41 Facts About Thomas Johnes

Thomas Johnes FRS was a Member of Parliament, landscape architect, farmer, printer, writer and social benefactor.

Thomas Johnes is best known for his development of the Hafod Estate in Wales.

Thomas Johnes undertook experiments in sheep and cattle breeding together with the growing of new crops and a thriving dairy was established.

Trees were planted in great quantities on land considered unsuitable for crops; Thomas Johnes obtained the Royal Society of Arts medal five times for planting trees.

Thomas Johnes encouraged his tenants to improve their farming practices when in 1800 he published A Cardiganshire Landlord's Advice to his Tenants, with a Welsh translation and offered prizes for good crops.

Thomas Johnes was one of the chief supporters of the Cardiganshire Agricultural Society, founded in 1784.

Thomas Johnes devoted his entire life fortune to improving Hafod Estate.

Thomas Johnes belonged to an old Welsh Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire family.

Thomas Johnes was related to William Wilberforce through his mother's aunt Anne Knight.

Thomas Johnes was taught to read English at a local preparatory seminary in his native town, and then attended Shrewsbury School at the age of seven and remained for four years.

Thomas Johnes left Edinburgh towards the end of 1768, and immediately began a Grand Tour on the continent accompanied by Robert Listen.

Under his guidance, Thomas Johnes travelled through France, Spain, and Italy.

Thomas Johnes was completely besotted with her and was closely involved with her upbringing.

Thomas Johnes shared an especially close emotional bond with Mariamne.

Thomas Johnes was heartbroken when she predeceased him on 4 July 1811.

Thomas Johnes's son Evan was born in 1786, during the time his wife Jane had laid the cornerstone of their home.

Thomas Johnes died at Langstone Cliff cottage, near Dawlish on 23 April 1816 aged 68 years.

Thomas Johnes was buried at Saint Michael's Hafod Church, Eglwys Newydd Parish.

Thomas Johnes went on to be elected MP for Radnorshire in 1780,1784,1790,1795 and for Cardiganshire in 1796,1802,1806,1807, and 1812.

Thomas Johnes served as Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire from 1800 until his death in 1816, was promoted as a militia officer to Brevet Colonel in the army, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1800.

The parliamentary politics of Mr Thomas Johnes were at this time decidedly ministerial.

In 1780 Thomas Johnes inherited the Hafod Estate from his father as was the normal practice within a landed family.

Thomas Johnes moved them from huts to cottages and employed many of them planting trees on the property.

Thomas Johnes had both vision and a pragmatic approach to estate management.

Thomas Johnes collected many rare and noble books on natural history and manuscripts in Welsh, French and Latin, which included many by Edward Lhuyd and many manuscripts and printed editions of the French chronicles of the later Middle Ages.

Thomas Johnes was in London attending Parliament when he heard the news and that his wife and daughter had escaped.

Expectant upon moving in Thomas Johnes set about replacing the contents of the home.

Construction delays continued until Thomas Johnes remained in Wales and made weekly visits, personally overseeing the progress.

Strongly influenced by William Gilpin's "Picturesque" idea of landscape, which was contrary to the format adopted by the famous Capability Brown, Thomas Johnes drew in the experience of his in-laws and family who were from Croft Castle, Herefordshire, his father having married the granddaughter of Richard Payne Knight, a very successful ironmaster whose family acquired land in a fertile part of Herefordshire.

In 1803 Thomas Johnes hired James Wyatt, architect of Broadway Tower and Fonthill Abbey, to design a church for the estate to replace the existing structure established in 1620 by William Herbert of the Herbert family, which had fallen into disuse and was surrounded by bramble.

The cruciform structure, constructed at the sole expense of Thomas Johnes, was designed in Gothic architecture, has a square tower at the west end.

Thomas Johnes removed the window from that church for his own project at Hafod.

Thomas Johnes experimented with varieties of cattle to determine which would produce the most milk.

Thomas Johnes was able to produce Parmesan, Stilton, Cheshire and Gloucestershire cheese at will from his own dairy.

Thomas Johnes helped to established the Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture and Industry in the County of Cardiganshire as a way to encourage growth in the surrounding area and to promote modern farming techniques to his tenants.

Thomas Johnes became very frustrated by their refusal to use equipment as basic as a horse and plough, instead preferring pick and shovel.

Thomas Johnes built Hafod Arch in 1810 to commemorate George III's golden jubilee.

Thomas Johnes built a school for the poor of the community to attend at no charge.

Each year he and Mrs Thomas Johnes opened up their home at Christmas hosting a large event for everyone at Hafod including staff and tenants.

At the suggestion of his wife Jane, Thomas Johnes translated several books from French to English.

Thomas Johnes established a private press in a cottage in the hills away from the main estate to publish his works:.