Owner, Langholm Distillery

Arthur Connell (1830-1918) was one of several Connell family members connected with the Langholm Distillery, including:

• His father James (1795-1873), owner and distiller.
• His uncle John (1825-1876), distiller.
• His brother William Alex ‘W.A.’ (1829-1907), distiller.

In an obituary for Arthur, the E&L wrote:

The death occurred on Thursday morning of Mr Arthur Connell of St Thorwald’s, and owner of Langholm Distillery. Mr Connell has been in failing health for some time, and was very rarely away from his residence, where he lived a very quiet life. He was a J.P. for the county, but for many years, since he was a member of Langholm School Board, he took no part in public affairs. He was a Unionist in politics, and was a Vice-President of Eskdale Unionist Club. He was a leading member of Langholm Episcopal Chapel. Mr Connell was 88 years of age.

^{E&L, 29 May 1918}

Arthur had a large house constructed in the 1860s which he called St Thorwald’s, overlooking the town.

In 1869, at age 39, Arthur married Anna Forster (1836-1871), the daughter of a landed proprietor, who died after the birth of their only child, Anna.

Anna junior married Colonel James Webber-Smith in 1892, whose grand-nephew David Niven (1910-1983) became a Hollywood legend.

Arthur’s second wife was Elizabeth Maxwell (1842-1919), a member of the prominent Dumfriesshire Maxwell family, making him the brother-in-law of Rev David Maxwell of Broomholm (1845-1916).

David Maxwell’s daughter, Winifred Biddulph, was the president of the Langholm branch of the British Women’s Temperance Association, perhaps involving some tension with her distillery owner uncle Arthur Connell.