Sir Henry Haydn Jones (27 December 1863 – 2 July 1950) was a
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 ...
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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politician.
Upbringing
Henry (sometimes known as "Harry") Haydn Jones was born in
Ruthin
Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. He was the son of
Joseph David Jones
Joseph David Jones (1827 – 17 September 1870) was a Welsh composer and schoolmaster, commonly known as J. D. Jones. He was the father of the politician and industrialist Sir Henry Haydn Jones and the renowned Congregationalist minister, ...
(1827–70), a schoolmaster in the town and a respected Welsh musician and composer. After the early death of his father, Haydn Jones was brought up by uncles at Towyn (now called
Tywyn
Tywyn (Welsh: ; in English often ), formerly spelled Towyn, is a town, community, and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd, Wales. It was previously in the historic county of Merionethshire. It is famous as the loc ...
) where he was educated at the Board School & Academy. In 1903 he married Barbara Annie Gwendolen Davies Jones, daughter of Lewis D. Jones, who was Welsh-born and the original agent for Price Waterhouse & Co. in the U.S.
Politics
In 1889, Haydn Jones was elected as one of the first members of
Merionethshire County Council Merionethshire County Council was a local authority in Wales from 1889 until its abolition in 1974.
Overview
The administrative county of Merionethshire and its local authority, the Merionethshire County Council was established in 1889 under the L ...
, representing the Towyn Urban District. A year later he was the chair of the council. He was eventually elected an
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
. Jones continued to rise in the political world being elected as the
MP for
Merioneth
, HQ= Dolgellau
, Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974)
, Origin=
, Status=
, Start= 1284
, End=
, Code= MER
, CodeName= ...
at the
January 1910 general election
The January 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The government called the election in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the rejection of the People's Budget by the Conservative-dominat ...
. He continued to serve in this role until
1945 general election
The following elections occurred in the year 1945.
Africa
* 1945 South-West African legislative election
Asia
* 1945 Indian general election
Australia
* 1945 Fremantle by-election
Europe
* 1945 Albanian parliamentary election
* 1945 Bulgaria ...
, when aged 81. He was knighted in 1937.
Business
In 1909, the
Bryn Eglwys
Bryn Eglwys quarry was a slate quarry and mine near Abergynolwyn, in Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), Wales. More than 300 men worked at the site, making it the principal employer in the area. Two veins of slate, known as the Broad Vein an ...
slate quarry, the
Abergynolwyn
Abergynolwyn ( en, Mouth of the River with a Whirlpool) is a village in southern Gwynedd, Wales, located at the confluence of the Nant Gwernol and the Afon Dysynni.
The population of the community which is named after the village of Llanfiha ...
estate and village and
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a narrow gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 ...
came up for sale. Aware of the distress which would be caused by permanent closure of the quarry Sir Haydn bought the lot himself in 1911 for £5250, and became the sole owner of what became the Abergynolwyn Slate and Slab Company. In 1935 he extended his quarry ownership, leasing the
Aberllefenni Slate Quarry
Aberllefenni quarry is the collective name of three slate quarries, Foel Grochan, Hen Gloddfa (also known as Hen Chwarel) and Ceunant Ddu, located in Cwm Hengae, just to the west of Aberllefenni, Gwynedd, North Wales. It was the longest continu ...
in the neighbouring
Corris
Corris is a village in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, about north of the town of Machynlleth. The village lies on the west bank of the Afon Dulas (which here forms the boundary with Powys), around that river's confluence with the Afon Deri. Its ...
district.
The quarrying and slate business did well until the early 1920s when demand fell and the Bryn Eglwys quarry was only kept open by
pillaring the easy to obtain slate rather than by digging out new underground chambers. At times there was a three-day week, but the quarry soldiered on until 1941 when Sir Haydn's lease expired. He continued on a yearly lease until 1946 when a roof fall caused by the continued pillaring closed the quarry for good.
Talyllyn Railway
By buying Bryn Eglwys, Haydn Jones had become effectively owner of the
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a narrow gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 ...
built to carry slate from the quarry to Tywyn. After the quarry collapse and closure in 1946, the railway had little reason to continue operating. Haydn Jones declared that the railway would remain open while he remained alive and it continued to run until 1950. After his death, his widow reached an arrangement with
L. T. C. Rolt
Lionel Thomas Caswall Rolt (usually abbreviated to Tom Rolt or L. T. C. Rolt) (11 February 1910 – 9 May 1974) was a prolific English writer and the biographer of major civil engineering figures including Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Thomas Te ...
and his associates allowing them to lease the railway, which continues operating to this day.
One of the Talyllyn locomotives, ex-
Corris Railway
The Corris Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Corris) is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire (now Gwynedd) and Montgomeryshire (now Powys) in Mid-Wales.
The line opened in 1859 as a horse tramway, runni ...
No.3, was named ''Sir Haydn'' after him in 1951. This was more appropriate than was known at the time, as Sir Haydn's strong support of the Corris Railway during his time as lessee of Aberllefenni Quarry was instrumental in the railway continuing to operate throughout World War Two and the locomotive therefore avoiding the wartime scrap drive.
It is in his role as owner of the Talyllyn Railway that Sir Haydn Jones became a figure known, albeit not by name, to many small children. One of the early railway preservation people who joined Rolt was the Rev.
W.V. Awdry
Wilbert Vere Awdry (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997) was an English Anglican Minister (Christianity), minister, railfan, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He was best known for creating Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas and several other ...
, and in the form of the owner of the
Skarloey Railway
The Island of Sodor is a fictional island featured as the setting for ''The Railway Series'' books by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry (and his son Christopher), begun in 1945, and for the popular ''Thomas & Friends'' television series since 1984, altho ...
, Sir Haydn was immortalised in
his books as Sir Handel Brown. As in real life, loco No.3 on the Skarloey Railway was named after him as
Sir Handel.
Papers and legacy
The papers of Sir Henry Haydn Jones are archived at the
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...
, donated by his widow in 1995. Sir Henry Haydn Jones succeeded (barely) in keeping his promise that the railway would outlive him. After the railway was revived by
L. T. C. Rolt
Lionel Thomas Caswall Rolt (usually abbreviated to Tom Rolt or L. T. C. Rolt) (11 February 1910 – 9 May 1974) was a prolific English writer and the biographer of major civil engineering figures including Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Thomas Te ...
and others it prospered and became a major Welsh tourist attraction and flagship to the infant
Heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
movement. Quarrying at Aberllefenni finished in 2003, although in 2019, slate is still processed at the mill there.
References
Sources
* ;
* ;
* ;
*''Who was Who'', OUP 2007
External links
*
Sir Haydn Jones Papersat the
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Henry Haydn
1863 births
1950 deaths
People from Ruthin
Councillors in Wales
Knights Bachelor
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies
Talyllyn Railway
UK MPs 1910
UK MPs 1910–1918
UK MPs 1918–1922
UK MPs 1922–1923
UK MPs 1923–1924
UK MPs 1924–1929
UK MPs 1929–1931
UK MPs 1931–1935
UK MPs 1935–1945
People from Tywyn
Liberal Party (UK) councillors