1379 Charles Seely

Constituency  : Lincoln  1895-1906  ( Liberal  Unionist  ) , Mansfield  1916-8

Charles  took  Lincoln  for  the  Liberal  Unionists.

Charles's  grandfather  of  the  same  name  had  held  the  seat  from  1861 to  1885. His  father  had  just  stepped  down  as  MP  for  Nottingham  West. He  was  educated  at  Harrow  and  Cambridge.  He  stood  for  the  Liberal  Unionists  at  Mid  Derbyshire  in  1886  and  Rushcliffe  in  1892.

Charles's  maiden  speech  was  against  ratepayers  having  any  say  in  the  management  of  oluntary  schools

Charles's  support  for  Free  Trade  led  to  his  repudiation  by  the  local  Conservatives  and  Liberal  Unionists  so  he  stood  in  1906  as  a  Free  Trade  candidate  and  was  defeated. He  stood  again  in  January  1910  as  a  Liberal  Unionist  in  support  of  Free  Trade. He  came  third.

Charles  succeeded  to  his  father's  baronetcy  in  1915.

By  1916  Charles  had  joined  the  main  Liberal  party  and  returned  in  their  colours  at  a  by-election  in  Mansfield  that  year.

In  1917  Charles'  eldest  son  , also  called  Charles, was  killed  in  action  in  the  Middle  East.

 In  1918 Charles  stood  for  Broxtowe  but  was  heavily  defeated  by  Labour.

Charles's  last  intervention  in  1918  called  for  a  decoration  for  the  British  troops  who  fought  in  Gallipoli,

He  died  in  1926  aged  66. His  son  Hugh  later  became  an  MP.