Crickhowell and district
Important Victorians
  Sir Joseph Bailey of Glanusk Park  
 

Joseph Bailey was born in Wakefield in Yorkshire. His uncle was Richard Crawshay, owner of the Cyfarthfa Iron Works near Merthyr. As a young man Joseph left Yorkshire to join his uncle in this business, and later bought and developed two other ironworks in the area with his brother Crawshay Bailey.

 
Glanusk Park
Crickhowell
around 1858
 Glanusk Park c1858
The large mansion of Glanusk Park shown here was specially built for Joseph Bailey.
The main house sadly no longer survives, but the beautiful parkland setting remains today much as was in Victorian times.
The house and park alongside the River Usk can be seen on the section of 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of the 1830s shown below.
  Joseph made a large fortune from the huge demand for iron in the early Victorian years, and he took advantage of his wealth and passed the running of his ironworks to his brother.
He bought estates in Brecknock, Radnorshire, Herefordshire, and Glamorgan, including the fine estate of Glanusk Park (above) near Crickhowell, and led the life of the landed gentry.
Joseph Bailey became MP for Worcester City and then for Breconshire from 1847 to 1858, having been made a baronet in 1852. 		Section of 1830s map
 

Trade Directory entry He also served as Deputy Lieutenant of the county, and when he died in 1858 his grandson Joseph Russell Bailey succeeded to the baronetcy.
As major landowners the family had a huge influence on the social and political life of the district and held many important offices. Sir Joseph Russell Bailey became Lord Glanusk in 1899 and died in 1906.

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Joseph Bailey heads the list of local gentry (left) in Pigot's Directory of 1835, but his house is called Glanush Park !
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