Edward Gordon Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn (born Douglas; 20 June 1800 – 31 March 1886), was a British Conservative Party politician, landowner in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and slave owner in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. He played a major part in the development of the Welsh slate industry.

Life

Penrhyn was the younger son of the Hon. John Douglas and his wife, Lady Frances Lascelles, daughter of the 1st Earl of Harewood. The 14th Earl of Morton was his paternal grandfather and The 17th Earl of Morton was his elder brother. He served as an officer in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

. He inherited the Penrhyn Estate near Bangor in north-west Wales through his wife's father, George Hay Dawkins-Pennant, and changed his name to Douglas-Pennant by Royal licence in 1841. This made him the owner of the Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda, Wales, which under his ownership developed into one of the two largest slate quarries in the world. He was also involved in politics and sat as Member of Parliament for

Caernarvonshire Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales. Geography The county ...

between 1841 and 1866. He also held the honorary post of Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire. On 30 August 1852, he was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant to revive and command the county militia regiment, the Royal Carnarvon Rifles. He commanded the regiment until 1858, when he became its Honorary Colonel. In 1866, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Penrhyn, of Llandegai in the County of Carnarvon. In 1868, he sacked 80 workers from Penrhyn Quarry for failing to vote for his son George Douglas-Pennant in the general election. The village of

Llandygai Llandygai (, ; ; also Llandegai) is a small village and Community (Wales), community on the A5 road (Great Britain), A5 road between Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor and Talybont, Bangor, Talybont in Gwynedd, Wales. It affords a view of the nearby Car ...

was developed by Lord Penrhyn as a 'model village' for his estate workers, in which 'no corrupting alehouse' was permitted.A. H. Dodd (1968) ''A History of Caernarvonshire'', Caernarvonshire Historical Society/Bridge Books . The village lies immediately outside of the walls of the Penrhyn Castle demesne walls, with the entrance to the village being some 100m from the castle's Grand Lodge. Pennant loaned the land the village was to be built on as a 30-year lease to the quarrymen who were to live there. The quarrymen built the entire village infrastructure and buildings with no help from Pennant, but 30 years later he took full ownership of the land and village. Lord Penrhyn also earned a fortune from slave labour plantations in Jamaica. Lord Penrhyn died in 1886, aged 85.

Marriage and issue

Lord Penrhyn married, firstly, Juliana Isabella Mary (died 25 April 1842), daughter of George Hay Dawkins-Pennant, in 1833. They had two sons and four daughters. *Hon. Caroline Elizabeth Emma (20 May 1834 – 1 June 1924), married in 1857 James McGarel-Hogg, 1st Baron Magheramorne *Hon. Emma Juliana Sophia (17 July 1835 – 11 August 1909), died unmarried *Major Hon. George Sholto Gordon (30 September 1836 – 10 March 1907), married firstly in 1860, Pamela Blanche (died 1989), daughter of Sir Charles Rushout Rushout, 2nd Baronet; secondly to Gertrude Jessy, daughter of Rev. Henry Glynne, M.P. *Hon. Archibald Charles Henry (22 November 1837 – 7 September 1884), married in 1865, Hon. Harriet Ella Gifford, daughter of Robert Gifford, 2nd Baron Gifford; father of Frank Douglas-Pennant, 5th Baron Penrhyn *Hon. Eleanor Frances Susan (12 December 1838 – 13 September 1919) *Harriet (20–24 June 1840), died in infancy After her death, he married, secondly, Lady Maria Louisa, daughter of Henry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton, in 1846. They had five daughters: *Hon. Louisa Mary (13 July 1847 – 19 June 1911), died unmarried *Hon. Mary Georgina (1 May 1849 – 20 October 1926), died unmarried *Hon. Eva Anna Caroline (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1934), married Lord William Seymour *Hon. Gertrude Emma (11 June 1856 – 20 July 1944), died unmarried *Hon. Adela (26 May 1858 – 26 May 1955), died unmarried He died in 1886 and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, George.

Arms

Notes

References

*''

Dictionary of Welsh Biography The ''Dictionary of Welsh Biography'' (DWB) (also ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1940'' and ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941 to 1970'') is a biographical dictionary of Welsh people who have made a significant contribution to ...

'' * Bryn Owen, ''History of the Welsh Militia and Volunteer Corps 1757–1908: 1: Anglesey and Caernarfonshire'', Caernarfon: Palace Books, 1989, ISBN 1-871904-00-5.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Penrhyn, Edward Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron 1800 births 1886 deaths British mining businesspeople History of Gwynedd Grenadier Guards officers Lord-lieutenants of Caernarvonshire Carnarvon Militia officers Slate industry in Wales 19th-century Welsh businesspeople UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs who were granted peerages Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Edward Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn 1

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria 19th-century Welsh landowners