JONES
,
JOHN
(
1777
-
1842
), ‘of
Ystrad
’,
politician
;
b. at
38, King Street
,
Carmarthen
,
15 Sept. 1777
, the son of
Thomas
Jones
,
solicitor
, of
Job's Well
and
Capel Dewi
, and the grandson of
Thomas
Jones
,
R.N.
Educated at
Eton
and
Christ Church
,
Oxford
, he was
called to the Bar
from
Lincoln's Inn
in
1803
and became the
leading counsel
on the
South Wales circuit
and
recorder
of
Kidwelly
. He unsuccessfully contested
Carmarthen borough
against the
Cawdor
interest in
1812
but, on the death of
general
Picton
(q.v.)
in
1815
, became member for the
Pembroke boroughs
, a seat which he held until
1818
. In that year he again unsuccessfully contested
Carmarthen borough
but, when his opponent in this election succeeded to the
earldom of Cawdor
in
1821
, he won the seat against the
Whig candidate
,
Sir
William
Paxton
, and was re-elected in
1826
and
1830
. He led the opposition in the
Commons
in
1830
to
lord Cawdor
's measure for the abolition of the
Courts
of Great Sessions
. In the election in
April 1831
he was injured in the rioting at
Carmarthen
, and no return was made, but he was again returned in Aug. of the same year. On
22 Oct.
following, he fought a duel at
Tavernspite
with
R. F.
Greville
, the unsuccessful candidate for
Pembrokeshire
. Contrary to general expectation he voted for the
Reform Bill
, but he was defeated by a
Whig
opponent in
1832
and, in
1835
, he unsuccessfully contested the county seat. He was returned as county member in
1837
and retained his seat in
1841
. He d.
12 Nov. 1842
. He was unmarried. He was
Welsh
-speaking and was very popular, being known locally as ‘
Jones yr Halen
’ because of his
efforts to abolish the salt tax
. He was described as ‘a
Tory
in politics but in private life a Liberal.’ There is a memorial to him in
S. Peter's church
,
Carmarthen
. The idea that the
Carmarthen
suburb,
Johnstown
, is named after him is erroneous.
Bibliography:
-
W. R. Williams
,
The History of the Parliamentary
Representation of Wales
, 1895
;
-
J. E. Lloyd
(ed.),
A History of Carmarthenshire
, 2 vols.,
1935–9
, ii (see bibliography);
-
David Williams
,
The Rebecca Riots a Study in Agrarian
Discontent
, Cardiff, 1955
;
-
First Report of Commissioners on Courts of
Common Law
, 1829
,
1829
(for his opposition to abolition of Courts of Great Sessions).
Author:
Emeritus Professor David Williams, D.Litt., (1900-78), Aberystwyth
