Joseph Ablett (29 January 1773 – 9 January 1848) was a philanthropist and

High Sheriff of Denbighshire The first High Sheriff of Denbighshire was John Salusbury, snr, appointed in 1540. The shrievalty of Denbighshire, together with that of Flintshire, continued until 1974 when it was abolished after the county and shrievalty of Clwyd was create ...

, a county in Wales, in 1809.

Life

Joseph Ablett was born on 29 January 1773. He bore the same name as his father, who was involved in the threadmaking business of Ablett and Jesse in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. He attended

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Manchester, England, is the largest independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1515 as a Grammar school#free tuition, free grammar school next to Manchester C ...

from 1783 and in 1804 purchased Llanbedr Hall in Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd, near

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 ...

, from Rev. Edward Thelwall. He became a magistrate for the county of Denbighshire and, in 1809, High Sheriff. His father also acquired an estate near Ruthin, at Ffynogion, giving rise to some confusion in sources regarding which events related to the father and which to the son. In 1826, Ablett stood for election to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

as a Whig. He polled the same number of votes - 273 - as

Frederick Richard West Frederick Richard West (6 February 1799 – 1 May 1862) was a British Tory MP for Denbigh Boroughs and East Grinstead. He was a member of the Canterbury Association. Early life West was born in 1799 in Hanover Square, London. He was the third ...

Ruthin Castle Ruthin Castle ( cy, Castell Rhuthun) is a medieval castle fortification in Wales, near the town of Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, ...

, who was also contesting the Denbigh Boroughs constituency. West was assigned the seat under the rules governing double returns. Ablett extended his lands in 1833 with the purchase of Bathafarn Hall, a building in Llanbedr that is now

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

. He donated the land at Denbigh upon which

North Wales Hospital The North Wales Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Gogledd Cymru) is a Grade II* listed building in Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales. Designed by architect Thomas Fulljames, building started in 1844 and completed in 1848. Initially a hospital for up to 200 peopl ...

was constructed between 1844 and 1848 and also constructed almshouses in Llanrhydd Street, Ruthin. His correspondence, some of which survives at Denbighshire Archive Service, included dealings with the antiquary

William Owen Pughe William Owen Pughe (7 August 1759 – 4 June 1835) was a Welsh antiquarian and grammarian best known for his ''Welsh and English Dictionary'', published in 1803, but also known for his grammar books and "Pughisms" (neologisms)."The Inventio ...

and the sculptor John Gibson. Ablett died on 9 January 1848 and was buried at the churchyard in Llanbedr. A monument there describes him as His wife, Ann, died in 1854 at the age of 80. The couple had been childless and Llanbedr Hall passed to John Jesse, a relative who himself became High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1856.

Publication

In 1837, Ablett edited and privately published a compilation of writings by friends titled ''Literary Hours''.

References

Notes Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ablett, Joseph 1773 births 1848 deaths Philanthropists from Greater Manchester People from Ruthin High Sheriffs of Denbighshire Whig (British political party) politicians People educated at Manchester Grammar School