Reginald James Blewitt

Reginald James Blewitt (1799–1878) was a British MP. He built up the Monmouthshire Merlin newspaper and refurbished Llantarnam Abbey.

Biography

Blewitt was born in 1799 to Edward and Amelia Blewitt. His father was descended from the powerful Morgan family of Newport. In 1827 Blewitt published a satirical poem that was published as a 106-page book about the characters of the Chancery Court.

Blewitt obtained ownership of Llantarnam Abbey which had historically been a Catholic home for centuries. Blewitt restored the abbey as his home in 1836. In 1837, he was elected as an M.P. for the Monmouthshire Boroughs.

Newport Uprising

Blewitt played a minor role in the Newport Rising when three groups of Chartists descended onto Newport to release from custody a fellow chartist. Two of the groups arrived at the Hotel in Newport and they were turned back by armed soldiers who fired on the rioters. The third group from Pontypool led by William Jones was too late and it had been met on the road by Blewitt who cautioned the men against insurrection. Blewitt was a well known critic of Chartism via his Newport paper. However the group continued and only scattered after they were told of the chartists shot dead and wounded in Newport. Meanwhile, Blewitt had travelled through Caerleon to the site of the riot where he took over the role of Mayor as he had been wounded. Jones and two others were eventually transported for their part in the uprising.

Cwmbran iron works

The growth of the iron works at Cwmbran in the middle of the nineteenth century was due to Blewitt's ownership. In 1847 he was establishing a patent for a method of creating malleable iron. This iron works continued as a major employer in the area until 1970.