William Lewis, Baron Merthyr na farko

William Thomas Lewis, 1st Baron Merthyr GCVO JP DL (5 Agusta 1837 - 27 Agusta 1914), wanda aka fi sani da Sir William Lewis, 1th Baronet, daga 1896 zuwa 1911, ya kasance mashahurin ma'adinai na Welsh.

## Rayuwa ta farko
An haifi Lewis a shekara ta 1837 a Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, ɗan na biyu na Thomas William Lewis, injiniya a Plymouth, da matarsa Mary Anne . Ya yi karatu a wata makarantar da Taliesin Williams ke gudanarwa har zuwa shekara goma sha uku lokacin da ya koya wa mahaifinsa a matsayin injiniya.

A shekara ta 1855 an nada Lewis a matsayin mataimakin W. S. Clark, babban injiniyan hakar ma'adinai na John Crichton-Stuart, Marquess na 3 na Bute (1847-1890).  Ya shafe shekaru goma a wannan mukamin kafin ya gaji Clark a 1864. An ba Lewis zama a gidan Mardy a matsayin wani ɓangare na aikinsa, wanda ya zama gidansa na dogon lokaci a Aberdare .  A wannan shekarar ya auri Anne Rees, 'yar William Rees, kuma jikokin Lucy Thomas, sanannen "mahaifiyar kasuwancin kwal na Welsh". Lewis da Anne suna da 'ya'ya maza biyu da mata shida.

Da farko ya yi aiki a cikin ramukan hakar kwal na Bute a kudancin Wales, amma tsakanin 1870 da 1880 ya sami nasa ramuka a Rhondda, wanda aka fi sani da Lewis Merthyr Consolidated Collieries Limited. Ya kuma kasance wanda ya kafa kungiyar Monmouthshire da South Wales Coal Association a matsayin martani ga karuwar ƙarfin kungiyoyin kwadago.

## Rayuwar jama'a
Lewis ya fara aikinsa a rayuwar jama'a a 1866, lokacin da aka zabe shi a Hukumar Lafiya ta Aberdare . 

A shekara ta 1889 an tsaya shi don zaben zuwa Majalisar Glamorgan County don yankin Hirwaun . An yi amfani da zarge-zarge a gasar (wanda aka yi a lokacin zaben gundumar Glamorgan na 1880) cewa Lewis, a matsayin fitaccen mai mallakar kwal da wakilin ƙasa, ya ki amincewa da buƙatun da ba su dace ba don ƙasa don gina ɗakin sujada. Ya karyata wadannan zarge-zargen a fili, a wani taron da aka gudanar a Ebenezer, Trecynon .  Magoya bayan Lewis sun kuma kalubalanci waɗannan da'awar ta hanyar buga tsoffin wasiku, gami da wasika daga marigayi Thomas Price wanda ya karyata zarge-zargen. Akwai shaidar cewa shahararren Lewis ya wuce duk wani la'akari da siyasa. Lewis ya kayar da dan takarar Liberal, ministan Methodist na gida, Richard Morgan, kuma nan da nan aka sanya shi alderman. A ƙarshen wa'adinsa na shekaru shida bai nemi sake zaben ba.

## Ayyukansa na baya
An kirkiro Lewis a matsayin Baronet, na Nantgwyne, a cikin 1896,  kuma a cikin 1911 an tashe shi zuwa matsayi na **Baron Merthyr**, na Senghenydd a cikin County na Glamorgan.  An ba shi daraja a shekara ta 1885. An ba shi lambar yabo a matsayin Kwamandan Knighted na Royal Victoria Order (KCVO) a cikin 1907. An inganta shi zuwa Knighted Grand Cross (GCVO) a shekarar 1912. Ya yi aiki a matsayin babban sheriff na Brecknockshire a 1884.  An ba shi kyautar 'Yanci na Birnin Cardiff a ranar 10 ga Maris 1905. 

Lady Lewis ta mutu a Hean Castle, Saundersfoot, a ranar 2 ga Oktoba 1902.  Ubangiji Merthyr ya mutu a watan Agustan shekara ta 1914, yana da shekaru 77, kuma ɗansa na fari Herbert ya gaje shi a cikin lakabinsa.

An gina wani mutum-mutumi na Thomas Brock a Aberdare Park kuma an bayyana shi a 1913.

## Bala'in ma'adinai na Senghenydd
Ɗaya daga cikin ramukan mallakar Lewis shine Senghenydd Colliery . Bayan gazawar aiwatar da shirin tsaro a farkon 1913, fashewa a cikin ma'adinai a ranar 14 ga Oktoba na wannan shekarar ta kashe ma'aikatan ma'adanai 439 da mai ceto daya. Wannan ya kasance mafi munin hatsarin hakar ma'adinai a Burtaniya. Lord Merthyr, tare da manajan ma'adinai, daga baya aka ci tarar £ 24.

## manazarta