Welsh Journals

John Jones of Maesygarnedd. By Vyrnwy Lewis, B.A., LL.B. r INHERE are two events which stand out above all others in the winning of English liberties. The first is the granting of Magna Carta, the second the trial and execution of Charles Stuart. By the first it was determined, once and for all, that the Government of England was to be a government according to law. Whilst the Charter remained on the Statute Book absolutism was impossible. The nearest approach made to it was the rule of the Tudor monarchs; following in the trail of these, but with less statesmanship, came the Stuart kings with their theory of Right Divine. A cold and bitter morning in Whitehall saw the end of this theory; another step was taken in the winning of freedom, and the cause of absolute monarchy was lost for ever. Magna Carta was secured, not by the efforts of the English barons alone, but through the support of Llewelyn of Wales. Llewelyn's quarrel with John drove him into alliance with the English barons. He marched on Shrews- bury and was joined by the powerful bishop of Hereford and many of the border barons. John yielded and the Great Charter was secured. The Charter having been won with Welsh support, it remained for Welshmen to take their part in the second great conflict of England with her rulers. The death warrant of Charles con- tains the signature of two Welshmen-Thomas Wogan, member of Parliament for Cardigan, and John Jones, the member for Merioneth. For this signature, on the return of the son of Charles to the throne in 1660, the latter paid the penalty of death. John Jones was born at Maesygarnedd, in Merionethshire, near the wild pass of Drws Ardudwy. His father, Thomas ap John, was a gentleman of small property but of alleged ancient descent. The contrast is great between his earliest and his closing years. It was« far remove between Maesygarnedd and the palace of Whitehall, between his birth as the son of an impoverished country gentleman and his marriage into the family of the most powerful man in England. What we know of him marks him out as a man of intellect, ability and courage; seizing his opportunities but steadfastly adhering to his principles, he made his way, and that a long and difficult one, to the Council table of the Protector. In a rare old book containing an account of the trial of the regicides it is stated that he was sent up to London to be put to a trade, but was placed as a servant to a gentleman, and after- wards to Sir Thomas Middleton, Lord Mayor of London. These were stirring days in London, when Court and Parliament fought for suprem- acy and for the government of the country. In London the cause of Parliament was popular, it could hardly be otherwise in a town which wit- nessed the events of those momentous years. When the Civil War broke out, it is little wonder that Jones should be found on the side of Parlia- ment. He obtained his first post as Captain of Infantry, serving in the Parliamentary forces in Wales. In 1646 he was made a Colonel, and negotiated the surrender of Anglesey, for which he was thanked by the House of Commons. In the following year he became a member of the Long Parliament for his native county of Merioneth. In this same year he was active in the suppression of Sir John Owen's rising. It was in these same years that Oliver Cromwell was becoming a power in the land, not from desire, but from the force of circumstances. Jones' active qualities recommended him to Cromwell, by whom he was greatly esteemed, and employed in many important services. Jones' association with Cromwell brought him into the forefront of affairs. Towards the close of 1648 the King was brought to trial. Jones was one of those who had most actively pressed for this, and he was selected as one of the judges of that tribunal which is unique in British history. He attended the trial with great regularity, in contrast with his compatriot, Wogan his is one of the signatures on the warrant which sent the King to the block, and with the exception of that of Cromwell there is not one written with a firmer hand. For the next few years the connection of Jones with Cromwell was intimate. His association with the strongest man whom this country has produced proved unfortunate for his reputation in after years. In appearance he became the minion of the Protector, who, overawed by Oliver's superior genius, acted entirely as he was directed by him. In the Lives of the Regicides Noble speaks of him as an unfortunate man who was only raised by his alliance with Cromwell to any sort of consequence. "He himself had neither fortune to command nor the mind to force the attention of mankind, being a very weak and enthusiastic fanatic." We cannot believe that Jones was as subservient to Oliver as Noble makes out. All that Cromwell did, did not receive his support, he was dissatisfied, for instance, with Oliver's assumption of the Protect- orate, and attempted to make his government unpopular. It was only his marriage with Oliver's sister Catherine that reconciled him to the Protector. In the Parliament of 1656 Jones sat for the two counties of Merioneth and Denbigh. In the next year he was summoned to the newly-created House of Lords. He held office as Governor of Anglesey, a post not of the first rank. After Oliver's death in September, 1658, he became a member of the Committee of Safety and the Council of State. In this year, too, he was appointed a Commissioner to assist the Lord