Thomas Lewis (died 1764) was one of the founders of the

Dowlais Ironworks The Dowlais Ironworks was a major ironworks and steelworks located at Dowlais near Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. Founded in the 18th century, it operated until the end of the 20th, at one time in the 19th century being the largest steel producer in ...

, one of the largest ironworks in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

Career

Born into a landed family from

Llanishen Llanishen (Welsh language, Welsh Llanisien ''llan'' church + ''Isien'' Saint Isan) is a district and Community (Wales), community in the north of Cardiff, Wales. Its population as of the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 17,417. Lla ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Thomas Lewis became an

iron-master An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a large ...

. He already owned the

Pentyrch Pentyrch ( cy, Pen-tyrch) is a village and community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, Pentyrch, which covers the village and immediat ...

blast furnace and several small forges when he became a partner in

in 1759.Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry 1784 - 1878
by Alan Birch, Page 68 Lewis was the partner who arranged the mineral leases and construction of the new ironworks: the works were carried out by his business, ''Thomas Lewis & Co.'' He headed the business and his family interest was not bought out until 1848. He was also a partner in the firm of ''Coles, Lewis & Co'' which had interests at Melin-y-cwrt and Ynys-y-gerwn. Lewis's family had lived at

for many generations but he was responsible for building the ''New House'' there. He was clearly a highly respected individual and served as High Sheriff of Glamorgan in 1757. He died in 1764.Glamorgan Archives: New House Estate, Llanishen, deeds
National Library of Wales. Retrieved 19 December 2015.

References

1764 deaths Businesspeople from Cardiff High Sheriffs of Glamorgan Year of birth unknown {{UK-business-bio-stub