Herbert Cory

Sir James Herbert Cory, 1st Baronet (2 February 1857 – 2 February 1933)[1][2] was a Welsh politician and ship-owner.

He was born at Padstow, the younger son of John Cory (founder of Cardiff-based firm John Cory, Sons & Co – not to be confused with John Cory, founder of Barry Docks).

He was Sheriff of Glamorgan in 1913[3] and served as Conservative MP for the Cardiff constituency from 1915 to 1918 and for Cardiff South from 1918 to 1923.[2] He was created a baronet in 1919.[4] In his time he was a director of 35 different companies, and gave much of his fortune to charity, particularly the King Edward VII Hospital and the Hamadryad Seamans Hospital in Cardiff.[2]

Cory married twice, firstly to Elizabeth Hoskin Wills, with whom he had five children including Herbert George Donald Cory, who became the 2nd Baronet; Elizabeth died in 1908.[1] He had two further daughters from his second marriage, to Elizabeth Cansh Walker, who outlived him by over twenty years.[1][5]

He died at home in Coryton, Cardiff, on his 76th birthday in February 1933[6] and was buried at Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff.[7] Following his death, his son's family moved into his former home at The Grange.[8] Coryton House, which his father had built in 1900, became a local civil defence headquarters and eventually a school for children with autism.[9][10]