Sir Clifford Cory, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Clifford John Cory, 1st Baronet (10 April 1859 – 3 February 1941) was a Welsh
colliery owner, coal exporter and Liberal Party
politician.
. He was educated privately in Wales
and on the continent. On 25 January 1893 he married Jane Ann(e) Gordon Lethbridge, the daughter of an army officer from Somerset
. They never had children and seemed to have lived mostly apart.
) the Welsh Regiment but his principal career was the coal trade following the example of his father and his uncle Richard Cory. Frank Owen
described him as one of the ‘rising young coal kings of South Wales whose market was indeed the world [and who] wanted to be freed of the trammels on trade’ . At the time of his death in 1941, he was chairman of Cory Brothers Ltd. colliery proprietors and coal exporters of Cardiff
. At one time he had been chairman of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association and of the Welsh Coal Trade Conciliation Board. He was also President of Cardiff Incorporated Chamber of Commerce, in 1907 and 1908 and sometime Chairman of the South Wales and Monmouthshire Schools of Mines
Nevertheless, in the 1890s the coal-owners were still at the top of the social hierarchy in South Wales even if politically they were less inclined to involvement. Cory was something of an exception however (as he later proved to be in national Liberal politics over the issue of Home Rule). He was sometime President of Cardiff Liberals . Cory was elected to Glamorgan County Council in 1892 as member for Ystrad and retained the seat until 1910, the only substantial coal owner to keep a prominent political profile in the Rhondda
during this period. Cory was also High Sheriff of Monmouthshire
for 1905. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
for Glamorgan
and Monmouthshire and was a Deputy Lieutenant
of the County of Glamorgan. He was created a baronet
in 1907 , the Cory baronetcy
of Llantarnam Abbey
, the name of his home.
Cory was adopted as parliamentary candidate for the Tory
seat of South Monmouthshire
in 1893 which he unsuccessfully contested at the 1895 general election
. He was then adopted for Tonbridge
in Kent
for the general election of 1900
but despite fighting a campaign on religious and temperance issues which attracted the support of at least one Conservative minister of religion in the division , he was again unsuccessful. In 1900 he declined an offer to be considered as Liberal candidate for the Cornish
constituency of St.Ives
but by 1902 he had changed his mind and he was adopted for the seat.
at the Liberal landslide victory of 1906
. He held the seat as a Liberal in the elections of January and December 1910. This was in the face of a strong Tory resurgence in English agricultural seats in January 1910, the effect of which was not as marked in Cornwall. The Cornish results may be attributable to the significant nonconformist electorate there and their concerns about education against the background of the Tory preference for education to be promoted through Church of England
schools . The issue of education was likely to have been a factor in Cory’s initial victory in 1906 too. There was a high nonconformist turnout in 1906 in the wake of the controversy over the 1902 Education Act
which replaced School Boards elected by ratepayers in their district, which had been popular with radicals, with Local Education Authorities under the control of County or Borough
Councils. Nonconformist electors objected that rate aid was being used to support the teaching of religious views to which they were opposed, ‘Rome on the Rates’; Anglican and Roman Catholic Church schools, supported by public funds, were not under public control and teachers in these sectarian schools were subject to religious tests. More nonconformist MPs were elected to Parliament in 1906 than Conservatives MPs.
of David Lloyd George
. He had presumably been sent the Coalition Coupon
as he was without Conservative
opposition (although there was an Independent Conservative who polled derisively) and he was challenged by a Labour
candidate who got 38% of the poll. At the 1922 general election
Cory stood as a National Liberal
as a supporter of Lloyd George. Labour did not stand a candidate but this did not help Cory who lost to the Conservative Sir John Hawke
(the Recorder
of Plymouth
). Cory won the seat back from Hawke in 1923
but lost again in 1924
.
. He was a particular friend of Capel Zion at Ponthir
in Monmouthshire. He was also a vice-president of the council of the Christian Service Union, an organisation with the aim of providing work and training for unemployed and vagrant boys and youths. In 1898, Cory was the head of the Welsh Protestant League, which had a reputation for being rabidly anti-Catholic . This background undoubtedly influenced his strong support for the Protestant, Unionist, opponents of the traditional Liberal policy of Irish Home Rule. He voted against the government in 1911 supporting an amendment which would have excluded any Home Rule Bill from the operation of the Parliament Bill. In April 1912, Cory was the only Liberal MP to vote against the government in the first reading of the Home Rule Bill. He voted against the Bill again on second reading repeated his rebellion on the third reading of the Bill on 7 July 1913. On 14 May 1914, Cory presided at an anti-Home Rule meeting at Caxton Hall
, Westminster. He said he was in a unique position in that he was the only Liberal member returned as a declared opponent of Home Rule. At each of the last three elections he had distinctly put in his address that he would oppose Home Rule.
However Cory does not seem to have ever contemplated joining the Liberal Unionists and his pronounced views against Home Rule probably did him no harm against Liberal Unionist opponents in St Ives in 1906 and the two elections of 1910. The Unionist newspaper, Western Morning News
attributed Unionist gains in Devon and Cornwall in December 1910 to the issue of Home Rule, as did the Liberal Westminster Gazette
yet at this election Cory marginally increased his majority and share of the vote, benefiting from anti-home rule feeling. Local sentiment there was strongly against Irish independence on economic grounds, as it was seen as a particular threat to the livelihood of the fishermen and other maritime employees who made up much of the electorate. Opposing Home Rule also appealed to non-conformist sympathy in the constituency with the Protestant Irish and their fears that a free Ireland would be dominated by the Catholic majority, giving great weight to the influence and opinion of the Roman Catholic Church to the detriment of the civil and religious liberties of Protestants
began running its Broad Gauge trains on the new branch line. Not only did this increase accessibility to the rest of Cornwall for the town's residents but the railway quickly enabled St Ives to establish itself as a popular holiday destination by rail. The purposes of the British Federation of Health and Holiday Resorts were clearly a constituency vested interest for its MP. In later life Cory took an interest in animal welfare issues. He was a supporter of the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society and supported the main speakers at a meeting of the Society to protest against the grafting of sex glands from live monkeys into human beings held at Caxton Hall, London in 1928.
player. His name is frequently mentioned in the sporting news of The Times
newspaper for polo and in February 1909 he played for an England team against the French at the Cannes
Season. He also appeared for the House of Commons
team in various tournaments and for the famous Hurlingham Club
, the headquarters of British polo. He was also fond of music. In 1895 he heard the ‘Ton Pentre Temperance’ brass band from the Rhondda Valley at the opening of the Colliery Library in Gelli
and offered to provide financial assistance for them resulting in the band’s change of name to ‘The Cory Band
’. The Cory claim to have been the first brass band to broadcast on the radio. Cory was clearly a very sociable man. He regularly attended balls, dances, concerts, film premieres, soirees, receptions, garden parties, formal luncheons or dinners or dinner parties - which he also liked to host , whether these were politically inspired, charity or philanthropic events or purely social occasions. He was a regular contributor to numerous charitable causes.
wife, Jane in 1893. She was born in Hamilton, Ontario
on July 25th, 1865. She was educated in England. She was an amateur pianist and embroiderer in London, England.
aged 81 on 3 February 1941. As he had no children the baronetcy Llantarnam Abbey became extinct on his death.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
colliery owner, coal exporter and Liberal Party
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.
Family and education
Clifford John Cory was the son of John Cory (1828–1910), a South Wales coal broker and philanthropistPhilanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He was educated privately in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and on the continent. On 25 January 1893 he married Jane Ann(e) Gordon Lethbridge, the daughter of an army officer from Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. They never had children and seemed to have lived mostly apart.
Career
In 1886, Cory was appointed lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion, (MilitiaMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
) the Welsh Regiment but his principal career was the coal trade following the example of his father and his uncle Richard Cory. Frank Owen
Frank Owen (politician)
Humphrey Frank Owen was a British journalist and Liberal Member of Parliament. He was a Lloyd Georgite Liberal MP for Hereford between 1929 and 1931...
described him as one of the ‘rising young coal kings of South Wales whose market was indeed the world [and who] wanted to be freed of the trammels on trade’ . At the time of his death in 1941, he was chairman of Cory Brothers Ltd. colliery proprietors and coal exporters of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. At one time he had been chairman of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association and of the Welsh Coal Trade Conciliation Board. He was also President of Cardiff Incorporated Chamber of Commerce, in 1907 and 1908 and sometime Chairman of the South Wales and Monmouthshire Schools of Mines
Politics
Cory was a typical example of the Welsh-born, nonconformist, capital owning, Liberal elite, although this background was becoming less and less relevant in politics with the rise of class as the principal determinant of political allegiance .Nevertheless, in the 1890s the coal-owners were still at the top of the social hierarchy in South Wales even if politically they were less inclined to involvement. Cory was something of an exception however (as he later proved to be in national Liberal politics over the issue of Home Rule). He was sometime President of Cardiff Liberals . Cory was elected to Glamorgan County Council in 1892 as member for Ystrad and retained the seat until 1910, the only substantial coal owner to keep a prominent political profile in the Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
during this period. Cory was also High Sheriff of Monmouthshire
High Sheriff of Monmouthshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire, which was created in 1536 but not fully settled until 1540. The shrievalty was finally abolished in 1974 when the county and shrievalty of Gwent was created.-List of Sheriffs:Served under Henry VIII:...
for 1905. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
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...
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 Monmouthshire and was a 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....
of the County of Glamorgan. He was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1907 , the Cory baronetcy
Cory Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Cory, both in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2007....
of Llantarnam Abbey
Llantarnam Abbey
Llantarnam Abbey is an abbey of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy and a former Cistercian monastery located in Llantarnam, Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales.- History :...
, the name of his home.
Cory was adopted as parliamentary candidate for the Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
seat of South Monmouthshire
South Monmouthshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Southern Monmouthshire was a parliamentary constituency in Monmouthshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
in 1893 which he unsuccessfully contested at the 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
. He was then adopted for Tonbridge
Tonbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Tonbridge was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, centred on the town of Tonbridge. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
for the general election of 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
but despite fighting a campaign on religious and temperance issues which attracted the support of at least one Conservative minister of religion in the division , he was again unsuccessful. In 1900 he declined an offer to be considered as Liberal candidate for the Cornish
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...
constituency of St.Ives
St Ives (UK Parliament constituency)
St. Ives is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
but by 1902 he had changed his mind and he was adopted for the seat.
1906-1910
Cory gained St Ives from the Liberal UnionistsLiberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
at the Liberal landslide victory of 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. He held the seat as a Liberal in the elections of January and December 1910. This was in the face of a strong Tory resurgence in English agricultural seats in January 1910, the effect of which was not as marked in Cornwall. The Cornish results may be attributable to the significant nonconformist electorate there and their concerns about education against the background of the Tory preference for education to be promoted through Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
schools . The issue of education was likely to have been a factor in Cory’s initial victory in 1906 too. There was a high nonconformist turnout in 1906 in the wake of the controversy over the 1902 Education Act
Education Act 1902
The Education Act 1902 , also known as Balfour's Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting education in England and Wales. At the time of passage of the Act, the Conservative Party was in power...
which replaced School Boards elected by ratepayers in their district, which had been popular with radicals, with Local Education Authorities under the control of County or Borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
Councils. Nonconformist electors objected that rate aid was being used to support the teaching of religious views to which they were opposed, ‘Rome on the Rates’; Anglican and Roman Catholic Church schools, supported by public funds, were not under public control and teachers in these sectarian schools were subject to religious tests. More nonconformist MPs were elected to Parliament in 1906 than Conservatives MPs.
1918-1924
In 1918 Cory stood and won in support of the Coalition governmentCoalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. He had presumably been sent the Coalition Coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
as he was without Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
opposition (although there was an Independent Conservative who polled derisively) and he was challenged by a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate who got 38% of the poll. At the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
Cory stood as a National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
as a supporter of Lloyd George. Labour did not stand a candidate but this did not help Cory who lost to the Conservative Sir John Hawke
John Hawke
John Anthony Hawke was a Conservative Party politician in England who served in the 1920s as Member of Parliament for St Ives in Cornwall, before becoming a High Court judge....
(the Recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
). Cory won the seat back from Hawke in 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
but lost again in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
.
Irish Home Rule
Cory and his family were devoutly Protestant and hostile to the Roman Catholic religion. Cory was noted for his interest in temperance and Low Church evangelismEvangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
. He was a particular friend of Capel Zion at Ponthir
Ponthir
Ponthir is a large village at the south-west of the county borough of Torfaen on the boundary of the city of Newport, South Wales.- Etymology :The Welsh language placename indicates the correct pronunciation; i.e. saying the 't' and 'h' separately...
in Monmouthshire. He was also a vice-president of the council of the Christian Service Union, an organisation with the aim of providing work and training for unemployed and vagrant boys and youths. In 1898, Cory was the head of the Welsh Protestant League, which had a reputation for being rabidly anti-Catholic . This background undoubtedly influenced his strong support for the Protestant, Unionist, opponents of the traditional Liberal policy of Irish Home Rule. He voted against the government in 1911 supporting an amendment which would have excluded any Home Rule Bill from the operation of the Parliament Bill. In April 1912, Cory was the only Liberal MP to vote against the government in the first reading of the Home Rule Bill. He voted against the Bill again on second reading repeated his rebellion on the third reading of the Bill on 7 July 1913. On 14 May 1914, Cory presided at an anti-Home Rule meeting at Caxton Hall
Caxton Hall
Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily for its historical associations...
, Westminster. He said he was in a unique position in that he was the only Liberal member returned as a declared opponent of Home Rule. At each of the last three elections he had distinctly put in his address that he would oppose Home Rule.
However Cory does not seem to have ever contemplated joining the Liberal Unionists and his pronounced views against Home Rule probably did him no harm against Liberal Unionist opponents in St Ives in 1906 and the two elections of 1910. The Unionist newspaper, Western Morning News
Western Morning News
The Western Morning News is a politically independent daily regional newspaper founded in 1860 and covering Devon and Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset.-Organisation:...
attributed Unionist gains in Devon and Cornwall in December 1910 to the issue of Home Rule, as did the Liberal Westminster Gazette
Westminster Gazette
The Westminster Gazette was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope and Saki, and travel writing by Rupert Brooke. One of its editors was caricaturist and political cartoonist...
yet at this election Cory marginally increased his majority and share of the vote, benefiting from anti-home rule feeling. Local sentiment there was strongly against Irish independence on economic grounds, as it was seen as a particular threat to the livelihood of the fishermen and other maritime employees who made up much of the electorate. Opposing Home Rule also appealed to non-conformist sympathy in the constituency with the Protestant Irish and their fears that a free Ireland would be dominated by the Catholic majority, giving great weight to the influence and opinion of the Roman Catholic Church to the detriment of the civil and religious liberties of Protestants
Other civic interests
He was a founder member of the British Federation of Health and Holiday Resorts, an organisation to bring together all health spa and holiday towns to promote their business, campaign for mutually supportive legislation and extend the current summer holiday season. His St Ives constituency was already a holiday destination. St Ives town really began to open up to the outside world in 1877 when the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
began running its Broad Gauge trains on the new branch line. Not only did this increase accessibility to the rest of Cornwall for the town's residents but the railway quickly enabled St Ives to establish itself as a popular holiday destination by rail. The purposes of the British Federation of Health and Holiday Resorts were clearly a constituency vested interest for its MP. In later life Cory took an interest in animal welfare issues. He was a supporter of the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society and supported the main speakers at a meeting of the Society to protest against the grafting of sex glands from live monkeys into human beings held at Caxton Hall, London in 1928.
Personal life
In his personal life, Cory was a keen sportsman and particularly good poloPolo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
player. His name is frequently mentioned in the sporting news of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper for polo and in February 1909 he played for an England team against the French at the Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
Season. He also appeared for the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
team in various tournaments and for the famous Hurlingham Club
Hurlingham Club
The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive sports club in Fulham in southwest London, England. The club, founded in 1869, is situated by the River Thames in Fulham, West London, and has a Georgian clubhouse set in of grounds...
, the headquarters of British polo. He was also fond of music. In 1895 he heard the ‘Ton Pentre Temperance’ brass band from the Rhondda Valley at the opening of the Colliery Library in Gelli
Gelli
Gelli may refer to:*Giambattista Gelli, Italian humanist*Licio Gelli, Italian fascist Freemason associated with the rogue Masonic lodge Propaganda Due or P2, accused of attempting to covertly overthrow Italy's government to establish a new Italian fascism in the late 1970s*Ramesh Gelli, Indian bank...
and offered to provide financial assistance for them resulting in the band’s change of name to ‘The Cory Band
Cory Band
The Cory Band, formerly the Buy As You View Band, is one of the oldest and best known brass bands in the world.-History and origins:The Cory Band hails from the Rhondda Valley in Wales. They were formed in 1884 and originally bore the name ‘Ton Temperance’ a reference to the Temperance movement in...
’. The Cory claim to have been the first brass band to broadcast on the radio. Cory was clearly a very sociable man. He regularly attended balls, dances, concerts, film premieres, soirees, receptions, garden parties, formal luncheons or dinners or dinner parties - which he also liked to host , whether these were politically inspired, charity or philanthropic events or purely social occasions. He was a regular contributor to numerous charitable causes.
Family
Clifford Cory married Jane Ann Gordon, daughter of A. A. E. Lethbridge, and hiswife, Jane in 1893. She was born in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
on July 25th, 1865. She was educated in England. She was an amateur pianist and embroiderer in London, England.
Death
Cory died at his home Llantarnam AbbeyLlantarnam Abbey
Llantarnam Abbey is an abbey of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy and a former Cistercian monastery located in Llantarnam, Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales.- History :...
aged 81 on 3 February 1941. As he had no children the baronetcy Llantarnam Abbey became extinct on his death.