Baron Merthyr

Statue of William Lewis, 1st Baron Merthyr, at Aberdare Park

Baron Merthyr, of Senghenydd in the County of Glamorgan,^[1] is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1911 for the Welsh coal mining magnate Sir William Lewis, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a baronet, of Nantgwyne in the County of Glamorgan, in 1896.^[2] The barony is named after the town of Merthyr Tydfil, where Lewis was born. Lord Merthyr's grandson, the third Baron, was Chairman of Committees in the House of Lords from 1957 to 1965 and a Deputy Speaker from 1957 to 1974. The latter was succeeded by his son, the fourth Baron. He disclaimed the peerage for life on 26 April 1977,^[3] three weeks after succeeding his father. He did not use his title of baronet either. He died on 5 August 2015.^[4]

The Hon. Robin Lewis, fourth son of the third Baron, was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed in December 2006, although this was not officially reported in the London Gazette until September 2007.

Barons Merthyr (1911)

• William Thomas Lewis, 1st Baron Merthyr (1837–1914)
• Herbert Clark Lewis, 2nd Baron Merthyr (1866–1932)
• William Brereton Couchman Lewis, 3rd Baron Merthyr (1901–1977)
• Trevor Oswin Lewis, 4th Baron Merthyr (1935–2015) (disclaimed 1977)
• David Trevor Lewis, 5th Baron Merthyr (born 1977)

The heir presumptive is the present holder's uncle, Peter Herbert Lewis (born 1937).

Notes

1. The London Gazette: no. 28512. p. 5168. 11 July 1911.
2. The London Gazette: no. 26713. p. 969. 18 February 1896.
3. The London Gazette: no. 47209. p. 5835. 29 April 1977.
4. The Times, 11 August 2015, page 51

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages