John Josiah Guest

Josiah John Guest 1st Baronet of Dowlais
Baronet of Dowlais
Predecessor	Title created
Successor	Ivor Bertie Guest, 2nd Baronet
Spouse	Maria Rankin Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Bertie
Issue Constance Rhiannon Guest Blanche Guest Katharine Gwladys Guest Mary Enid Evelyn Guest Charlotte Maria Guest Ivor Bertie Guest Thomas Merthyr Guest Montague Guest Augustus Frederick Guest Arthur Edward Guest
Father	Thomas Guest
Mother	Jemima Revel Phillips
Born	2 February 1785 Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Died	26 November 1852(1852-11-26)
Buried	St John's Church
Occupation	Peerage of England

Sir Josiah John Guest, 1st Baronet, known as John Josiah Guest, (2 February 1785 – 26 November 1852) was a Welsh engineer and entrepreneur.

Early life

Josiah John Guest was born on 2 February 1785 in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. He was the son of Thomas Guest (d. 1807), a partner in the Dowlais Iron Company, and Jemima Revel Phillips. Guest was educated at Bridgnorth Grammar School and Monmouth School.^[1]

Peerage

In 1838, Guest was created a baronet, of Dowlais in the County of Glamorgan.^[2][3] After his death in 1852, he was succeeded by his eldest son, who was elevated to the peerage in 1880 as Baron Wimborne, of Canford Magna in the County of Dorset, on Disraeli's initiative.^[4]

Career

After attending school, he learned the trade of ironmaking in his father's foundry at the hands of works manager, John Evans. Guest was renowned for his ability to roll a bar of steel or cut a tram of coal as well as any of his father's workmen.^[1] On his father's death in 1807, John inherited his share of the company and developed the business, becoming sole owner of the works in 1815. On his death, the Dowlais Iron Company having become the largest producer of iron in the world.^[2]

Guest was elected Member of Parliament for Honiton, Devon in 1825, holding the seat until defeated by Sir George Warrender in 1831. In 1832, he became the first MP for Merthyr Tydfil.^[2]

Philanthropy

His public works included a school at Dowlais, designed by Sir Charles Barry. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He was the first chairman of the Taff Vale Railway.^[2]

Personal life

Guest family tree

On 11 March 1817, he married Maria Rankin but their marriage was short lived, Maria dying just nine months later in January 1818. On 29 July 1833, he subsequently married Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Bertie (1812–1895), daughter of Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of Lindsey. Together, they had five sons and five daughters, including:

• Charlotte Maria Guest (1834–1902), who married Richard Du Cane (d. 1904), brother of Edmund Frederick Du Cane.^[5]
• Ivor Bertie Guest (1835–1914), who married Lady Cornelia Henrietta Maria Spencer-Churchill (1847–1927), daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough^[2]
• Katharine Gwladys Guest (1837–1926), who married the Reverend Frederick Cecil Alderson (d. 1907), son of Sir Edward Hall Alderson^[5]
• Thomas Merthyr Guest (1838–1904), who married Lady Theodora Grosvenor (1840–1924), daughter of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster^[5]
• Montague John Guest (1839–1909), a Liberal politician, who never married.^[6]
• Augustus Frederick Guest (1840–1862), who died aged 21.^[5]
• Arthur Edward Guest (1841–1898), a Conservative politician, who married Adeline Mary Chapman (d. 1931)^[5]
• Mary Enid Evelyn Guest (1843–1912), who married Austen Henry Layard (1817–1894).^[7]
• Constance Rhiannon Guest (1844–1916), who married Hon. Charles George Cornwallis Eliot (1839–1901), youngest son of Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans^[5]
• Blanche Vere Guest (1847–1919), who married Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough (1851–1920).^[5]

Guest died in 1852 and was buried in an iron coffin under a red granite slab in the local St John's Church, which had been built for him in 1827.^[8]

After his death, his widow married Charles Schreiber (1826–1884) in 1855.^[7] Schreiber was an academic who had been Ivor's tutor in 1852. He was known for being a fine arts collector and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1865 and 1884.^[9]

Descendants

Among his many grandchildren were: Edward Ponsonby, the 8th Earl of Bessborough, Granville Eliot (1867–1942) and Montague Eliot (1870–1960), who became the 7th and 8th Earls of St Germans, respectively.^[10] There was also Frances Guest (1869–1957), known as Lady Chelmsford, who married Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, who served as Viceroy of India, Ivor Churchill Guest (1873–1939), who became 1st Viscount Wimborne, Christian Henry Charles Guest (1874–1957), a Liberal Member of Parliament "MP", Frederick "Freddie" Edward Guest (1875–1937), another Liberal MP, and Oscar Montague Guest (1888–1958), who was both a Liberal, and later, a Conservative MP.^[5]

References

Bibliography

• Obituaries:
  • Gentleman's Magazine, 2nd ser., 39 (1853), 91–2
  • The Times, 9 December 1852
• Davies, P. M. (2007). "Sir Josiah John Guest, Bart., M.P. Provincial Grand Master of South Wales (1836–48)". Province of South Wales Eastern Division Feature. United Grand Lodge of Antient, Free and Accepted Masons of England. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-26. 
• Evans, L. W. (1955–6). "Sir John and Lady Charlotte Guest's educational scheme at Dowlais in the mid-nineteenth century". National Library of Wales Journal. 9: 265–86.  Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Gillham, C. L. (1972) "The politics of Sir John Guest, 1825–1852", MA dissertation, University of Wales
• John, A. V. (2004) "Guest, Sir (Josiah) John, first baronet (1785–1852)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed 25 August 2007 (subscription or UK public library membership required).
• Jones, E (1987). A History of GKN Volume 1: Innovation and Enterprise 1759–1918. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-34594-0. 
• Owen, J. A. (1977). The History of the Dowlais Iron Works 1759–1970. Newport: Starling Press. ISBN 0-903434-27-X. 
• Price, W. W. (2007). "Josiah John Guest". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2007-08-26. 
• Vaughan, C. Maxwell (1975). Pioneers of Welsh Steel: Dowlais to Llanwern. Newport: Starling Press. ISBN 0-903434-08-3. 

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Josiah Guest
• "History". This is GKN. GKN plc. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
• "Sir Josiah John Guest, 1st Bt". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.