John Jones Jenkins, 1st Baron Glantawe (10 May 1835 – 27 July 1915) was a Welsh tin-plate manufacturer and Liberal politician. Having commenced working at the Upper Forest Tinplate Works in

Morriston Morriston (; ) is a Community (Wales), community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, and falls within the Morriston (electoral ward), Morriston ward. It is the largest community in the Swansea county. Morriston is sometimes referred to ...

, at the age of fifteen, he ended his life as one of the wealthiest men in

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

Background

Jenkins was the son of Jenkin Jenkins of

, and his wife, Sarah Jones.

Business career

Jenkins was co-founder and manager of the Beaufort Tinplate Works at Morriston in 1859, where he was chief manager and partner until 1869.

Political career

Jenkins was a Justice of the Peace for

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

and

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

and Mayor of Swansea three times, in 1869, 1879 and 1880. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

on 17 May 1882. He stood unsuccessfully for parliament at

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

in 1880, but was elected Member of Parliament for the constituency in a by-election in 1882. Jenkins held the seat until 1886 when he joined the

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

party in opposition to

Home Rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

for

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

but lost against an official Liberal Party candidate. In 1889, he was

High Sheriff of Glamorgan This page is a list of High Sheriffs of Glamorgan. Sheriffs of Glamorgan served under and were answerable to the independent Lords of Glamorgan until that lordship was merged into the crown. This is in contrast to sheriffs of the English shires w ...

. Jenkins was invited by J. F. Morris to stand as the Liberal Unionist candidate for Carmarthen in 1895 and subsequently held the seat until 1900. On 18 July 1906 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Glantawe, of Swansea in the County of Glamorgan.

Personal life

Lord Glantawe married, firstly, Margaret Rees, daughter of Josiah Rees, on 20 January 1854. She died after 9 years of marriage. He married, secondly, Catherine Prudence Daniel, daughter of Edward Daniel, on 10 May 1864 at Llansamlet, Glamorgan. Jenkins had two daughters by his second wife -- Olga Violet Jenkins, Mrs Daniell (b. 1878) and Alina Kate Elaine Jenkins, Lady Bledisloe (b. 1880) -- but had no male heir. (Alina married Lord Bledisloe in 1928 and died in 1956.) Glantawe died, aged 80, at The Grange, West Cross in Swansea, now the site of the Territorial Army base, and was buried at Oystermouth Cemetery. The peerage died with him as he had left no male heir.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glantawe, John Jones Jenkins, 1st Baron Glantawe Glantawe Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs who were granted peerages Glantawe Members of Glamorgan County Council High sheriffs of Glamorgan Mayors of Swansea Liberal Unionist Party MPs for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Carmarthenshire constituencies Liberal Unionist Party peers Knights Bachelor Peers created by Edward VII Welsh justices of the peace