John Jones "of Ystrad" (1777–1842), 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 ...

politician, MP for

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

from 1821 to 1832. He was born on 15 September 1777 in King Street,

, the son of a solicitor. Educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, he went on to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

to qualify as a barrister. His work on the South Wales circuit took him back to his home area, and he stood as a Conservative at the election of 1812. In 1815, he replaced Sir

Thomas Picton Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 175818 June 1815) was a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible t ...

as MP for Pembroke Boroughs. In 1818 he was again defeated at

, but eventually won the seat three years later. Although regarded as a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

in politics, Jones's main pre-occupation was local politics and after his election to Parliament he concentrated much of his energy upon having a controlling interest in the Carmarthen Town Council. When Reform legislation was introduced in the House of Commons in 1831, Jones voted against the second reading on 22 March. At the subsequent General Election, he was injured in rioting at the

Carmarthen Guildhall Carmarthen Guildhall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Caerfyrddin) is a municipal structure in Guildhall Square, Carmarthen, Wales. The guildhall, which was the headquarters of Carmarthen Borough Council, is a Grade I listed building. History The building ...

. The voting was called off, and the election for the constituency had to be re-run in August, when Jones retained the seat. Later that year he fought a duel with another politician,

Robert Fulke Greville Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Fulke Greville FRS (3 February 1751 – 27 April 1824) was a British Army officer, courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. Life The son of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick ...

. Despite eventually voting in favour of the

Reform Bill In the United Kingdom, Reform Act is most commonly used for legislation passed in the 19th century and early 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

, he was defeated in the 1832 general election. From 1837 to 1841 he was MP for

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

. His efforts to have the salt tax abolished earned him the nickname "Jones yr Halen" ("Jones the Salt"). Jones died on 10 November 1842. __NOTOC__

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, John 1777 births 1842 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Carmarthenshire constituencies UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1837–1841 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies People from Carmarthen Members of Lincoln's Inn Tory MPs (pre-1834)