Colonel Philip Jones ( – 5 September 1674) was a

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military leader and 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 ...

between 1650 and 1656. He rose to the rank of Colonel in the service of the

Parliamentary Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to ...

under Fairfax during 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 ...

. As Governor of

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

he successfully held the town against the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

forces.

Biography

Jones was born at the Great House Swansea, the son of David Johns of Swansea and Penywaun Llangyfelach. He became Parliamentarian governor of Swansea on 17 November 1645 and was governor of Cardiff by 1649. In 1646, he was a colonel in the Parliamentary army. In 1650, Jones was elected Member of Parliament for

Breconshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1536 under the Laws in Wales ...

in the

Rump Parliament The Rump Parliament describes the members of the Long Parliament who remained in session after Colonel Thomas Pride, on 6 December 1648, commanded his soldiers to Pride's Purge, purge the House of Commons of those Members of Parliament, members ...

and sat until 1653. He was a member of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

and was nominated as representative for

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

in the

Barebones Parliament Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the inst ...

. In 1654, he was elected MP for Monmouthshire and

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

and chose to sit for Glamorgan. In 1656, he was elected MP for Glamorgan and Breconshire, and chose to sit for Glamorgan.

In 1654, he bought

Fonmon Castle Fonmon Castle () is a fortified medieval castle near the village of Fonmon in the Vale of Glamorgan and a Grade I listed building. The castle's gardens are designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic ...

from the St. John family, who had become obliged to sell, as well as numerous other estates. He became comptroller of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

's household, In addition, he was appointed a Privy Councillor and sat in

Cromwell's Upper House The Other House (also referred to as the Upper House, House of Peers and House of Lords), established by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Humble Petition and Advice, was one of the two chambers of the parliaments that legi ...

as Philip Lord Jones on 10 December 1657. He superintended the funeral of Oliver Cromwell on 23 November 1658. He was governor of Charterhouse in 1658. In 1659, he commanded the militia in Cardiff Castle 1659. On the Restoration, he was confirmed as Custos Rotulorum and was

High Sheriff of Glamorgan This page is a list of High Sheriffs of Glamorgan. Sheriffs of Glamorgan served under and were answerable to the independent Lords of Glamorgan until that lordship was merged into the crown. This is in contrast to sheriffs of the English shires w ...

in 1671. Jones died at Fonmon aged 56 and was buried in Penmark Church.

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 ...

aside, most of

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

had been staunchly Royalist prior to the civil war, and in the resulting power vacuum, Jones was able to rise from comparatively humble beginnings to a position of considerable wealth through purchases and awards of land. From pre-war

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of Serfdom, servants in an Peerage of England, English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in Kingdom of England, mid-1 ...

's earnings, he ended his life with a four figure income – fabulous riches for those days. Even before the

Restoration of the Monarchy Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

, there were calls for Jones's trial from the Royalists who had forfeited their lands to him. With Charles II in place, Jones was finally brought to trial in 1661 for having carried away the organ of St. Mary's Swansea, a charge he survived to die in his bed.

Family

Jones married a daughter of William Price of Gellihir in 1642. He had a son Oliver, and a grandson

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

, who was also an MP.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

Welsh Biography Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Philip 1618 births 1674 deaths Roundheads English MPs 1648–1653 English MPs 1653 (Barebones) English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 Members of Cromwell's Other House Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales