Thomas Assheton Smith (the elder) (1752 – 12 May 1828) was an English landowner and all-round sportsman who played a major part in the development of the Welsh slate industry.

Life

Smith was the eldest son of Thomas Assheton of Ashley, Mobberley in Cheshire, who had added "Smith" to his surname when he inherited the Vaynol (Caernarvonshire) and

Tidworth Tidworth is a garrison town and civil parish in south-east Wiltshire, England, on the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain. Lying on both sides of the A338 about north of the A303 primary route, the town is approximately west of Andover, sout ...

(then in Hampshire) estates from his uncle, William Smith. He was High Sheriff of

Caernarfonshire 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 ...

for 1774–75 and 1783–84 and High Sheriff of Anglesey for 1784–85. He was 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 ...

from 1774 to 1780 and also MP for the English borough of

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

, Hampshire between 1797 and 1821. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire from 1822 until his death. In 1806 he induced Parliament to pass an act enclosing the common land of Llanddeiniolen parish, adding over 2,600 acres to his land holdings, and giving him the right as lord of the manor to the slate on the commons. He put down the rioting which resisted exercise of his new rights of control over the commons with the support of a cavalry unit. In 1809, he took over control of slate quarrying on his estate, forming a company of four under his presidency. The company was later dissolved and he took over sole control of the enterprise. By 1826 the Dinorwic Quarry was employing 800 men and producing 20,000 tons of slate per year. Assheton Smith developed Port Dinorwic ( Y Felinheli) as a port for the export of the slates.

Cricket

Thomas Assheton Smith was a keen sportsman and was particularly noted for his involvement in

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

. He was a close friend of

George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea (4 November 1752 – 2 August 1826), was an English peer, army officer and cricketer who was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisatio ...

and became one of cricket's main patrons following the establishment of

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

(MCC) in 1787. Smith was not a good player, unlike his son, but is known to have taken part in 45 major matches between the

1787 Events January–March * January 9 – The North Carolina General Assembly authorizes nine commissioners to purchase of land for the seat of Chatham County. The town is named Pittsborough (later shortened to Pittsboro), for W ...

and 1796 seasons. In the contemporary scorecards, he is generally shown as "A Smith, Esq." whereas his son was usually recorded as "T A Smith, Esq.".

Family and death

Assheton Smith married Elizabeth Wynn, daughter of Watkin Wynn of Foelas. His eldest son, John, was expelled from the family after marrying a servant, and was subsequently wiped from their family records. Assheton Smith's third son, William, saw action at

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * The Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England Trafalgar may also refer to: Places * Cape Trafalgar, a headland in ...

on but drowned in 1806. There were also five daughters. He died at Tidworth in 1828, and the Tidworth and Vaynol estates were inherited by his namesake second son, Thomas Assheton Smith (1776–1858), who was also a noted amateur cricketer and all-round sportsman.

References

* Jones, E. G., (1959). SMITH, THOMAS ASSHETON (1752-1828), of Vaenol Bangor landed proprietor and quarry owner. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 15 Dec 2020, fro

* ''Scores & Biographies'' by Arthur Haygarth

External links

CricketArchive
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Thomas Assheton I 1752 births 1828 deaths People from Mobberley Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 19th-century English businesspeople British mining businesspeople English cricketers English cricketers of 1787 to 1825 History of Gwynedd Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Slate industry in Wales Hampshire cricketers 18th-century English landowners White Conduit Club cricketers High sheriffs of Caernarvonshire High sheriffs of Anglesey Lord-lieutenants of Caernarvonshire Old Etonians cricketers Non-international England cricketers Sportspeople from Cheshire Cricket patrons 19th-century English landowners People from Hampshire (before 1974)