Edmund John Glynn
Encyclopedia
Edmund John Glynn was a soldier, landowner, politician, banker and High Sheriff of Cornwall
in 1799.
of Glynn, Cornwall
and Susanna Margaret Oglander of the Isle of Wight
. His father was a prominent lawyer in London
and a leading supporter of John Wilkes
. Edmund John Glynn joined the army as an Ensign in the 25th Regiment of Foot in 1780 and left in 1785, marrying Elizabeth Meux Worsley of the Isle of Wight
in 1790. His wife died in 1797 leaving three surviving daughters from the marriage.
, Devon
and the Isle of Wight
and he set about re-establishing his family’s presence at their ancestral home at Glynn in the parish of Cardinham
near Bodmin
. In 1793 he became a founder member and vice-president of the Cornwall Agricultural Society and subsequently sold land in Devon
and bought properties around Bodmin to consolidate his estates there. By 1802 he had joined the Cornish militia as a major and second-in-command of the The Royal Miners Regiment. From 1805 the regiment was permanently stationed in Kent
where it was employed in building fortifications at Rochester, Chatham
and Dover
. Glynn was only able to return home on leave once a year and he left the reorganisation of his estates and the building of a new mansion at Glynn to his steward John Wallis, a Bodmin lawyer and banker. This arrangement ended in 1809 following a dispute and Glynn then gave up his commission in the militia and returned to Cornwall
.
. He campaigned for the political principles of his father, promoting the rights of the individual against the state and the freedom of the press. In 1810 the party founded its own newspaper, The West Briton
, and Glynn is thought to have been one of its original owners. He put his business affairs in the hands of Adam Thomson, a Scotsman who he had initially brought to Cornwall
to manage the farms on the Glynn estate. In 1811 Glynn and Thomson were among the partners at the foundation of the North Cornwall Bank which had its main office at Bodmin
. The bank served the local agricultural community and it encountered severe difficulties at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
in 1815 when food prices and farm rents fell. By 1818 Glynn and Thomson were its only remaining active partners and while Glynn kept the bank in business by injecting his own money he left its management entirely to Thomson.
Thomson used the funds of the North Cornwall Bank to further his own business interests and his enemies deliberately undermined confidence in its banknotes. There was a run on the bank and it failed in 1819 leaving a large amount owing to its London
agents. As a partner Glynn was liable for its debts and during the subsequent litigation he was committed to the King’s Bench debtors prison in January 1823. He was released shortly before being declared bankrupt in November that year. In 1826 it was estimated that he had liabilities of £110,000 including money owed to his daughters. The money raised from the eventual sale of his heavily mortgaged estates was insufficient to fully repay these debts.
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
in 1799.
Early life
Edmund John Glynn was the eldest child of John GlynnJohn Glynn
John Glynn SL of Glynn was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament. Glynn was born to an ancient family of Cornish gentry. He inherited his father's estate in Glynn, Cornwall upon the deaths of his elder brother and his nephew....
of Glynn, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and Susanna Margaret Oglander of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. His father was a prominent lawyer in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and a leading supporter of John Wilkes
John Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
. Edmund John Glynn joined the army as an Ensign in the 25th Regiment of Foot in 1780 and left in 1785, marrying Elizabeth Meux Worsley of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in 1790. His wife died in 1797 leaving three surviving daughters from the marriage.
Soldier and landowner
Glynn either inherited or acquired an interest in large landed estates in CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
and he set about re-establishing his family’s presence at their ancestral home at Glynn in the parish of Cardinham
Cardinham
Cardinham is a civil parish and a village in central Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three-and-a-half miles , east-northeast of Bodmin....
near Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
. In 1793 he became a founder member and vice-president of the Cornwall Agricultural Society and subsequently sold land in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and bought properties around Bodmin to consolidate his estates there. By 1802 he had joined the Cornish militia as a major and second-in-command of the The Royal Miners Regiment. From 1805 the regiment was permanently stationed in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
where it was employed in building fortifications at Rochester, Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. Glynn was only able to return home on leave once a year and he left the reorganisation of his estates and the building of a new mansion at Glynn to his steward John Wallis, a Bodmin lawyer and banker. This arrangement ended in 1809 following a dispute and Glynn then gave up his commission in the militia and returned to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Politician and banker
On his return Glynn immediately became a leading member of a Cornish political party dedicated to stamping out political corruption and supporting the reform of parliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. He campaigned for the political principles of his father, promoting the rights of the individual against the state and the freedom of the press. In 1810 the party founded its own newspaper, The West Briton
The West Briton
The West Briton is a local weekly newspaper published every Thursday. It serves different areas of Cornwall, United Kingdom with four separate editions—Truro and Mid-Cornwall, Falmouth and Penryn, Redruth Camborne and Hayle, and Helston and The Lizard. It was established in 1810 and is part...
, and Glynn is thought to have been one of its original owners. He put his business affairs in the hands of Adam Thomson, a Scotsman who he had initially brought to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
to manage the farms on the Glynn estate. In 1811 Glynn and Thomson were among the partners at the foundation of the North Cornwall Bank which had its main office at Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
. The bank served the local agricultural community and it encountered severe difficulties at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in 1815 when food prices and farm rents fell. By 1818 Glynn and Thomson were its only remaining active partners and while Glynn kept the bank in business by injecting his own money he left its management entirely to Thomson.
Thomson used the funds of the North Cornwall Bank to further his own business interests and his enemies deliberately undermined confidence in its banknotes. There was a run on the bank and it failed in 1819 leaving a large amount owing to its London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
agents. As a partner Glynn was liable for its debts and during the subsequent litigation he was committed to the King’s Bench debtors prison in January 1823. He was released shortly before being declared bankrupt in November that year. In 1826 it was estimated that he had liabilities of £110,000 including money owed to his daughters. The money raised from the eventual sale of his heavily mortgaged estates was insufficient to fully repay these debts.