the clock tower. He was a tall man and many attribute its name to him.
He remained as First Commissioner of Works under parliament until the Whigs lost power in 1858. The following year he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Llanover, of Llanover and Abercarn in the County of Monmouth. From 1861 to 1867 he was
Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire
This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. Before the English Civil War, the lieutenancy of Monmouthshire was held by the Lord Lieutenant of Wales, except for the period from 1602 to 1629, when it formed a separate lie ...
.
Through his wife,
Augusta Waddington, Hall inherited the
Llanover
Llanover (; cy, Llanofer) is a village in the community of Goetre Fawr in Monmouthshire, Wales.
Location
Llanover is located four miles south of Abergavenny just off the A4042 road to Pontypool. The community includes the separate hamlets o ...
estate in
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
.
Personal life
Lord Llanover married
Augusta, daughter of Benjamin and Georgina Waddington of Ty Uchaf,
Llanover
Llanover (; cy, Llanofer) is a village in the community of Goetre Fawr in Monmouthshire, Wales.
Location
Llanover is located four miles south of Abergavenny just off the A4042 road to Pontypool. The community includes the separate hamlets o ...
in 1823. She was the sister of and co-heiress with
Frances Bunsen
Baroness Frances Waddington Bunsen (4 March 1791 – 23 April 1876) was a Welsh painter, author and diplomatic hostess, wife of Christian Charles Josias Bunsen, and the older sister of Lady Llanover.
Early life
Frances Waddington was born in ...
, wife of the Prussian diplomat
Baron Bunsen.
Only one of their daughters reached adulthood. Augusta married
Arthur Jones of
Llanarth. Their son was
Ivor Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen. Lord Llanover died in April 1867, aged 64, when the baronetcy and barony became extinct. Lady Llanover survived him by almost thirty years and died in January 1896.
References
External links
Profile OxfordDNB.com
ukonline.co.uk
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llanover, 1st Baron Hall, Benjamin
1802 births
1867 deaths
People educated at Westminster School, London
Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
British civil engineers
Lord-Lieutenants of Monmouthshire
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire
Whig (British political party) MPs for Welsh constituencies
Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1831–1832
UK MPs 1832–1835
UK MPs 1835–1837
UK MPs 1837–1841
UK MPs 1841–1847
UK MPs 1847–1852
UK MPs 1852–1857
UK MPs 1857–1859
UK MPs who were granted peerages
Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria