              Copyright
Helen Forder
2004
|
| Benjamin
Hall III ...
continued |
page 2 |
While
working hard on behalf of his Marylebone
constituents, he ‘upheld in Parliament the
right of the Welsh to have the services of the
Church rendered in their own tongue......'
So strongly did he and his wife feel about this
that in 1854 they funded the building of a church
at Abercarn in which, they insisted, the services
should be conducted entirely in Welsh.
When, in 1862, the vicar decided that the
services should be offered through the medium of
English, the Halls were so annoyed that they
closed the church. Having discovered that the
building was not consecrated, they transferred it
to the Methodists. |
| Benjamin
Hall, although born in London, 'never thought of himself as an
Englishman, and in describing sights and scenes
in England, he frequently compared them with
similar or dissimilar sights and scenes in
"my country" - Wales. Welsh
people may well take pride in this
fellow-countryman who identified himself so
closely with Wales, and yet did so much for
England's greatest city'. |
In 1849 Sir Benjamin was forced
to take life quietly following a serious shooting
accident which resulted in the loss of an eye. In
1857, he described this as 'the time when it pleased God to
visit him with a great affliction - ... the time
he was deprived of sight ...'
However, he resumed his busy life and for several
more years presided ably over the Office of
Works. Following his elevation to the peerage in
1859, he was able to spend more time at Llanofer,
indulging in his favourite sporting past-times
and improving his estates. |
In late
1866 Lady Llanofer's devotion and nursing skills
were severely tested when her beloved husband
began to suffer from an abcess on the jaw,
following a blow from the “kick” of a
gun. He endured great agonies with courage while
Lady Llanofer strove to put on a brave face for
the sake of those around her; but Benjamin died in London on 27th April 1867.
He had become far too weak to be moved back to
Llanofer, for which he longed, but he was buried
there in the handsome tomb at St. Bartholomew's
Church, Llanofer. |
| * Here lie the remains of
Benjamin Hall of Llanover & Abercarn, Baron
Llanover & a Baronet Lord Lieutenant of ye
County of Monmouth & a Privy Councillor, born
November 8th 1802, died April 27th 1867.
Eldest son of Benjamin Hall of Abercarn and
Hensol Castle Esq. MP for County of
Glamorgan & son of ye Rev. Benjamin Hall DD,
Chancellor of Llandaff, both buried in Llandaff
Cathedral . |
The
Tomb at
St. Bartholomew's, Llanofer |
| * Taken from
'Monumental Inscriptions', Gwent Family
History Society |
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