Out Of The Blue Artifacts A Library of a lifetime of collecting
Mr Reginald James Blewitt.
A section of a letter signed by Mr R. J. Blewitt. Mr Blewitt was M.P. for the Monmouthshire Boroughs, proprietor of the Monmouthshire Merlin Newspaper and the owner of the Old Llanhilleth Colliery, Monmouthshire.
The letter is dated 1839.
Mr Reginald James Blewitt.
Mr Reginald James Blewitt Born 1799 second son of Major Edward Blewitt of Llantarnum Abbey and the great-grandson of Sir Samuel Blewitt, Master of the Skinners Company and Sheriff of London in 1697.
He was educated at Rugby School and practised to become a solicitor though retired in 1827, he kept his term at Lincoln’s Inn hoping to take to the bar at a later time.
In 1829 Mr R. J. Blewitt helped establish the “Monmouthshire Merlin” Newspaper with Mr Charles Hough though Mr Hough went bankrupt in 1831 and Mr Blewitt became the sole proprietor. Joseph Bailey Jnr and Messrs Joseph & Crawshay Bailey Esqs were political adversaries and Mr Joseph Bailey financially backed the “Beacon” Newspaper to publicly attack Mr Blewitt.
In July 1836 Mr Reginald Blewitt along with Mr John Owen, Mr Phillip Jones, Mr Thomas Fothergill, Mr William Towgood, Mr John Jones and Mr Henry Wyborne Jones Esq set up the “Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire Banking Company”.
In July 1837 Mr Blewitt was elected to the post of the M.P. for the Monmouthshire Boroughs taking over the post vacated by Sir Benjamin Hall. He defeated the Conservative Mr Crawshay Bailey in the elections by 172 votes to 117 votes.
In 1843 Mr Blewitt was the owner of the Cwmbran Works and Collieries and in 1845 was the proprietor of the Blaendare Iron and Coal Works.
In 1846 Mr Blewitt established and was the proprietor of the Old Llanhilleth Colliery, Monmouthshire, which soon became substantial workings under the Llanhilleth Mountain.
On the 21st July 1847 Mr R. J. Blewitt had a test and exhibition of a new pump at his colliery in Llanhilleth. This new pump was called the Adcocks Spray Pump, designed and built by Mr Henry Adcock C.E. an engineer from Birmingham. It was designed to pump water from mines and shafts in the progress of being sunk.
At the exhibition of the pump the following men were observed Mr R. J Blewitt Esq MP; Mr Thomas Powell Esq (The Gaer); Mr John Russell Esq (Risca); Mr John Harley Esq (Pontypool); Mr Frederick Levick Esq (Cwm Celyn and Blaina Works); Mr William Williams Esq (Snatchwood and Golynos Works); Mr Richard Baily Esq; Mr Decimus Protheroe Esq; Mr W. T. H. Phelps Esq (Newport); Mr John James Esq; Mr Edward Dowling Esq; Mr Thomas Latch Esq; Mr Rowe (Engineer of Rhymney); Mr Hughes (Engineer); Mr Pierce; Mr Nicholas; Mr Gethin Jnr; Mr Howard; Mr James Woodfield; Mr Jenkins (Llanhilleth):
In 1872 the Monmouthshire Merlin reported the the Llanhilleth Colliery had been sold to Mr Walter Powell, and confirmed that it had previously been sunk many years ago by Mr Blewitt.
The Death of Mr Reginald James Blewitt.
Mr Reginald James Blewitt sadly passed away on 11th September 1878.