Arthur Vivian
Encyclopedia
Sir Arthur Pendarves Vivian KCB
(4 June 1834 - 18 August 1926) was a British industrialist, mine-owner and Liberal
politician, who worked in south Wales and Cornwall, and sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1885.
and his wife Sarah Jones, daughter of Arthur Jones, of Reigate
. His elder brother was Henry Vivian, 1st Baron Swansea and his uncle was Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian. He was educated at Eton College
, the Freiberg Mining Academy of Freiberg, Saxony
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
. He left college in 1855, on his father's death, to manage the family's copper smelting and rolling works and colliery at Port Talbot
.
in 1868, a seat he held, as a Liberal, until 1885, when the constituency was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
.
He was a J.P.
and Deputy Lieutenant
for Glamorgan
and a JP and Deputy Warden of the Stannaries for Cornwall
. He was lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers.
Vivian was a county councillor for Glamorgan from 1889 to 1898, He was High Sheriff of Cornwall
in 1889 and was awarded the CB
in 1894. He was Colonel commanding the South Wales Volunteer Infantry Brigade from 1895 to 1901. From 1898 to 1926 he was a county alderman
for Cornwall. He was knighted in 1902.
. He published Wanderings in the Western Land (1879), describing his travels in North America, starting 14 August 1877 in St Johns, Newfoundland.
. She died on 11 February 1877. He married secondly, 10 March 1880, Lady Jane Georgina Dalrymple, daughter of 10th Earl of Stair. There were children from both marriages. His second wife died on 8 June 1914.
From 1885, Vivian lived at Bosahan, Bosahan Garden website and Image of Bosahan House built by Vivian but demolished 1955. St Anthony in Meneage, Cornwall and died aged 92.
Cornwall Record Office holds 203 items in a deposited collection of his papers (Reference PV). Further papers, mostly relating to his Welsh business affairs at held at the West Glamorgan Archive Service. A photographic likeness of him in the 1860s is held by the National Portrait Gallery and another, with two dogs, at Community Archive Wales.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(4 June 1834 - 18 August 1926) was a British industrialist, mine-owner and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician, who worked in south Wales and Cornwall, and sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1885.
Early life and education
Vivian was the third son of the industrialist John Henry VivianJohn Henry Vivian
John Henry Vivian was a Welsh industrialist and politician of Cornish extraction.Vivian was the son of John Vivian, of Truro, Cornwall, and his wife Betsey, daughter of the Reverend Richard Cranch, and the brother of Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian...
and his wife Sarah Jones, daughter of Arthur Jones, of Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
. His elder brother was Henry Vivian, 1st Baron Swansea and his uncle was Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, the Freiberg Mining Academy of Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He left college in 1855, on his father's death, to manage the family's copper smelting and rolling works and colliery at Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
.
Public and parliamentary service
Vivian was elected as one of two Members of Parliament for Cornwall WestWest Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
West Cornwall was a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...
in 1868, a seat he held, as a Liberal, until 1885, when the constituency was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
.
He was a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
and a JP and Deputy Warden of the Stannaries for Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. He was lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers.
Vivian was a county councillor for Glamorgan from 1889 to 1898, He was High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
in 1889 and was awarded the CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1894. He was Colonel commanding the South Wales Volunteer Infantry Brigade from 1895 to 1901. From 1898 to 1926 he was a county alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
for Cornwall. He was knighted in 1902.
Travels and travel-writing
He was a frequent traveller and a fellow of the Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
. He published Wanderings in the Western Land (1879), describing his travels in North America, starting 14 August 1877 in St Johns, Newfoundland.
Family and personal life
Vivian married firstly, 3 March 1867, Lady Augusta Emily Wyndham-Quin, daughter of 3rd Earl of DunravenEdwin Wyndham-Quin, 3rd Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl
Edwin Richard Wyndham-Quin, 3rd Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl KP, FRS was a British Peer. He was styled Viscount Adare from 1824 to 1850....
. She died on 11 February 1877. He married secondly, 10 March 1880, Lady Jane Georgina Dalrymple, daughter of 10th Earl of Stair. There were children from both marriages. His second wife died on 8 June 1914.
From 1885, Vivian lived at Bosahan, Bosahan Garden website and Image of Bosahan House built by Vivian but demolished 1955. St Anthony in Meneage, Cornwall and died aged 92.
Cornwall Record Office holds 203 items in a deposited collection of his papers (Reference PV). Further papers, mostly relating to his Welsh business affairs at held at the West Glamorgan Archive Service. A photographic likeness of him in the 1860s is held by the National Portrait Gallery and another, with two dogs, at Community Archive Wales.