| Constituency | Dates |
|---|---|
| Pembroke Boroughs | 27 Nov. 1722 – 47 |
| Pembrokeshire | 1747 – 1761 |
| Pembroke Boroughs | 1761 – 1774 |
Ld. lt. Pemb. 1761 – 78.
The Owens had a strong interest in both Pembroke county and borough. In 1761, when Sir William was opposed in the county, he declined a contest, and was returned unopposed for the town.
Owen is a good example of the Member who went into Parliament mainly to uphold his position in the county. Every one of his many letters to Newcastle and Hardwicke is concerned with local patronage—the collectorship of the customs at Milford, the surveyorship of window lights, the distributorship of stamps, commissionerships of bankruptcy, and various livings: in none is there any comment on national affairs. He was a life-long supporter of Administration. There is no record of his having spoken, and he attended infrequently. His only known vote in the Parliament of 1761-8 was with Administration on the land tax, 27 Feb. 1767. In the following Parliament, no vote is recorded: Robinson’s survey for the royal marriage bill, 8 Mar. 1772, marks him ‘pro, sick, absent’. He retired from Parliament at the general election of 1774.
He died 7 May 1781.
- 1. Ex inf. Cdr. C. H. H. Owen, R.N. There are discrepancies in the published accounts of his marriages.