Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th Baronet

Sir Stephen Richard Glynne, 9th Baronet (22 September 1807 – 17 June 1874) was a Welsh landowner and Conservative Party politician. He is principally remembered as an assiduous antiquary and student of British church architecture. He was a brother-in-law of the Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.

Glynne's father, the 8th Baronet died in 1815, aged 35, and at the age of seven Stephen inherited both the baronetcy and the family estates, including Hawarden Castle in Flintshire. His sister Catherine married William Ewart Gladstone, and Gladstone's father, Sir John Gladstone, helped rescue Glynne from near bankruptcy after the failure of Oak Farm brick and iron works near Stourbridge, of which Glynne was part-owner. He was able to resume occupancy of Hawarden only by selling part of the estate, and agreeing to share the castle with William and Catherine.

Glynne was educated at Eton, where he displayed a "singular indisposition to mix or associate even with his school fellows", although his intellect and prodigious memory were remarked on. He went on to study at Christ Church, Oxford, where, however, he was too indolent to flourish, and took a third class degree in Classics.

He served as Member of Parliament for Flint Boroughs from 1832 to 1837, and for Flintshire from 1837 to 1841 and 1842 to 1847. He was also High Sheriff of Flintshire in 1831, and Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire from 1845 to 1871. He sat in the Tory interest, and, although he remained on excellent terms with Gladstone throughout his life, he shared few of Gladstone's Liberal ideals. He was an extremely shy individual who found public speaking an ordeal, and he never spoke in Parliament.

...
Wikipedia