EDWARDS, Sir JOHN (1770 - 1850), baronet and M.P.

Born 15 January 1770, son of John Edwards (died 1789) of Greenfields, Machynlleth (now Plas Machynlleth). He matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford, 8 December 1787, was lieutenant-colonel in the Montgomeryshire Militia, high sheriff of Merioneth, 1805, and of Montgomeryshire, 1818. Between 1832 and 1841 he fought four elections as a Whig in an attempt to win and keep the Montgomery boroughs seat from the Tories, spending over £20,000 in the process. The borough of Montgomery, which since 1728 had enjoyed the sole right of electing a borough member, had long been under the control of the Herbert family of Powis castle Edwards had for some time been 'nursing' the borough of Machynlleth which, with Llanidloes, Welshpool, Llanfyllin, and Newtown, were added to the constituency by the Reform Act of 1832. At the election of 1832 (the first after the Reform Act) Edwards was defeated by the Tory David Pugh of Llanerchudol. Following a petition and a hearing by a committee of the House of Commons, the election was declared void, and at the consequent election of 1833 Edwards defeated the Tory candidate Panton Corbett of Longnor Hall, Salop. He was re-elected unopposed in 1835 and in 1837 again defeated Corbett. In 1841 he was defeated by the Tory candidate Hugh Cholmondeley of Vale Royal. Throughout his parliamentary career he supported the Grey and Melbourne Governments and was rewarded with a baronetcy in 1838. He was described in 1842 as 'the first representative of popular opinions in the Montgomeryshire boroughs.' He died 19 April 1850. His daughter and heiress married, in 1846, George Henry Vane, later 5th marquess of Londonderry.

Author

• Professor Glyn Roberts, (1904 - 1962)

Sources

• W. R. Williams, The parliamentary history of the principality of Wales, from the earliest times to the present day, 1541-1895 (Brecknock 1895), 151-2
• R. Williams, Montgomeryshire Worthies (1894), 55-7
• Henry James Perry and Jerome William Knapp, Cases of Controverted Elections in the Eleventh Parliament of the United Kingdom; being the first parliament since the passing of acts for the amendment of the represntation of the people, 162
• Bye-Gones, relating to Wales and the Border Counties, 1875, 276-86, 331
• T. J. Hogg, Reports on Certain Boroughs (1837–8), 1837-8, 77-8
• Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, iv, 360
• Old Wales a monthly magazine of antiquities for Wales and the Borders (Australia 1905-1907), iii
• Foster, Alumni Oxonienses: the members of the University of Oxford

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Sir John Edwards, 1st Baronet, of Garth

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q7527751

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/