 |
| Barlow of Slebech, baronets |
Charles II, who lacked the resources to reward those who had been most loyal to his father and himself, or to offer reparation for their sufferings, commonly resorted to offering honours in lieu of money, lands or patronage. Honours cost the Crown nothing, and indeed generated fees for the exchequer (which seem rarely, if ever, to have been waived). It seems likely that Col. Barlow was offered a baronetcy in the years after the Restoration in recognition of his loyalty, but if so he did not accept it, perhaps because the could not afford the fees. By 1677, however, the estate finances had recovered somewhat (and had been reinforced by advantageous marriages) and his grandson felt able to accept a baronetcy, which was conferred in that year. Sir John Barlow (c.1652-95), 1st bt., was one of the few members of the family who conformed to the established church, but he continued to support the Stuart cause after King James II fled into exile, as did his brother William (c.1655-c.1737), who is said to have gone into exile with the king and not to have returned until after the king's death in 1701. Sir John's son and successor, Sir George Barlow (c.1678-c.1722), 2nd bt., married a Roman Catholic and took little trouble to conceal his Jacobite views. He became an MP so he must nominally have remained attached to the established church, but the rumours of his private Catholicism were probably true. His choleric temper led him into disputes with his great-aunt and his wife, from whom he was separated after a very messy but inconclusive adultery case came to an end in 1707. She then retreated to her native Lincolnshire, where their son, Sir George Barlow (b. 1704), 3rd bt., grew up and lived until he moved to the continent in the mid 18th century. The younger Sir George did not inherit Slebech because his father, who had substantial debts, had sold it in 1708 to his brother John Barlow (c.1682-1739), from whom it passed to the latter's son, George Barlow (1717-56), who has often been confused with his cousin, the 3rd baronet. George's only child was his daughter, Anne Barlow (1737-82), who carried Slebech to her second husband, John Symmons (1745-1831). They rebuilt the house in the 1770s to the designs of Anthony Keck (1726-97), but after Anne's death John Symmons sold it in 1784 and it passed out of the family. John Barlow (c.1682-1739), who, in contrast to his brother, was a staunch Anglican but nonetheless a high Tory MP, seems to have been helped financially by his first marriage to Anne Harcourt (1682-1733), whose father was a senior member of the Government. It was presumably her wealth which enabled him to buy not only his brother's Slebech estate but also the smaller Colby estate. The latter was eventually left to his daughter by his second marriage, Catherine Barlow (1738-82), an accomplished young lady who became the first wife of Sir William Hamilton (1731-1803), kt., the Naples-based diplomat and art collector, whose second wife, Emma, was so famously later the mistress of Admiral Lord Nelson. Hamilton inherited Colby from his wife and it was later sold with his other Pembrokeshire properties.
When John Barlow (1532-1610) died, his estates were divided between his sons George (c.1560-c.1630), who as we have seen received Slebech, and William (c.1570-1636), who received Cresswell and Lawrenny. William made his home at Cresswell, where he incorporated the small existing house in a larger quadrangular building with corner towers that suggested the romantic form of a medieval castle with an elegant economy. William founded a cadet branch of the Barlow family which persisted almost exactly as long as the senior branch at Slebech. The Barlows of Lawrenny appear not to have shared the Catholicism and Jacobitism of the senior line, however, and as a result played a more active part in the administration of the county over the following two centuries. William, who was High Sheriff in 1612, was succeeded by his son Lewis Barlow (c.1605-81), who held the same office twice, in 1641 and 1668. Nothing seems to be known about his role in the Civil War, which may imply that he managed to avoid a public commitment to either side, although his instincts are likely to have been Royalist. His eldest son died during his lifetime, and he was succeeded by his second son, John Barlow (c.1636-1701), who was sufficiently acceptable to King James II to be appointed High Sheriff in 1686. He moved from Cresswell (which he sold to John Barlow of Slebech) to Lawrenny, where he was probably responsible for building a striking four-storey house that remained one of the showplaces of Pembrokeshire for more than a century. His son, another John Barlow (c.1682-1718), served as Whig MP for Haverfordwest, 1715-18, having been defeated by his Tory kinsman, Sir George Barlow of Slebech, at the polls, but having succeeded in unseating him on appeal.
Over several generations, the Barlows of Lawrenny intermarried with the Owens of Orielton, to a degree which makes one wonder whether the short life-span of many members of the family in the 18th century could be a result of genetic disadvantages from so much in-breeding. John Barlow (d. 1718) was succeeded by his son Lewis Barlow (c.1702-37), who seems to have been unmarried and certainly died without issue. Lawrenny then devolved on his brother Hugh Barlow (c.1703-63), who also died without issue. He left the place to his nephew Hugh (1729-1809), the son of his sister Anne (c.1701-63) and her husband Wyrriott Owen (d. 1755) of Great Nash (Pembs). Hugh Owen took the additional surname Barlow and improved the house and grounds at Lawrenny, but although he married twice he too was childless, and on his widow's death in 1788 the Lawrenny estate passed to his first cousin once removed, Sir William Owen (d. 1851), 8th bt., who had inherited the Owen family baronetcy. Sir William did not live at Lawrenny, and during his ownership the house fell into ruin. He was obliged by the terms of his inheritance to take the additional surname Barlow, but his career will be considered as part of a future post on the Owens. After his death without male heirs, the baronetcy expired and the estates passed to another cousin, George Lort-Phillips (1811-66), who built a new house at Lawrenny. His descendants still own the estate, and will also be the subject of a future post.
Slebech Hall, Pembrokeshire
Slebech belonged in the Middle Ages to the Knights Hospitallers, and was the site of their chief preceptory in west Wales. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, their church became the parish church (replaced and unroofed in 1844, but still a picturesque ruin), while the domestic buildings were converted into a house for the Barlow family, who purchased the freehold of the estate from the Crown in 1546. The medieval buildings, no doubt altered and patched up over the years, remained their seat until the 1770s, when Anne Barlow and her second husband, John Symmons of Llanstinan, demolished the old house and made a fresh start with a completely new house on virtually the same site. Rather surprisingly, the appearance of the old house seems to be unrecorded. |
| Slebech Hall: entrance front, photographed by John Piper, c.1950. Image: Tate Gallery Archive 8728/3/12/166. |
 |
| Slebech Hall: design for the library by Anthony Keck (not as executed). Image: Welsh Government. Some rights reserved. |
The 1770s probably marked the apogee of Keck's career, and one of his other major works, Penrice Castle in Glamorganshire, was building at almost exactly the same time (1773-80). Keck's career was based, not on any startling originality of design, but on a reputation for reliability and for delivering simple elegance on a budget. His houses exhibit a limited range of standard design formulae, executed with variations, and one of these was a plain astylar neo-classical block with bows at either end of the main front. At Slebech, which was perhaps Keck's largest single commission, this formula was applied to both main fronts. There are five bays between the bows on the entrance front and four on the garden front, which also has an extra storey because of the fall of the land. A short three-bay service wing extends to the north of the house. The most notable departure from Keck's standard idiom was the addition of battlements to the parapet concealing the roof on all sides of the house. This was, perhaps, the suggestion of the client, John Symmons, who would no doubt have been aware of the battlements which were being constructed at Wenvoe Castle and Gnoll Castle (both Glamorganshire) while Slebech was under construction. Pencilled annotations on several of the surviving drawings for the house suggest that architect and client discussed other suggestions for improvements: adding a colonnade between the bows, inserting an oval colonnade in the entrance hall, and adding a bow to the side of the drawing room, although none of these additional features, which would have added to the cost, were executed.
 |
| Slebech Hall: entrance hall. Image: Welsh Government. Some rights reserved. |
 |
| Slebech Hall: drawing room chimneypiece, probably carved by Millard. Image: Welsh Government. Some rights reserved. |
 |
| Slebech Hall: detail of the morning room chimneypiece. Image: Welsh Government. Some rights reserved. |
 |
| Slebech Hall: in each room the plaster frieze echoes the decoration of the mantelpiece below. Image: Welsh Government. Some rights reserved. |
 |
| Slebech Hall: aerial view showing the garden front of the house and the stable block. Image: Welsh Government. Some rights reserved. |
The house stands in a fine position above the eastern branch of the Cleddau estuary. Immediately to the east of it is the fine former stable-yard, presumably also by Keck, which consists of three ranges around an open yard. The two ranges facing the house and the river are castellated to echo the styling of the house, and the corners project slightly and are carried up into sham towers by an extra attic storey which has nothing behind it. The house is approached from the west down a picturesque woodland drive about a mile long from a lodge designed by P.F. Robinson, which he published in his Designs for Lodges and Park Entrances (1833) and which was widely imitated. Sadly it has lost its broad porch and round-shafted chimneys. To the south-west of the house there are remains of the late 17th century terraced gardens laid out by the Barlows, and another early survivor is a ruined square tower in the park, about a mile and a half north-east of the house. This is thought to have been a 16th or 17th century hunting stand, originally of three storeys, with a corner stair and a heated room on the ground floor. It is ironically known today as the Temple of the Four Winds.
Descent: Crown sold 1546 to Roger Barlow (c.1485-1553); to son, John Barlow (1532-1610); to son, George Barlow (c.1560-c.1630); to son, Col. John Barlow (c.1588-1671); to grandson, Sir John Barlow (c.1652-95), 1st bt.; to son, Sir George Barlow (c.1678-1726); sold 1708 to brother, John Barlow (c.1682-1739); to son, George Barlow (1717-56); to daughter Anne (1737-82), wife of William Trevanion (1727-67) and later of John Symmons (1745-1831); sold 1784 to William Knox; sold 1795 to Nathaniel Phillips (d. 1813); to son, Nathaniel Phillips (1798-1824); to sisters, Louisa Barbara Catherine (c.1802-79), wife of Thomas William Anson (1795-1854), 1st Earl of Lichfield and Mary Dorothea (d. 1860), wife of Charles Frederick de Rutzen (1795-1874), Baron de Rutzen; to son, Frederick Leopold Sapieha Manteuffel de Rutzen (1825-90), Baron de Rutzen; to brother, Rudolph (1828-1915), Baron de Rutzen; to nephew, Alan de Rutzen (1876-1916); to son, John Frederick Foley de Rutzen (1909-44), Baron de Rutzen; to widow, Sheila Victoria Katrin de Rutzen, later wife of Lt-Col. Randal Plunket, 19th Baron Dunsany, who sold to Hon. William Philipps (d. 1974); to son, Geoffrey Mark Phillips, who converted the stables into an hotel in 2003 and sold 2013 to Traverse Developments Ltd.
Cresswell Castle, Pembrokeshire
 |
| Cresswell Castle: the ruins from the east, showing the gable-end of the north range and one of the corner towers, and the new block added to the east side of the house in the late 17th or early 18th centuries. Image: Charles Taylor. |
The site belonged to Haverfordwest Priory before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and was one of the many Pembrokeshire properties acquired in the second half of the 16th century by the Barlows of Slebech. They seem to have built a small house here on the banks of the Cresswell river, which in the early 17th century was remodelled and incorporated into a rectangular courtyard house built for William Barlow (d. 1636). Although only ruins survive today, it is apparent that this house was romantically castellated, in the same way as Ruperra Castle (Glamorgans.) and Lulworth Castle (Dorset), but on a much smaller scale. The house had overall dimensions of about 30ft by 40ft, and the internal courtyard was some 20ft square. The two-storey round corner turrets, linked by castellated walls, are simply garderobe towers, except for the south-east tower, which was used as a dovecote. Against the inside of these mock fortifications was built a more ordinary house, of which only footings and low walls now survive.
William Barlow's grandson, John (d. 1701), relocated to a new house which he built at Lawrenny, and seems to have sold the house to his kinsman and namesake, John Barlow (c.1682-1739) of Slebech, who no doubt let the house to tenants. The south range has an inserted 18th century fireplace, and outside the east curtain wall is a large and clearly later two-storey gabled range probably of the same time, which no doubt provided additional or improved accommodation for the tenant. The property was among the estates left by John Barlow to his daughter Catherine (1738-82), who later became the first wife of Sir William Hamilton (1731-1803) of Naples, the famous diplomat and art collector, and seems finally to have been abandoned in the late 18th century. It had fallen into ruin by 1842, if not before. So completely were its origins forgotten, that its ruins were until recently widely assumed to be those of a genuine 13th century castle.
Descent: John Barlow (1532-1610); to son, William Barlow (d. 1636); to son, Lewis Barlow (c.1605-81); to son, John Barlow (c.1636-1701), who apparently sold it to his kinsman, John Barlow (c.1682-1739) of Slebech; to daughter, Catherine Barlow (1738-82), later wife of Sir William Hamilton (1738-1803), kt.; abandoned c.1800.
Lawrenny Hall (later Lawrenny Castle), Pembrokeshire
 |
| Lawrenny Hall: detail of a view by Hendrik de Cort, c.1795. Image: Adrian Lort-Phillips |
John Barlow (d. 1701) built a tall four-storey classical house here, known as Lawrenny Hall, the front of which is said to have been articulated with giant pilasters. According to Burke's Visitation of Seats (1855), it was built in 1680, but it could easily be rather later. The house may have been improved and the setting landscaped by Hugh Owen Barlow at the end of the 18th century, as in 1798 when Henry Skrine visited the place he noted it was 'much improved by the taste of its present owner' and 'may justly be called the finest in Pembrokeshire, both from its internal decoration and its commanding position at the extremity of a high ridge clothed with thick woods'. A few years later another visitor expressed the view that 'the house, though of that unpicturesque species of building peculiar to this country about a century ago, a tall cube, and in its external... form not much entitled to admiration, yet is within disposed of with much taste and convenience, and is well connected with its offices; and from the breakfasting-room you walk into a neat conservatory well-furnished with rare plants'. In 1809, Sir William Owen Barlow (d. 1851) inherited a life interest in the property, and it was advertised to let. The accommodation then consisted of a spacious dining parlour, drawing room, breakfast parlour; conservatory; library and offices, with four principal bedrooms with dressing rooms on the first floor and seven further bedrooms with three dressing rooms on the second floor.
 |
| Lawrenny Hall: the house in ruins in 1843, from a drawing by Emma Allen of Cresselly Hall. Image: Adrian Lort-Phillips. |
 |
| Lawrenny Castle: entrance front, from an old postcard. |
The new house which George Lort-Phillips built in 1856-58 was designed by Henry Ashton in the picturesque castle style, and solidly constructed of grey limestone blocks. The entrance front had a large four-storey central porch-tower, complete with machicolations and crenellations, with a yet higher tower behind with a tall and spindly stair-turret at one corner. The garden front was more elaborately modelled, with a complex arrangement of square towers and bay windows generating rather restless movement. Like so many 19th century houses, the interior seems to have been essentially classical in style, and the drawing room is said to have been in the Adam style. It is said that money ran out before the house was finished internally, and that some of the rooms on the upper floor were never decorated.
 |
| Lawrenny Castle: garden front, from an old postcard. |
In the 1930s, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis was asked to make proposals to adapt the house for modern living, but failed to come up with anything that met the approval of the family. As a result, the house fell into disrepair and was eventually blown up in 1950 and the ruins cleared away. The Lort-Phillips family moved to a farmhouse on the estate, which was remodelled by Williams-Ellis for their use.
Descent: built in late 17th century for John Barlow (c.1636-1701); to son, John Barlow (c.1682-1718); to son, Hugh Barlow (c.1703-63); to widow, Elizabeth Barlow (d. 1788); to nephew, Hugh Owen (later Barlow) (1729-1809); to first cousin once removed, Sir William Owen Barlow (d. 1851), 8th bt. as life-tenant, and then to his first cousin once removed, George Lort-Phillips (1811-66); to nephew, John Frederick Lort-Phillips (1854-1926); to great-nephew, Lt-Col. Patrick Herbert Shoubridge (later Lort-Phillips) (1911-79); to son, David Owen John Shoubridge Lort-Phillips (b. 1937).
Barlow family of Slebech Hall, baronets
Barlow, Robert (d. c.1516?). Son of John Barlow (fl. c.1460) of Marsworth and Missenden (Bucks), who is said to have been distantly connected to the Barlows of Barlow Hall. Member of Colchester borough council in the 1490s and a deputy customs officer in that port, but closely connected with the London cloth trade through the activities of his uncles, Roger and Robert, who were both London cloth merchants. In 1494, his landlord at Heybridge, the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, William Worsley, was found guilty of high treason for his association with the Pretender, Perkin Warbeck, and either because of this link or a more direct family connection with Warbeck, Robert was required to provide a bond guaranteeing his lifelong allegiance to the king. He married Anna [surname unknown] and had issue*:
(1) Roger Barlow (c.1485-1553) (q.v.);
(2) Rt. Rev. William Barlow (d. 1568); Augustinian canon at St. Osyth's Priory (Essex); prior of Tiptree Priory (Essex), 1509; ordained exorcist, 1511; deacon, 1518 and probably priested soon afterwards; he is said to have studied at Oxford University and to have obtained a doctorate in theology, but there is no official record of this; prior of Little Leighs Priory (Essex), 1515-24; he seems already to have held reformist views and in the later 1520s he may have travelled abroad, in which case he was no doubt the author of two works published under the name 'Friar Jerome Barlow', The Burial of the Mass (Strasbourg, 1528) and A Proper Dialogue between a Gentleman and a Husbandman (Antwerp, 1529–30), which are known to have been written by a William Barlow; he was certainly the author of an anti-Lutheran pamphlet published in 1531, and was appointed, as a result of Anne Boleyn's patronage, as prior of Haverfordwest by 1534; by then he was a fervent reformist whose actions as an agent of Thomas Cromwell provoked bitter opposition among the local clergy and threats of violence; as a result he was moved to be prior of Bisham Abbey, 1535-37 and employed on embassies to Scotland in the hope of persuading King James V to embrace the Reformation; he was appointed Bishop of St. Asaph, 1536, but, before he could be consecrated, was translated to be Bishop of St. Davids, 1536-48, and later to Bath & Wells, 1548-53; with the accession of Queen Mary he was committed to the Tower of London but allowed to recant in 1555 and to go abroad, travelling to Germany and later Poland; on the death of Queen Mary he returned to England and was made Bishop of Chichester, 1559-68; he married, before 1544, a former nun, Agatha Wellesbourne (d. 1593) and had issue two sons and five daughters (who all married bishops); he died 13 August 1568 and was buried in Chichester Cathedral;
(3) Rev. John Barlow (fl. 1517-54); educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (BA 1517) and Fellow of Merton College, 1520 (MA 1521); rector of South Benfleet, Great Bentley, and Hawkeswell, 1521-27; rector of Hever (Kent) and chaplain to Anne Boleyn; Dean of Westbury College, Westbury-on-Trym (Glos), 1530; chaplain to King Henry VIII, 1531; prebendary of Peterborough Cathedral, 1541-43 and Bristol Cathedral, 1544; Dean of Worcester Cathedral, 1544-54 (deprived); JP for Pembrokeshire, 1543; he was described in 1532, while visiting Louvain, as a small man with red hair and of sober habits; he disappears from the records after being deprived of his position at Worcester in 1554, and perhaps fled the country and/or died soon afterwards;
(4) Rev. Thomas Barlow (1493-1558); rector of Abberton (Essex), 1519-41 and Catfield (Norfk), 1541-58, but seems to have lived with his brother John at Westbury; prebendary of St. Davids, 1542-58; joined with his eldest brother in the purchase of Slebech, perhaps as a mortgagee, and released his interest in the estate to Roger in 1553; will proved 6 December 1558.
He owned or leased property in Heybridge and Colchester (Essex)
He perhaps died in about 1516. His wife's date of death is unknown.
* Some older sources also identify as a daughter, Elizabeth (d. 1518), who married 1st, Lord Elphinstone and 2nd, Lord Forbes, but she was probably only a distant relation.
Barlow, Roger (c.1485-1553). Eldest son of Robert Barlow of Colchester and his wife Anna, born between 1480 and 1490. He seems not to have served a formal apprenticeship but was probably placed in the house of a merchant in London or Bristol to learn the trade; he also seems to have received some formal education, as he later exhibited considerable skill in mathematics and a fluency in Latin, Spanish and Portuguese. There is evidence that he visited Morocco and San Tomé in the early part of his career, and by 1515 he was established as a merchant in Seville (Spain), trading in wine, cloth and leather. His network of close business associates included the navigator, Sebastian Cabot, and from 1524 he was involved in sponsoring a Spanish expedition (1526-28) led by Cabot, which aimed to find a route through the Amazon basin to the 'Spice Islands' of southern Asia. Barlow himself took part in the expedition, which spent two years exploring the River Plate estuary, during the course of which he became the first Englishman to set foot in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. In about 1530-31 he moved permanently to Bristol, where he became a burgess in 1532. He remained interested to the possibility of discovering a short route to southern Asia, and in the early 1540s he prepared for King Henry VIII a manuscript entitled 'A Brief Summe of Geographie', which included the first detailed eyewitness account of America by an Englishman, and which was apparently designed to stimulate royal sponsorship of an expedition to find a northern passage to India. In the 1530s he and his brothers were closely associated with Thomas Cromwell's reorganisation of the administration of Wales, and he seems to have been sympathetic to the religious changes of the Reformation. By 1538, and perhaps as early as 1535, he had property interests in Pembrokeshire and from 1538 he may have been living at Haverfordwest or even at Slebech; he was appointed a Commissioner of Sewers on the Pembrokeshire coast and in the Teifi and Towy valleys in that year. In 1543 he acted as an agent of the Privy Council in enquiry into the looting of goods and gold from a Spanish vessel wrecked in Milford Haven. He became a JP for Pembrokeshire, 1543, was Escheator for Pembrokeshire in 1548, and was appointed Vice-Admiral for the coast in Pembrokeshire, 1549. He married, 1532, Julyan (d. 1600), daughter and co-heiress of Roger Dawyes, thrice mayor of Bristol, and had issue including:
(1) John Barlow (c.1532-1610) (q.v.);
(2) Mary Barlow (d. 1572); married, after 1553, Dominic Chester (d. 1575), merchant and mayor of Bristol in 1567 and MP for Minehead, 1572, and had issue ten children; buried at St Stephen, Bristol, 23 April 1572;
(3) Roger Barlow;
(4) Stephen Barlow (d. 1614); married, before 1596, Mary [surname unknown] and had issue four sons and two daughters; will proved 19 May 1614;
(5) Lewis Barlow; fifth son; educated at Middle Temple (admitted 1567);
(6) Robert Barlow; lived at Worcester;
(7) Elizabeth Barlow;
(8) Katherine Barlow;
He also had the following children, mentioned in his will, who were apparently older than their half-siblings, and who probably resulted from a relationship in Spain:
(X1) Francis Barlow (fl. 1539-58), born 'a subject of the [Holy Roman] Emperor' and thus presumably in Spain; naturalised in England, 5 June 1539; admitted a burgess of Bristol. 1550/51;
(X2) Martin Barlow; apprenticed to the Prynne family in Bristol until 1555; convicted of serious offences apparently relating to piracy before 1560, and threatened with execution, but released by 1564 to work as a factor for his brother-in-law, Dominic Chester; perhaps died soon afterwards;
(X3) Robert Barlow (fl. 1558).
In 1546, he and his brother Thomas purchased from the Crown the Slebech estate, which he had leased from the Knights Hospitallers since 1538, for £705 6s 3d. The purchase included the site of the preceptory of Slebech, and the manors of Slebech and Minwear. He also bought the sites and lands of the priory of Pill, the monastery of Haverfordwest, with Cresswell chapel, and the house of the Black Friars in Haverfordwest. He continued to actively buy lands, including a further purchase of the Slebech woodlands from the Crown, until 1548. In 1553 his brother Thomas (whose interest may have been as a mortgagee) released his share of the estate to Roger. At his death, his widow was left Slebech and other property during her widowhood, but their son John was in possession by 1557.
He died 30 December 1553; an inquisition post mortem was held 15 February 1554 and his will was proved 25 June 1554 and again 20 May 1558. His widow died 5 September 1600.
Barlow, John (1532-1610). Eldest son of Roger Barlow (c.1485-1553) and his wife Julyan, daughter and co-heiress of Roger Dawyes of Bristol, born before 20 August 1532. Educated at Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1556). His father had set his age of majority at 25 and he was only 21 when his father died; his wardship was granted to George Owen, one of Queen Mary's physicians; he came of age and had livery of his estates in 1557. High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1562-63, 1575-76. In 1601 he was described as 'an obstinate notorious recusant', whose loyalty to the Crown was doubted in 1588 at the time of the Armada crisis and was still doubtful 'in these queasie times'. He married Elizabeth (d. 1599), daughter of John Fissier of Marton, and had issue including:
(1) George Barlow (c.1560-c.1630) (q.v.);
(2) William Barlow (c.1570-1636) [for whom see below, Barlow family of Cresswell and Lawrenny].
He inherited the Slebech estate from his father in 1553, and was confirmed in possession of Slebech in 1557. He expanded the estate by a series of purchases between 1563 and 1579.
He died 25 December 1610; an inquisition post mortem was held 6 October 1614. His wife died 25 May 1599.
Barlow, George (c.1560-c.1630). Elder son of John Barlow (1532-1610) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Fissier of Marton, born about 1560. He was educated at Clement's Inn and the Inner Temple (admitted 1584), and a legal training no doubt helped to sustain him through a long series of legal disputes with neighbouring landowners and with his own tenants, among whom he was a conspicuously unpopular landlord. In 1613 he became involved in a feud with Sir William Wogan of Wiston Castle and his sons, who were apparently intolerant of his suspected recusancy and resentful of his purchase of additional lands adjoining their estates; this resulted in a suit in the Star Chamber. From 1617-24 he was engaged in litigation with Charles, Prince of Wales, about rights in the manors of Caneston, Newton and Newhouse, Welfrey and Robeston and Talgh Wood, which he had purchased in 1601-02, which was eventually decided in his favour. He served as High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1618, but declined to provide the traditional entertainment to the assize judges on circuit, for which he was fined £150. In 1628 he was imprisoned for at least five weeks in the Fleet Prison in London for contempt of court for failing to answer an indictment brought against him by some of his tenants. Despite his poor relations with his neighbours and tenants, he is said to have maintained traditional hospitality at Slebech, and despite his suspected recusancy he endowed the vicarage at Slebech and offered to provide a house for the incumbent. He married 1st, 1582 (settlement 1 September), Jane [surname unknown] (d. 1582) and 2nd, c.1585, Anne (b. c.1570), daughter of John Vernon of Hodnet (Shrops.) (and niece of Walter Devereux, 2nd Viscount Hereford and 1st Earl of Essex), and had issue, perhaps among others:
(2.1) Col. John Barlow (c.1588-1671) (q.v.);
(2.2) Thomas Barlow (b. c.1590); educated at Middle Temple (admitted 1608).
He purchased the manors of Caneston, Newton & Newhouse, Welfrey & Robeston, and Talgh Wood in 1602. He inherited the Slebech estates from his father in 1614 and had livery, 1 February 1615.
He died in about 1630. His first wife died 29 September 1582. His second wife's date of death is unknown.
Barlow, Col. John (c.1588-1671). Elder son of George Barlow (c.1560-c.1630) and his second wife Anne Vernon, born about 1588. Educated at the Middle Temple (admitted 1605) and Jesus College, Oxford (matriculated 1607). Possibly the man of this name who was mayor of Haverfordwest, 1628. During the Civil War he raised a company of 140 horse at his own expense for the Royalist cause and had the rank of Lt-Col., but after a catastrophic failure to relieve Raglan Castle he was forced to flee abroad and his estates were confiscated and conferred on Parliamentarian officers; it was recorded in the 18th century that his library, with a valuable collection of manuscripts relating to the Slebech preceptory, was burnt by Col. Horton. In 1657 he was living at Bruges, where Charles II had established his court, and was in 'a very miserable condition' and likely to be arrested for debt; Edward Hyde arranged for the King to send him 300 guilders to provide some relief. By 1658 he was living at Abbey Dore (Herefs), and at the restoration in 1660 he successfully petitioned the King for the restoration of his estates, claiming that he "raised 140 horse at his own charge for the late King... his estate, worth £2,000 a year, was given to the soldiers, his woods worth £14,000 were destroyed, and his personal estate of £5,000 was plundered, so that in his very old age, he lives an exile in a strange country, on the charity of good men". He married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Francis or Thomas Love of Norfolk, and had issue:
(1) George Barlow (d. 1662) (q.v.);
(2) John Barlow (d. 1660); arranged for himself and his younger siblings to be assigned one fifth of his father's estate for their maintenance in 1650; died on or about 14 July 1660, when he made a nuncupative will which was proved in the PCC, 16 July 1665;
(3) William Barlow (d. 1702?); who served in the Venetian army against the Turks and returned to England after the Restoration; probably the man of this name who lived at Martletwy House (Pembs); married Anne [surname unknown] (fl. 1702); died 26 May 1702; administration of goods granted to Lewis Wogan of Wiston, February 1704;
(4) Lewis Barlow (d. 1676) of Minwear; will proved in 1676;
(5) Charles Barlow; served in the Venetian army against the Turks during the Commonwealth years, and was killed in action;
(6) Thomas Barlow; served in the Venetian army against the Turks during the Commonwealth years, and was killed in action;
(7) Anne Barlow; married 1st, 1663, Nicholas Lewis (fl. 1666; dsp) of Hean Castle (Pembs) and 2nd, before 1675, Lewis Wogan (d. 1694) of Kilrhue (Pembs), by whom she had issue; living in 1695;
(8) [forename unknown] Barlow; a nun in France;
(9) [forename unknown] Barlow; a nun in France.
He inherited the Slebech estate from his father in about 1630, but his estates were confiscated by the Parliamentarian regime and not recovered until the Restoration. In 1649 he attempted to settle the estates on his son to avoid sequestration.
He died before October 1671; his will was proved at Carmarthen, 7 June 1672. His wife's date of death is unknown.
Barlow, George (d. 1662). Eldest son of Col. John Barlow (d. 1671) and his wife Dorothy Love, born before 1633. He married, c.1648, Joan (b. 1630), daughter and co-heiress of David Lloyd esq. of Cilciffeth (Pembs), and had issue:
(1) Hester Barlow (c.1649-68), born about 1649; married, c.1667, as his second wife, Sir Herbert Perrott (1617-83), kt., of Wellington (Herefs), and had issue one daughter (Hester (c.1668-1715), who married, 26 August 1700, Sir John Pakington of Westwood (Worcs)); died, probably in childbirth, 1668;
(2) Sir John Barlow (c.1652-95), 1st bt. (q.v.);
(3) William Barlow (c.1655-c.1737) of Haroldston (Pembs), which he presumably leased from his brother-in-law, Sir Herbert Perrott; a Roman Catholic in religion, he registered his estate as the Act required in 1723-25; he prospered under King James II, when he became an officer in the army (Cornet, 1685; Capt-Lt., 1685-87; Capt., 1688-89); MP for Pembrokeshire, 1685 and JP for Pembrokeshire, 1687-89; he accompanied James II into exile, 1689 and is said to have returned only after the king's death in 1701; refused to take the oath of allegiance to William & Mary and was described in 1693 as a ‘known enemy of their Majesties and their Government’; President of the Society of Sea Serjeants (a high Tory group) until 1733; will proved at St Davids, 7 July 1737;
(4) Anne Barlow (fl. 1670); mentioned in her grandfather's will, 1670.
His widow continued to live at Slebech with her second husband.
He died in the lifetime of his father, 1662; administration of his goods was granted to his widow, 16 July 1663. His widow married 2nd, c.1662, Walter Vaughan (d. 1663) of Derwydd (Carmarthens.) and 3rd, before 1670, Walter Middleton (d. 1708) of Slebech, and died between 1694 and 1699; she was buried at Slebech.
Barlow, Sir John (c.1652-95), 1st bt. Eldest son of George Barlow (d. 1662) and his wife Joan, daughter and co-heiress of David Lloyd esq. of Cilciffeth (Pembs), born about 1652. He was created a baronet by King Charles II, 13 July 1677. High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1681-82; JP and DL for Pembrokeshire and Haverfordwest, 1685-88. In 1688 he obtained letters patent for the operation of a market and three fairs at Narberth (Pembs). Unlike his eldest son, he seems to have conformed to the Protestant faith but he was reported in 1694 as among those in Pembrokeshire who had refused to take the oath of allegiance. He married 1st, 3 February 1671/2, Beatrice, daughter and eventually heir of Sir John Lloyd, 1st bt. of Forrest (Carmarthens.) and Woking (Surrey) and 2nd, c.1677, Catherine (d. 1707), daughter of Christopher Middleton esq. of Middleton Hall (Carmarthens.), and had issue:
(1.1) Beatrice Barlow (d. 1736); married 1st, as his second wife, Sir Anthony Rudd (d. 1706*), 3rd bt., of Capel Evan (Carmarthens.), and had issue two sons and one daughter; married 2nd, 27 September 1709, Griffith Lloyd (d. 1713) of Cwmgwilly (Carmarthens.), but had no further issue; said to have died February 1735/6; her will (as Dame Beatrice Rudd) was proved in the PCC, 24 January 1736/7;
(1.2) Anne Barlow (d. 1710); married, 1691 (settlement 29 July), Owen Ford (d. 1704) of Berry Hill, Nevern (Pembs), son of Alexander Ford, and had issue two daughters; perhaps the Anne Ford buried at Nevern, 5 March 1709/10, although this is hard to reconcile with the fact that her will (as Anne Barlow) was proved in the PCC, 16 January 1709/10;
(2.1) Sir George Barlow (c.1678-c.1722), 2nd bt. (q.v.);
(2.2) John Barlow (c.1682-1739) (q.v.);
(2.3) William Barlow (fl. 1718), apparently lived with his brother at Colby, Wiston (Pembs);
(2.4) Katherine Barlow (d. c.1718); living in 1709, but died unmarried in or before 1718.
He inherited the Slebech estate from his father, but in 1677 leased the house to his mother and her second husband. He lived at Minwear, on the opposite side of the river, where the ruins of his house are now known as the Sisters' House. He probably bought the Cresswell estate from John Barlow (c.1636-1701) of Lawrenny.
He died in 1695; his will was proved 27 June 1695, with a further grant of probate in Ireland in 1701. His first wife died in 1679; administration of her goods was granted 7 July 1679. His widow died in 1707; administration of her goods was granted to her principal creditor, 8 October 1707.
*Not 1725 as stated in the Complete Baronetage and some other sources.
Barlow, Sir George (c.1678-c.1722), 2nd bt. Eldest son of Sir John Barlow (c.1652-95), 1st bt., and his second wife Catherine, daughter of Christopher Middleton of Middleton Hall (Carmarthens.), born about 1678. He succeeded his father as 2nd baronet, 1695. His wife was a Roman Catholic, and he was both a Tory and a Jacobite in politics; he was elected MP for Cardigan Boroughs, 1713-15 and for Haverfordwest, 1715 (but was unseated on appeal). In 1721 his name was included on a list of potential sympathisers given to the Pretender. In 1702 he was described as 'a very hott and passionate gent' when he fell out with his great-aunt over the will of her husband, William Barlow (d. 1702) and was said to have used threats and actual violence against her and her property. He married, 31 May 1695 at St James, Duke Place, London, Winifred (1676-1731), daughter of George Heneage of Hainton (Lincs), from whom he was estranged in 1707 after a messy and inconclusive adultery case lasting four years in the Court of Arches and the High Court of Delegates, during which she was accused of adultery with several different men and he was accused of consorting with prostitutes. They had issue:
(1) Faith Barlow (b. c.1700); married Andrew [Andrieux] Debenson (fl. 1745) of London; living in 1746;
(2) Sir George Barlow (b. 1704), 3rd bt., baptised at Haverfordwest (Pembs), 10 September 1704; succeeded his father as 3rd baronet in c.1722; lived at Kirmond-le-Mire (Lincs) and later in France; married, before April 1741, Ursula [surname unknown] (d. 1775), but had no issue; he died in France between 1755 and 1775, when the baronetcy became extinct; administration of his goods (with will annexed) was granted, after the death of his widow, to her niece, 7 December 1775.
He inherited the Slebech estate from his father in 1695, and acquired lands in Lincolnshire through his marriage. In about 1708, having fallen into debt to the tune of £8,000, he sold the Slebech estate to his brother John (c.1682-1739) and thereafter lived partly in Lincolnshire, although he continued to be described as 'of Slebech'. His widow lived at Islington (Middx).
He died in or before 1722. His estanged wife died 31 December 1731.
Barlow, John (c.1682-1739). Second son of Sir John Barlow (d. c.1695), 1st bt., and his second wife Catherine, daughter of Christopher Middleton of Middleton Hall (Carmarthens.), born about 1682. He seems to have abandoned his family's traditional Recusancy and became a staunch Anglican, but he was regarded as 'violent Tory'; in the 1720s he became a member of the high Tory Society of Sea Serjeants of which his uncle was President. JP for Pembrokeshire by 1701; MP for Pembrokeshire, 1710-15; purse-bearer to his father-in-law as Lord Keeper, 1710-13 and Lord Chancellor, 1713-16. He was he was actively involved in the charity school movement in Wales, and took a close interest in ecclesiastical patronage, trying to ensure that clergymen of Tory views were preferred to Whigs. He married 1st, 1 May 1708 at St Luke, Chelsea (Middx), Anne (1682-1733), daughter of Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt, Lord Chancellor, 1710-14, and 2nd, 6 September 1735 at Claverton (Somerset), Anne (c.1712-70), daughter of Richard Skrine (1691-1737) of Warleigh, Bathford (Somerset), and had issue (with five further sons by his first marriage who died young):
(1.1) George Barlow (1717-56) (q.v.);
(1.2) Anne Barlow; probably died young;
(2.1) Catherine Barlow (1738-82), 'a virtuous, good-tempered woman with a little independent fortune'; she inherited the Colby estate and was such an excellent harpsichord player that she was complemented on her sensitivity by Mozart; she married, 25 January 1758 at St George, Hanover Square, London, Sir William Hamilton (1731-1803), kt., the famous art collector and diplomat (minister plenipotentiary in Naples), but they had no issue; she died in Naples (Italy) 'of a putrid fever', 25 August 1782, and after being embalmed was returned to Wales to be buried at Slebech, 22 February 1783.
He perhaps inherited the Cresswell estate from his father in 1701. He purchased the Colby estate at Wiston (Pembs) for £2,300 in 1708/9, and he apparently rebuilt the house there. He also acquired the Slebech estate from his brother in 1708, but was sometimes described as 'of Colby' after that.
He died 29 October 1739; his will was proved at St. Davids, 7 November 1739. His first wife died 17 November 1733. His widow died in 1770.
Barlow, George (1717-56). Only son of John Barlow (c.1682-1739) and his first wife Anne, daughter of Simon Harcourt, 1st Baron Harcourt, born 6 November 1717. Tory MP for Haverfordwest, 1743-47. High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1753. He is said to have married*, before 1737, Anne (d. 1795), daughter of Joseph Blundell of Haverfordwest (Pembs), and had issue including:
(1) Anne Barlow (1737-82) (q.v.).
He inherited the Slebech estate from his father in 1739.
He died 10 December 1756; his rather peculiar will was proved at St. Davids, 1757, and provided that he should be buried on the terrace in the garden at Slebech, although his widow was given permission to dig up his bones to be buried with her corpse later if she so wished; it is not known if his wish was carried out. His widow died in 1795; her will was proved in the PCC, 2 December 1795.
* Curiously, the baptism of their daughter is in the form "Anne, the daughter of Anne Blundell (who affirms herself to be wife of George Barlow of Slebetch)", which suggests the minister had doubts about the legitimacy of the child, and the marriage has not, in fact, been traced.
Barlow, Anne (1737-82). Only child of George Barlow (d. 1756) and his wife Anne, daughter of Joseph Blundell of Haverfordwest (Pembs), said to have been born 8 June and baptised at Haverfordwest, 7 November 1737. She married 1st, 19 May 1758 at St George, Hanover Sq., London, William Trevanion (1727-67) of Caerhayes (Cornw.) and 2nd, 27 March 1773, at Bath Abbey (Somerset), John Symmons FLS FRS (1745-1831) of Llanstinan (Pembs.), antiquarian, bibliophile and botanist, but had no issue.
She inherited the Slebech estate from her father in 1756. Her second husband sold it in 1784 (for £70,000) to William Knox of London, who also bought his paternal estate at Llanstinan (Pembs), and in 1790 he purchased Buwchllaethwen (Carmarthens.), near which he owned colleries and ironworks. Thereafter he seems to have pursued a restless existence. In 1791 he bought Richmond House, Twickenham (Middx), but sold it the following year, and a few years afterwards he settled at Paddington House, a villa on Paddington Green (Middx). In 1797 he took a lease of Britwell House, Burnham (Bucks), and in 1805 the lease of Chesterfield House, Blackheath (Kent), but in 1804 he was 'of Buwchllaethwen'. By 1823 he was living at Ewhurst Park (Hants).
She died before 18 April 1782. Her first husband died 24 January 1767 and was buried at St Michael Caerhays (Cornw.). Her second husband married 2nd, 11 April 1811 in Edinburgh, Elizabeth Mary (d. 1813), daughter of Richard Sessions, by whom he had previously had two sons, and 3rd, Charlotte Evans (c.1792-1869); he became bankrupt in 1828, and his library was sold at auction; he died at Tournai (Belgium), 20 August 1831; his will was proved in the PCC, 30 September 1831.
Barlow family of Cresswell and Lawrenny
Barlow, William (c.1570-1636). Younger son of John Barlow (c.1532-1610) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Fissier of Marton, born about 1570. High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1612. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Price of Richardston (Pembs) and had issue:
(1) Lewis Barlow (c.1605-81) (q.v.);
(2) Thomas Barlow (fl. 1638); unmarried in 1638;
(3) Elizabeth Barlow (fl. 1638); married, before 1636, John Williams of Panthowell (Carmarthens.);
(4) Margaret Barlow (fl. 1638); married, before 1636, James Phillips of Pentybach (Pembs).
He inherited Cresswell Castle and Lawrenny from his father in 1610.
He died 7 March 1636 and was buried at Lawrenny. His wife's date of death is unknown.
Barlow, Lewis (c.1605-81). Elder son of William Barlow (c.1570-1636) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Price of Richardston (Pembs), born about 1605. High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1641, 1668. He married, c.1631, Marie (d. 1688), daughter of John Owen of Orielton, and had issue:
(1) William Barlow (b. c.1634); educated at Middle Temple (admitted 1651/2); presumably predeceased his father;
(2) John Barlow (c.1636-1701) (q.v.);
(3) Rowland Barlow (d. 1712); administration of his goods granted to his brother and brother-in-law, 11 February 1711/12;
(4) Arthur Barlow (d. 1693); will proved 15 March 1693;
(5) Lettice Barlow (fl. 1681);
(6) Anne Barlow (fl. 1681-1704); mentioned in her brother Stephen's will in 1704, when she was unmarried;
(7) Dorothy Barlow (fl. 1681); perhaps mentally or physically disabled as her father's will provided for her care for life;
(8) Mary Barlow (d. 1695); married, before 1681, George Bowen; died about March 1695; administration of goods granted to her husband, 11 April 1695;
(9) Stephen Barlow (d. 1704); will proved in 1704;
(10) Elizabeth Barlow (fl. 1704); married, before 1704, Edward Phillips.
He inherited Cresswell and Lawrenny from his father in 1636.
He died 6 August 1681 and was buried at Lawrenny, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved at Carmarthen, 8 September 1681. His widow died about 1688; administration of her goods was granted to her son, 5 July 1688.
Barlow, John (c.1636-1701). Second but oldest surviving son of Lewis Barlow (c.1605-81) and his wife Marie, daughter of John Owen of Orielton, born about 1636. High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1686. He married Anne [surname unknown] and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Barlow (b. c.1681); mentioned in her father's and grandfather's wills, but was still under the age of twenty in 1700;
(2) John Barlow (c.1682-1718);
(3) William Barlow (fl. 1700); mentioned in his father's will, when he was a minor, and from whom he inherited the estate of East Williamston in Begelly (Pembs);
(4) Stephen Barlow (fl. 1700); mentioned in his father's will, when he was a minor.
He inherited Cresswell and Lawrenny from his father in 1681. He built Lawrenny Hall and sold Cresswell Castle to his kinsman, Sir John Barlow of Slebech.
He died in 1701; his will was proved in the PCC, 15 March 1700/01. His wife evidently predeceased him.
Barlow, John (c.1682-1718). Son of John Barlow (d. 1701) and his wife Anne [surname unknown], born about 1682. High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1705. Whig MP for Haverfordwest, 1715-18, having been defeated at the polls by his Tory kinsman, Sir George Barlow, but overturned the result on appeal. He was elected Mayor of Pembroke, 1715, but declined to serve because there was an epidemic of smallpox in the town. He married, c.1700, Anne (1683??-1732), daughter of Sir Hugh Owen, 2nd bt., of Orielton (Pembs), and had issue:
(1) Anne Barlow (c.1701-63) (q.v.);
(2) Lewis Barlow (c.1702-37); said to have been baptised at Lawrenny, 1702; MP for Orford (Suffk), 1734-37; died without issue and was buried at Lawrenny, 22 October 1737; will proved 18 September 1737;
(3) Hugh Barlow (c.1703-63) (q.v.);
(4) Arthur Barlow (b. c.1708); living in 1731;
(5) Thomas Barlow (b. c. 1710); said to be an officer in the army; living in 1743;
(6) Elizabeth Barlow (c.1712-80); married 1st, 1732 (post-nuptial settlement, 3 April), Joseph Walter (d. c.1739) of Rosemarket (Pembs), son of Sir Richard Walter, kt., and 2nd, before 1746, Alexander Eliot (d. 1756) of Earwear (Pembs), High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1754-55, son of Griffith Eliot of Tenby (Pembs); will proved in the PCC, 23 June 1780;
(7) Dorothy Barlow (c.1714-55?); married, 1742 at Haroldston (Pembs), John Lort (d. 1800) of Prickston, High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, 1775, and had issue two daughters (including Elizabeth Lort, who married George Phillips, and from whom the present owners of Lawrenny descend); probably the woman of this name who was buried at St Augustine the Less, Bristol, 15 May 1755;
(8) Katherine Barlow (1716-c.1778), baptised at Lawrenny, 24 September 1716; married, 8 September 1744 at Lawrenny, Charles Owen (c.1710-83) of Toke's Court, London and Lincoln's Inn, and had issue two daughters (Dorothy Owen (fl. 1783) and Elizabeth Owen (fl. 1783), executrix of her aunt, Elizabeth Eliot, with whom she was then living as a companion); died before 1780;
(9) John Barlow (b. 1718), born posthumously and baptised at Lawrenny, 26 March 1718; died young before 1731.
He inherited Lawrenny Hall from his father in 1701.
He died in London, 30 January 1717/18; his will was proved in the PCC, 20 March 1717/18. His widow married 2nd, 18 April 1723 at St Martin-in-the-Fields (Middx), Hon. Thomas Cornwallis (d. 1731), and died in 1732; her will was proved 12 April 1732.
Barlow, Hugh (c.1703-63). Son of John Barlow (c.1682-1718) and his wife Anne, daughter of Sir Hugh Owen, 2nd bt., of Orielton (Pembs), born about 1703. Mayor of Pembroke, 1737; Whig MP for Pembrokeshire boroughs, 1747-61. He married, 20 December 1736, his cousin, Elizabeth (d. 1788), youngest daughter of Sir Arthur Owen, 3rd bt., of Orielton (Pembs), but had no issue.
He inherited Lawrenny Hall from his elder brother in 1737. At his death the estate passed to his widow for life, and then to his nephew, Hugh Owen (later Barlow).
He was buried at Lawrenny, 29 November 1763. His widow married 2nd, William Owen, and was buried at Lawrenny (as Elizabeth Barlow), 31 December 1788.
Barlow, Anne (c.1701-63). Elder daughter of John Barlow (d. 1718) and his wife Anne, daughter of Sir Hugh Owen, 2nd bt., of Orielton (Pembs), born about 1704. She married, 7 December 1725, Wyrriott Owen (d. 1755) of Great Nash (Pembs), and had issue:
(1) Lt-Col. Charles Owen (c.1726-57) (q.v.);
(2) Hugh Owen (later Barlow) (1729-1809) (q.v.);
(3) John Owen (fl. 1780); mentioned in the will of his aunt, Elizabeth Eliot;
(4) Anne Owen (fl. 1780); married, 1761 (agreement 27 January), James Lloyd of Kilrhue; mentioned in the will of her aunt, Elizabeth Eliot in 1780.
She died in 1763 and is said to have been buried in Bristol. Her husband died at Bath (Somerset) in 1755 and was buried in Bristol; his will was proved in the PCC, 27 October 1755.
Owen, Lt-Col. Charles (c.1726-57). Elder son of Wyrriott Owen (d. 1755) of Great Nash, Llangwm (Pembs) and his wife Anne, daughter of John Barlow of Lawrenny. An officer in the 46th Foot (Maj., 1752; Lt-Col., 1756). He married Grace [surname unknown] and had issue:
(1) Wyrriott Owen (1752-80); Governor of Milford Haven; died unmarried but left acknowledged illegitimate issue by his mistress and servant, Maria Seaborn, one son (Charles Owen) and one daughter (Elizabeth Owen); buried at Llangwm, 16 January 1780; his will, leaving Maria Seaborn as his executor and principal legatee, was proved 6 April 1780;
(2) Anne Owen (fl. 1780); married, 1 July 1765 at St Mary, Haverfordwest (Pembs), Roger Davids of Haverfordwest.
He inherited Great Nash from his father in 1755.
He died at Haverfordwest, 5 February 1757. His wife's date of death is unknown.
Owen (later Barlow), Hugh (1729-1809). Younger son of Wyrriott Owen (d. 1755) of Great Nash, Llangwm (Pembs) and his wife Anne, daughter of John Barlow of Lawrenny. MP for Pembrokeshire boroughs, 1774-1809. He took the name Barlow, 24 March 1789, after inheriting the Lawrenny estate. He married 1st, 9 January 1787 at Lawrenny, Emma (1749-88), daughter of Lt-Gen. John Owen, and sister of Sir Arthur Owen, 7th bt., of Orielton (Pembs), and 2nd, 24 August 1791 at Aldeburgh (Suffk), Anne (1768-1844), daughter of Peter Champion de Crespigny of Burwood (Surrey), but had no issue.
He inherited Lawrenny Hall from his aunt, Elizabeth Barlow, in 1788 and Great Nash (which he unroofed and left to go to ruin) from his nephew, Wyrriot Owen, in 1780. At his death the estate passed to his first cousin once removed, Sir William Owen (later Barlow) (d. 1851), 8th bt. for life, and then to their mutual cousin, George Lort-Phillips (1811-66).
He died 23 January and was buried at Lawrenny, 3 February 1809, where he is commemorated by a large monument; his will was proved 26 May 1809. His first wife was buried at Lawrenny, 7 January 1788. His widow died at Bath (Somerset), 7 July 1844 and was buried at Lawrenny; her will was proved 2 August 1844.
Principal sources
Burke's Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies, 2nd edn., 1841, pp. 38-39; G.E. Cokayne, The complete baronetage, vol. 4, 1904, pp. 88-9; B.G. Charles, 'Records of Slebech', National Library of Wales Journal, vol. 5 (3), 1948, pp. 179-98; N.W. Kingsley. 'Modelling in the provinces', Country Life, 20 October 1988, pp. 138-41 and 'Vision of villas', 27 October 1988, pp. 126-29; C. Charles Jones (ed.), Historic Pembrokeshire homes and their families, 2001, pp. 56-57, 137-38, 261-62; D.M. Turner, Fashioning adultery: gender, sex and civility in England, 1660-1740, 2002, pp. 145-68; T. Lloyd, J. Orbach & R. Scourfield, The buildings of Wales: Pembrokeshire, 2004, pp. 450-54; H. Dalton, Merchants and Explorers: Roger Barlow, Sebastian Cabot, and Networks of Atlantic Exchange 1500–1560, 2016;
http://www.pembrokeshirehistoricalsociety.co.uk/the-last-of-the-symmons-of-llanstinan/
Location of archives
Barlow family of Lawrenny: deeds, estate and family papers, 17th-19th cents [Pembrokeshire Archives, D-LLW]. Some additional records remain with the current owners of the estate.
Barlow family of Slebech, baronets: legal and estate papers and correspondence, 13th-18th cents. [National Library of Wales, SLEBECH; MS 6104F]
Coat of arms
Argent, on a chevron between three crosses crosslet fitchy sable, two lions passant counterpassant supporting an Eastern crown or.
Can you help?
- As far as I am aware, there are no visual records of the old house at Slebech , but if anyone knows of a view of it, I should be most interested.
- I should be most grateful if anyone can provide photographs or portraits of people whose names appear in bold above, and who are not already illustrated.
- As always, any additions or corrections to the account given above will be gratefully received and incorporated.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment if you have any additional information or corrections to offer, or if you are able to help with additional images of the people or buildings in this post.