His father was John Lewis of Henllan in Pembrokeshire and his mother was Eliza Callen sister of Charles Poyer Callen. He was educated at Bromsgrove School and became a barrister. His father died in 1834 and when he came of age he inherited Henllan. In 1857 he married his cousin Katherine Callen but they had no children. In 1874 he commissioned the notable architect John Pollard Seddon to make alterations to the house. This work extended the original Jacobean L-shaped house to provide a large hallway, new staircase, lounge, master bedroom and a library on the first floor landing. When he died in 1886 his famous brother Bishop Richard Lewis (1821-1905) inherited his estates including the Grove. The properties then descended down the male line until they came to Sir Wilfred Lewis of Henllan who died in 1950.