Frank Ash Yeo
Frank Ash Yeo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Bideford, Devon, England |
| Died | March 4, 1888 (aged 55) |
| Occupation(s) | Industrial entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1850s–1888 |
| Known for | Owner of coal mines; Mayor of Swansea (1874); MP for Gower (1885–1888) |
Frank Ash Yeo (18 August 1832 – 4 March 1888) was a British industrial entrepreneur and a politician affiliated with the Liberal faction.
Originating from Bideford, Devon, Yeo was born to Thomas Yeo and Elizabeth Woollacott. His education included time at Bideford School as well as studies in Germany and France. Subsequently, he relocated to Swansea, where he became an owner of coal mines and held directorships at both the Swansea Bank and the Swansea Blast Furnace Company. In 1874, Yeo served as Mayor of Swansea and contributed the Chain of Office the following year, in 1875. By 1878, he had assumed the role of Chairman of the Swansea Harbour Trust. His residence was at Sketty Hall.
Yeo secured election as the MP representing Gower in 1885, maintaining the position until his passing three years later at the age of 55.
He entered into marriage with Sarah Cory in 1858; following her death in 1863, he married Mary Dowson from Northallerton in 1868.
In 2006, Swansea City Council revealed intentions to restore the Mayoral Chains of Office—originally presented by Yeo in 1875—with restoration expenses projected at approximately £50,000. Previously appraised at more than £100,000, these chains have drawn attention from experts in antiques. Darren Price, a representative of Plaid Cymru, working alongside Yeo’s descendant Nicholas James Cory Yeo Knott-Goodwin, suggested that instead of funding restoration through public money, the chains should be conserved for exhibition in a museum setting.
Communication between Mr. Knott-Goodwin and Swansea Council disclosed that Frank Ash Yeo’s personal diaries—preserved by his great-granddaughter Leila Cory Goodwin—contain insights into his interactions with Swansea Council during his mayoral term as well as his withdrawal from the Cory-Yeo coal mining partnership. These journals are planned for release as a memoir in 2023.