Sir Hugh Owen Owen, 2nd Baronet (25 December 1803 – 5 September 1891), known as Hugh Owen Lord until 1809, was a
British Liberal Party,
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
and
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 ...
politician.
Family and early life
Born in 1803 as Hugh Owen Lord, Owen was the son of
Sir John Owen, 1st Baronet
Sir John Owen, 1st Baronet (1776 – 6 February 1861), born John Lord, was a British Tory (later Conservative Party) politician from Wales. He sat as a Member of Parliament (MP) for over fifty years. His wealth came from coal mining but he lost ...
and his first wife Charlotte, daughter of John Lewes Philipps. He was a descendant of the nobleman
Hwfa ap Cynddelw to the Owens of
Orielton, Pembrokeshire
Orielton is a historic country house near Hundleton in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It has been used as a field studies centre for environmental sciences but was put on sale in early 2022
History
The first known house at Orielton was a fortified manor b ...
, a family known for parliamentary and military service in
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
. His surname was changed to Owen when his father inherited the estates of Hugh Owen's cousin
Sir Hugh Owen, 6th Baronet
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
, whom Owen was named after.
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 ...
in 1817, and graduating from
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 ...
in 1822, he first married Angelina Maria Cecilia, daughter of
Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd Baronet
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Gould Morgan, 2nd Baronet (4 February 1760 – 5 December 1846), was a Welsh soldier and politician, the MP for Brecon and County of Monmouth.
Early career
The 2nd baronet was the son of Sir Charles Morgan, 1st ...
in 1825, and they had five sons and three daughters, including:
Hugh Charles Owen (1826–1909); John Owen (1828–1890); Arthur Owen (1829–1876); and, William Owen (1832–1889).
After Angelina's death in 1844, he remarried in 1845 to Henrietta Fraser, daughter of Edward Rodney, and they had one son and three daughters, including Alice Henrietta Rodney Owen (died 1925); Ellen Rodney Owen; Edith Rodney Owen; and George Rodney Owen (1859–1886).
Political career
Both Owen's father and cousin Hugh had been Tory MPs for
Pembroke between 1809 and 1812, with the father also holding
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
between 1812 and 1841. Owen also entered Parliament when he was first elected MP for
Pembroke unopposed at the
1826 general election as a Tory, after which he admitted his youth and experience, and declared support for religious toleration but not Catholic relief.
Although he was re-elected numerous times, including as a Conservative in 1832, Owen was often criticised for an "inattention for his parliamentary duties". In Parliament, he voted against the abolition of the Welsh courts, arguing "our sessions should be held in future where they are at present held and, when the bill received
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
, he signed a memorial expressing regret for it.
Owen was also against the parliamentary reform scheme put forward by
Lord Blandford, divided against emancipation and the Galway franchise bill, and presented petitions for the
abolition of slavery
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
. In 1831, he divided against the
Grey ministry's
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. ...
and for
Isaac Gascoyne
Isaac Gascoyne (21 August 1763 – 26 August 1841) was a British Army officer and Tory politician. He was born at Barking, London Essex on 21 August 1763, the third son of Bamber Gascoyne (senior) and Mary Green and was educated at Felsted Scho ...
's wrecking amendment, and later divided against a reintroduced version of the former in 1831, and then again upon its second and third readings. He later resigned in 1838 when his father obliged him to vacate the seat for
Sir James Graham, 2nd Baronet
Sir James Robert George Graham, 2nd Baronet (1 June 1792 – 25 October 1861) was a British statesman, who notably served as Home Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty. He was the eldest son of Sir James Graham, 1st Baronet, by Lady Ca ...
.
1861 Pembrokeshire by-election
After 23 years of absence from Parliament, in January 1861, he attempted to be elected as a Liberal for Pembrokeshire at a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
resulting from the elevation of the sitting member, Lord Emlyn, to the peerage following the death of his father. Owen's candidacy was from the outset impacted upon by his financial difficulties, even though it was confidently asserted that his debts would be honoured.
Nominating him at Haverfordwest,
Thomas Davies Lloyd of
Bronwydd
Bronwydd is a village and a community (Wales), community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated about three miles north of Carmarthen in the valley of the River Gwili. Bronwydd community comprises the village of Bronwydd Arms, a couple ...
referred to the tradition of the house of Orielton and trusted that their fortunes would be revived.
Owen was however, unsuccessful.
Member for Pembroke Boroughs
Nevertheless, the next month, he was elected as a Liberal in his former constituency, Pembroke, succeeding his father who had recently died, at a
by-election in 1861.
There was mounting opposition to Owen during the 1860s, and in 1864 there were suggestions that he be replaced by
Richard Potter, chairman of the Great Western Railway.
However, he held the seat until he was defeated
in 1868.
Baronetcy
Owen succeeded his father as
Baronet of Orielton, Pembrokeshire on 6 February 1861 and, upon his own death in 1891, the title was passed to his son
Hugh Owen.
Other activities
On 16 September 1830, Owen was made
Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Commandant
Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...
of his local
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
unit, the
Royal Pembroke Rifles, which became the
Royal Pembroke Artillery in 1853. He held the command until 1875, and then became the unit's
Honorary Colonel. From 1872 to his death, he was also
aide-de-camp to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
.
[Bryn Owen, ''History of the Welsh Militia and Volunteer Corps 1757–1908: Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire, Part 1: Regiments of Militia'', Wrexham: Bridge Books, 1995, ISBN 1-872424-51-1, p. 69 & Appendix 1.] He was also at some point
Deputy Lieutenant of
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
.
Owen died at Barnes in September 1891 aged 87. The passing years had erased some of the bitterness of political contests and the ''Pembrokeshire Herald'', which was so hostile to him in the 1860s, described him as "accomplished, courteous and genial" and "in all respects a gentleman."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Hugh Owen
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies
Tory MPs (pre-1834)
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Pembrokeshire constituencies
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Pembroke Militia officers
Deputy Lieutenants of Pembrokeshire
UK MPs 1826–1830
UK MPs 1830–1831
UK MPs 1831–1832
UK MPs 1832–1835
UK MPs 1835–1837
UK MPs 1837–1841
UK MPs 1859–1865
UK MPs 1865–1868
1803 births
1891 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford