Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn

Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn (19 May 1814 – 19 June 1892) was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who served as MP for Swansea for 37 years.

Early life Dillwyn was born in Swansea, Wales, the fourth of six children of Lewis Weston Dillwyn and Mary Dillwyn. He had two brothers and three sisters. His grandfather, William Dillwyn, was an American Quaker, who, alongside others such as William Wilberforce had campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade. On 16 March 1838, Dillwyn married de la Beche's daughter Elizabeth and, with his wife's artistic guidance, the pottery produced a range of beautiful Etruscan ware which is today a collector's item.

Industrial activities Dillwyn followed his father and his Quaker antecedents in pursuing industry and commerce and radical politics, and played a major part in the industrial development of Swansea. He was head of the firm of Dillwyn and Richards at the Landore spelter works and began to expand his industrial activities to include silver refining. Later, he formed a partnership with William Siemens to establish the Landore Siemens Steel Co., and by 1874 this company had become one of the four largest producers in the world, employing some 2000 workers. In the 1880s, following a slump in the steel industry, Dillwyn concentrated his manufacturing activities on his spelter works at Llansamlet (equally in the built-up area of Swansea), and soon became one of the major zinc producers in the country.

Military connections In 1859 he raised the 3rd (Swansea Rifles) Glamorganshire Rifle Volunteers and was commissioned as their Captain. The Swansea Rifles grew to become a full battalion. Dillwyn continued to command the unit (which was often known as 'Dillwyn's') for many years, rising to Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant in 1877 and full Colonel in 1888. In 1881, while inspecting the troops after they had completed a week's training he fell from his horse and sustained serious injuries from which he did, however, recover.

Political career In 1837, at the early age of 22, Dillwyn became a Glamorganshire magistrate and in 1843 played a prominent role alongside his brother, John Dillwyn Llewelyn (who had taken his mother's maiden name after inheriting the Penllegare estate) in preventing the Rebecca riots from engulfing Glamorgan as they had neighbouring Carmarthenshire.

In 1855 he was elected Member of Parliament for Swansea District, succeeding J.H. Vivian who had held the seat since 1832. He held the seat and its central successor for 37 years and in all but the last years with few challenges (e.g. opposed in 1874 by Charles Bath of Ffynone, comfortably defeated). In Parliament, Dillwyn had built a reputation by the 1860s as an advanced radical and, at least until the election of men such as Henry Richard, he was regarded as the leader of the Welsh Liberal Party from his regular corner seat below the gangway. Not an effective orator – one obituary even alluded to his 'remarkable inability to make a coherent speech'. One of the lectures was about Labuan, a tiny British colony next to Borneo. Dillwyn, together with James Motley, a fellow member of the RISW, published an illustrated volume, intended as first of a series, on the natural history of Labuan. Within the field of ornithology Dillwyn also named the bird species Megapodius cumingii (Philippine megapode) and Copsychus stricklandii (White-crowned shama). He was also a photographer, his brother John Dillwyn Llewelyn being a pioneer photographer and botanist.

Death and legacy

Dillwyn, aged 78, had every intention of contesting the 1892 Election despite an active opposition. On 1 June a general meeting of the Swansea Conservatives and Liberal Unionists, allied against the Irish Home Rule movement, resolved to nominate F. Ormesby-Gore.

On 18 June he attended a meeting at Swansea Liberal Club where David Randell was re-adopted as candidate for the Gower constituency and gave speech. Later that evening he attended a meeting to plan his own campaign where he lost and regained consciousness. He died the following day at the Royal Hotel, Swansea.

His funeral and burial at St Paul's churchyard, Sketty, was largely private, at the request of his family. His demise provoked "a great deal of comment" in radical circles. His only son, Harry, a hard-drinking barrister, Mary who was widowed two years later, continued her father's interest in natural history, and in later years took up residence at "the Cottage" on the estate.

In the year of Dillwyn's death, his nephew, Sir John T. D. Llewelyn was chosen by local Conservatives. Narrowly defeated by the Liberal, R.D. Burnie, he won in 1895. Dillwyn's Liberal Party resurged from 1900 in a strong period for them in the region bucking the national outcome.