Bailey, Sir Joseph (1783-1858)
First baronet. He was the son of John Bailey of Wakefield and nephew to Richard Crawshay (d.1810), the "Iron King" of Cyfarthfa iron works. He walked from Yorkshire to Merthyr to join his uncle's business and learned the trade well. He inherited a quarter share of the Cyfarthfa business from Richard Crawshay on the latter's death. Wishing to go into business on his own he sold his share of the Cyfarthfa works in 1813 for £20,000 and embarked on iron works at Nantyglo, (which was conducted by the Bailey family until passing into the hands of a company in 1870); assisted by his brother Crawshay Bailey he also took over the Beaufort ironworks. He purchased estates in Brecknock, Radnorshire, Herefordshire and Glamorgan, including the Glanusk estate where he commissioned a fine new mansion by architect Robert Lugar and retired to the life of a landed gentleman, leaving his brother to manage the ironworks. He married (1) Maria Latham, 1810, by whom 9 children before her death in 1827 and (2) Mary Ann Hopper, who outlived him. He was created a baronet 1852 and was M.P. for Worcester City, then Breconshire 1847-1858. He died in 1858, his grandson succeeding to the baronetcy.
[Poole, p.97; Jones p. 166; Haslam; DWB; (See also entry for Craiglas)]
Bailey, Joseph (1812 - 1850)
Son of the first Sir Joseph Bailey. M.P. for Sudbury, later for Herefordshire; married Elizabeth Mary, dau. of William Congreve Russell, 1839, by whom 7 children. Father of second baronet. [G.R.]
[Poole, p. 97]
Bailey, Joseph Russell (1840-1906)
Second baronet; created Lord Glanusk, January 1899. Grandson of the first Sir Joseph Bailey, bart. (above); son of Joseph Bailey (1812-1850). Born at Leamington 1840; spent early years at Penmyarth, near Crickhowell; educated Harrow and Oxford; married Mary Anne, dau. of Henry Lucas M.D. of Glanyrafon, Crickhowell, 1861; succeeded to the baronetcy and Glanusk estates on the death of his grandfather in 1858, becoming the second Sir Joseph Bailey. Became a J.P.; High Sheriff of Breconshire, 1864; Chairman of Crickhowell Board of Guardians for many years; M.P. for Hereford 1865-1885, until he lost his seat upon the division of the county; won the seat of Hereford City, but lost again in 1892, when he retired from Parliament; restored St. John's Church, Tretower; succeeded Lord Tredegar as Lord Lieutenant for Breconshire in 1875; elected Chairman of Quarter Sessions, 1883; elected County Councillor for Llangattock division, 1888; Chairman of Breconshire County Council for many years; gained peerage 1899; died January 1906. [G.R.]
[Poole, p.97; Owen; Jones III, p.166]
Baker, John (d.1544/5)
The first Sheriff of the new county of Radnorshire. John Baker was a Presteigne man living in High Street and owning other properties in the town. He married Katherine the daughter of John Bradshaw the Elder, also of Presteigne, who also became Sheriff. Baker served as a Forester in the Lordship of Radnor, and as MP for the county from 1541 until his death in 1544/5. He was Sheriff from November 1540 until the following November.
[RT 36]
Ballance, Mrs. Susan (b.1933)
Breconshire. Daughter of Captain Nevill Garnons Williams, last Lord lieutenant of Breconshire (d. 1983). Married to Major Christopher Ballance. Lives at Abercamlais. President, Brecon golf and angling clubs. High Sheriff of Powys 1994. (Claims descent from Sir Thomas de Boulogne, a Norman who settled the Usk valley in the wake of Bernard de Neufmarché.)
[Brecon and Radnor Express 5 May 1994]
Banks, Richard William (fl. 1876)
Of Ridgebourne, Kington. Was awarded allotments of land at the South end of Llandrindod Common in the Inclosure Award and was thus involved in the development of the new town of Llandrindod Wells. A Howey innkeeper built houses on the site, and a new inn which was called the Ridgebourne Arms in Banks' honour. Banks was also on the Council of the Llandrindod College when it was started in 1876. (This was advertised as "a Proprietary School for the sons of Gentlemen.")
[RT ]
Barnard, Eric
Oufitter, Llandrindod Wells. Commanding Officer of the Llandrindod Wells Home Guard Unit during the years of its activity.
[CAO R/X/39/14a; R/X/63]
Barnes, Wally (1920-1975)
Footballer (b Brecon 16 January 1920; d London 4 September 1975). 22 international caps for Wales (1948-1955). Qualified to play for Wales by virtue of being born in Brecon, where his father was stationed with the Army. Left back (circa 1930s-1955) for: Hampshire Schools XI; Pink's Athletic; Gosport; HAA Regimental Royal Artillery; Portsmouth Gas Co; Portsmouth (amateur); Hampshire County XI; Southampton (amateur); and Arsenal. Managed Wales for the Austria tour, 1954. Retired in 1955, and joined the BBC sports staff. Later Barnes moved to South Africa. On returning to the UK, he rejoined the BBC.
[Davies & Garland]
Bastock, Archie Middleship (1869-1954)
Footballer (b Brecon 1869; d Eastleigh, Hampshire 13 October 1954). 1 international cap for Wales 1892. Centre forward (circa 1880s-1890s) for: Singers FC (Coventry); Smethwick; Birmingham St George; Shrewsbury Town; West Bromwich Albion; Burton Swifts; and Eastleigh.
[Davies & Garland]
Battle Abbey, Sussex
Connection with Mid-Wales: at the time of the conquest of Brycheiniog by Bernard of Neufmarché and his knights in the 11th-12th centuries, tithes and lands were given to the Abbey. (See also Brecon Cathedral). [G.R.]
[Walker, Medieval Wales]
Battles
893: Buttington: An army of Danish Vikings which first came to Britain in 892 went on a major march up the Thames and the Severn, but at Buttington near Welshpool they were besieged and hemmed in by an Anglo-Welsh force. They managed to break out and return to base in England but with heavy losses.
1039: Rhyd y Groes: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, ruler of Gwynedd and Powys, defeated a Mercian army at Rhyd y Groes on the Severn, a ford in the neighbourhood of Welshpool. The leader, Edwin, brother of Earl Leofric of Mercia, was killed.
1059: Glasbury: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn defeated Bishop Leofgar of Hereford and the sheriff and militia of Herefordshire in the valley of the Machawy, above Glasbury on 16 June; the bishop and sheriff were killed. The raid was a reprisal for the sacking of Hereford by Gruffydd in 1055.
1093: Brecon: During Easter week (17-23 April) Rhys ap Tewdwr, ruler of Deheubarth, who had been called up to help defend Brycheiniog against the Normans, was defeated and killed near where the Honddu falls into the Usk by "the Normans who were living in Brycheiniog". His death cleared the way for the Norman conquest of Brycheiniog and of south Wales.
1136: Crickhowell: During the Welsh recovery which followed the death of Henry I of England, Richard fitz Gilbert, lord of Ceredigion, was ambushed and killed on his way from Abergavenny to Brecon, at Coed Grwyne, by the Welsh of Gwent. Apparently he refused an escort.
1162: Llandinam: Owain Gwynedd defeated Hywel ab Ieuaf of Arwystli; Hywel had taken Owain's castle of Tafolwern in Cyfeiliog and Owain drove him out and pursued him to Llandinam.
1187: Gwern y Figyn: Owain Fychan, who ruled lands between Northern and Southern Powys, was killed at Gwern y Figyn near his castle of Carreg Hofa in a "treacherous night attack", by Gwenwynwyn and Cadwallon, the sons of Owain Cyfeiliog.
1196: Radnor: "The Lord Rhys" of Deheubarth defeated the marcher lords Roger Mortimer of Wigmore and Hugh de Say of Richard's Castle when they came to defend Radnor: 40 knights and many others killed. This was Rhys' last campaign; he died the next year, aged 65.
1198: Painscastle: Gwenwynwyn of Southern Powys made his bid for leadership of the Welsh and besieged Painscastle with an army which included men from other regions: Geoffrey fitz Peter, the justiciar, came with an army to relieve the castle and utterly defeated the Welsh, 13 August. Ended Gwenwynwyn's chances of dominance.
1257: Llywelyn ap Gruffydd of Gwynedd defeated Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn of southern Powys, John Fitzalan, lord of Oswestry and Clun, and John Le Strange the elder in a battle somewhere between Aberriw and Montgomery.
1263: Aber-miwl: John le Strange the younger, constable of Montgomery, returning from a raid in Ceri and Cydewain soon after Easter, was caught by the local Welsh at the barn of Aber-miwl and defeated.
1266: On 15 May Roger Mortimer was heavily defeated when he attempted to recover Brycheiniog from Welsh control (it had been taken by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in his campaign of 1262): narrowly escaped with his life.
1282: Builth: Death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd and prince of Wales. Having sent most of his force to Brecon on 11 December he was caught with just a few retainers on the River Irfon by an English contingent and killed by one Stephen Frankton who "knew not what he did". His head was sent to Edward I at Rhuddlan; his body was buried by the monks of Abbey Cwm-hir.
1294: Builth Castle: During the rebellion of Madog ap Llywelyn of 1294-5 Builth castle was under siege for 6 weeks (the garrison was 3 light and 3 heavy cavalry, 20 crossbowmen and 40 archers). It took John Giffard 5 attempts to break through and relieve it before succeeding in mid-November.
1295: Maes Madog: Madog ap Llywelyn moved into Cydewain, presumably looking for support: defeated by the king's commander, the earl of Warwick, in a night attack in open country at Maes Madog, 3 miles west of Welshpool, on 5 March. This effectively ended the rebellion. 1402: Pilleth: Owain Glyn Dwr defeated an English army at Bryn Glas near Pilleth on 22 June when the Welsh archers in the English force changed sides. Edmund Mortimer was captured.
1644: Welshpool: At dawn 5 August Thomas Myddleton and his parliamentarian army swooped on Welshpool, taking a large haul of prisoners, horses and plunder, they soon withdrew across the border as they were not strong enough to attack the neighbouring Powis castle and its royalist garrison.
1644: Newtown: A royalist powder convoy was attacked and captured near Newtown in early September during a raid carried out by Thomas Myddleton's parliamentarian army.
1644: Montgomery: Montgomery castle was occupied by Thomas Myddleton's parliamentarian army, after having removed Lord Herbert, the ineffectual and ageing royalist commander. The royalists sent troops from Shrewsbury and Chester to besiege the castle; and the greatest engagement in Wales during the English Civil War ensued, parliament's army emerging victorious. [G.R.]
Baugh, Robert (c.1748-1832)
Born at Llanymynech, Montgomeryshire, he was a renowned musician and engraver, his most famous work being the map of North Wales published by John Evans of Llwynygroes in 1795. He also won a medal from the Society of Arts in 1809 for his map of Shropshire. He was well known as a pious, merry and unassuming man and served as parish clerk of Llanymynych.
[DEW;MW]
Baxter, George Robert Wythen (1815-1854)
The son of George Trotman Baxter of Hereford. The younger George lived at the Upper Bryn in Llanllwchaiarn parish and was a campaigner against the iniquities of the Poor Laws, publishing a book entitled The Book of the Bastiles ("bastiles" being workhouses).
[MW]