Clifford Cory

Clifford John Cory was the son of John Cory (1828–1910), a South Wales coal broker and philanthropist.[1] 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.[2] They only lived together for three months and Lady Cory later applied for a judicial separation.[3]

In 1886, Cory was appointed lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion, (Militia) the Welsh Regiment[4] 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'.[5] At the time of his death in 1941, he was chairman of Cory Brothers Ltd. colliery proprietors and coal exporters of Cardiff.[6] 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[2]

Cory was a typical example of the Welsh-born, nonconformist, capital owning, elite Liberal, although this background was becoming less and less relevant in politics with the rise of class as the principal determinant of political allegiance.[7]

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.[8] Cory was elected to Glamorgan County Council in 1892 as member for Ystrad. He ousted the sitting member, David Thomas, the only working man who served on the previous council. Cory retained the seat until 1910, the only substantial coal owner to keep a prominent political profile in the Rhondda during this period.[9] Cory was also High Sheriff of Monmouthshire for 1905.[10] He also served as a Justice of the Peace for Glamorgan and Monmouthshire and was a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Glamorgan.[11] He was created a baronet in 1907,[12][13] the Cory baronetcy of Llantarnam Abbey. Cory bought the abbey from Reginald Blewitt who had restored it in 1836.[14]

Cory was adopted as parliamentary candidate for the Tory seat of South Monmouthshire in 1893[15] 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,[16] he was again unsuccessful. In 1900 he declined an offer to be considered as Liberal candidate for the Cornish constituency of St.Ives[17] but by 1902 he had changed his mind and he was adopted for the seat.[18]

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.[29] 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 Railway 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.[30] 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.[31]

In his personal life, Cory was a keen sportsman and particularly good polo 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[32] and for the famous Hurlingham Club, the headquarters of British polo.[33] 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,[34] whether these were politically inspired, charity or philanthropic events or purely social occasions. He was a regular contributor to numerous charitable causes.[6]

Clifford Cory married Jane Ann Gordon, daughter of A. A. E. Lethbridge, and his wife, Jane in 1893. She was born in Hamilton, Ontario on 25 July 1865. She was educated in England. She was an amateur pianist and embroiderer in London, England.[35]

Cory died at his home Llantarnam Abbey aged 81 on 3 February 1941, aged 81.[6] As he had no children, the baronetcy Llantarnam Abbey became extinct on his death.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Clifford Cory