Arthur Owen (c 1608 – 8 September 1678) was a Welsh politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

at various times between 1645 and 1678. He fought in the

Parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

army in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. Owen was the son of John Owen of Orielton and his wife Dorothy Laugharne, and was brother of

Sir Hugh Owen, 1st Baronet Sir Hugh Owen, 1st Baronet (4 May 1604 – October 1670) was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1626 and 1660. He sided originally with the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War, but the strength of his ...

He matriculated at

Hart Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

on 18 February 1626 and was called to the bar at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1633. He was J.P. for Anglesea in 1642 and was made a Commissioner of Militia for Parliament in Pembrokeshire in 1642. He was a Major in the army of Col. Laugharne at the defeat of the Royalists in Pembrokeshire in 1643. He became a Colonel and was added to the Commissioners for Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire on 26 July 1644.W R Williams ''The Parliamentary History of the Principality of Wales''
/ref> In 1645, Owen was elected Member of Parliament for

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

in the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...

. He sat until 1648 when he was excluded under

Pride's Purge Pride's Purge is the name commonly given to an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England. Despite defeat in the ...

. In 1654, he was elected MP for Pembrokeshire again in the

First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the H ...

. He was appointed one of the committee for examining the petition of the "well affected of Haverfordwest" on 27 Nov. 1655. He was elected MP for Pembroke in 1659 for the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a po ...

in a double return which was never resolved. In 1660, Owen was elected MP for Pembrokeshire in the Convention Parliament. He was re-elected MP for Pembrokeshire in 1661 for the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

and sat until his death in 1678.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Arthur 1600s births 1678 deaths Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales Roundheads Alumni of Hart Hall, Oxford People from Pembrokeshire Members of Lincoln's Inn English MPs 1640–1648 English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679