Joseph Ablett (29 January 1773 – 9 January 1848) was a philanthropist and

High Sheriff of Denbighshire The first High Sheriff of Denbighshire was John Salusbury (died 1540s), John Salusbury, snr, appointed in 1540. The shrievalty of Denbighshire, together with that of Flintshire, continued until 1974 when it was abolished after the county and sh ...

, a county in Wales, in 1809.

Life

Joseph Ablett was born on 29 January 1773. He bore the same name as his father, who was involved in the threadmaking business of Ablett and Jesse in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. He attended

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...

from 1783 and in 1804 purchased Llanbedr Hall in Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd, near

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; ) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and Rhewl. The name comes from the Welsh ''rhud ...

, from Rev. Edward Thelwall. He became a magistrate for the county of Denbighshire and, in 1809, High Sheriff. His father also acquired an estate near Ruthin, at Ffynogion, giving rise to some confusion in sources regarding which events related to the father and which to the son. In 1826, Ablett stood for election to 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 ...

as a Whig. He polled the same number of votes - 273 - as Frederick Richard West of

Ruthin Castle Ruthin Castle () is a medieval castle fortification in Wales, near the town of Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, on a red sandstone r ...

, who was also contesting the Denbigh Boroughs constituency. West was assigned the seat under the rules governing double returns. Ablett extended his lands in 1833 with the purchase of Bathafarn Hall, a building in Llanbedr that is now listed. He donated the land at

Denbigh Denbigh ( ; ) is a market town and a community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. It was the original county town of the Denbighshire (historic), historic county of Denbighshire created in 1536. Denbigh's Welsh name () translates to ...

upon which North Wales Hospital was constructed between 1844 and 1848 and also constructed

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

s in Llanrhydd Street, Ruthin. His correspondence, some of which survives at Denbighshire Archive Service, included dealings with the antiquary

William Owen Pughe William Owen Pughe (7 August 1759 – 4 June 1835) was a Welsh antiquarian and grammarian best known for his ''Welsh and English Dictionary'', published in 1803, but also known for his grammar books and "Pughisms" (neologisms). Biography He w ...

and the sculptor John Gibson. Ablett died on 9 January 1848 and was buried at the churchyard in Llanbedr. A monument there describes him as His wife, Ann, died in 1854 at the age of 80. The couple had been childless and Llanbedr Hall passed to John Jesse, a relative who himself became High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1856.

Publication

In 1837, Ablett edited and privately published a compilation of writings by friends titled ''Literary Hours''.

References

Notes Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ablett, Joseph 1773 births 1848 deaths Philanthropists from Greater Manchester People from Ruthin High sheriffs of Denbighshire Whig (British political party) politicians People educated at Manchester Grammar School