William Thomas Lewis, 1st Baron Merthyr (5 August 1837 – 27 August 1914), known as Sir William Lewis, 1st Baronet, from 1896 to 1911, was a Welsh coal mining magnate.

Early life

Lewis was born in 1837 in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

Glamorganshire Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the south of Wales. Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying bo ...

, the second son of Thomas William Lewis, an engineer at the Plymouth, and his wife Mary Anne. He was educated at a local school run by Taliesin Williams until the age of thirteen when he was apprenticed to his father as an engineer. In 1855 Lewis was appointed as an assistant to W. S. Clark, the chief mining engineer of

John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, (12 September 1847 – 9 October 1900) was a Scottish landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist, and architectural patron. When Bute succeeded to the marq ...

(1847–1890). He spent ten years in that post before succeeding Clark in 1864. Lewis was given the occupancy of Mardy House as part of his job, which became his long-term residence in

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; ) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and River Cynon, Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tydf ...

. The same year he married Anne Rees, daughter of William Rees, and granddaughter of Lucy Thomas, the legendary "mother of the Welsh steam-coal trade". Lewis and Anne had two sons and six daughters. He at first worked for the

Bute Bute or BUTE may refer to: People * Marquess of Bute, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain; includes lists of baronets, earls and marquesses of Bute * Lord of Bute, a title in medieval Scotland, including a list of lords * Lucian Bute (born ...

coal mining pits in southern Wales, but between 1870 and 1880 he acquired his own pits in

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley (, 'large') and t ...

, which became known as Lewis Merthyr Consolidated Collieries Limited. He was also the founder of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Association as a response to the growing strength of the trade unions.

Public life

Lewis commenced his career in public life in 1866, when he was elected to the Aberdare Local Board of Health. In

1889 Events January * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the Dakotas ...

he was stood for election to the

Glamorgan County Council Glamorgan County Council was established in 1889 together with the administrative county of Glamorganshire under the Local Government Act 1888. The first elections to the council were held in January 1889. The council was abolished under the Loca ...

for the Hirwaun ward. The contest was marked by accusations (originally made at the time of the Glamorgan county election of 1880) that Lewis, as a prominent coal owner and land agent, had refused requests by nonconformists for land to build chapels. He publicly refuted these allegations, at a meeting held at Ebenezer, Trecynon. Lewis's supporters also countered these claims by publishing old correspondence, including a letter by the late

Thomas Price Thomas Price may refer to: *Thomas Price (South Australian politician) (1852–1909), Premier of South Australia *Thomas Price (bishop) (1599–1685), Church of Ireland archbishop of Cashel *Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc) (1787–1848), Welsh literary ...

which refuted the accusations. There is evidence that Lewis's personal popularity transcended any political considerations. Lewis defeated the Liberal candidate, a local Methodist minister, Richard Morgan, and was immediately made an alderman. At the end of his six-year term he did not seek re-election.

Later career

Lewis was created a Baronet, of Nantgwyne, in 1896, and in 1911 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Merthyr, of

Senghenydd Senghenydd (, ) is a former mining village in the community of Aber Valley in South Wales, approximately four miles northwest of the town of Caerphilly. Historically within the county of Glamorgan, it is now situated in the county borough of Cae ...

in the County of Glamorgan. He was

Knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1885. He was

as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victoria Order (KCVO) in 1907. He was upgraded to Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) in 1912. He served as high sheriff of

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

in 1884. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

on 10 March 1905. Lady Lewis died at Hean Castle,

Saundersfoot Saundersfoot (; Old Welsh: ''Llanussyllt'') is a large village and community (and former electoral ward) in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is near Tenby, both being holiday destinations. Saundersfoot lies in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and on ...

, on 2 October 1902. Lord Merthyr died in August 1914, aged 77, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son Herbert. A sculpture by

Thomas Brock Sir Thomas Brock (1 March 184722 August 1922) was an English sculptor and medallist, notable for the creation of several large public sculptures and monuments in Britain and abroad in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His mo ...

was erected in Aberdare Park and unveiled in 1913.

Senghenydd colliery disaster

One of the pits owned by Lewis was the Senghenydd Colliery. Following a failure to implement a safety plan in early 1913, an explosion in the mine on 14 October of that year killed 439 miners and one rescuer. This remains the worst

mining accident A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground mining (hard rock), underground coal mining, although accidents al ...

in the United Kingdom. Lord Merthyr, together with the colliery manager, was subsequently fined a total of £24.

Arms

References

Bibliography

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. *
Short summary of Lord Merthyr's career at www.archivesnetworkwales.co.uk

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merthyr, William Lewis, 1st Baron 1837 births 1914 deaths 1 Members of Glamorgan County Council Welsh industrialists People from Merthyr Tydfil Conservative Party (UK) councillors Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers High sheriffs of Brecknockshire Knights Bachelor Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Barons created by George V 19th-century Welsh businesspeople British businesspeople in the coal industry