753 Joseph Cowen (2)

Constituency : Newcastle-upon-Tyne   1874-86

Joseph  succeeded  his  deceased  father  in  the  seat.

Joseph  was  educated  privately  and  at  Edinburgh  University  where  he  became  interested  in  European  revolutionary  ideas. He  worked  in  his  father's  brick  business  but  smuggled  messages  inside  them  to  his  friends  such  as  Mazzini, Garibaldi  and  Kossuth. In  1858  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Northern  Reform  Union  which  worked  to  further  the  aims  of  the  Chartists.He  supported  working  men's  causes  both  financially  and  in  print. He  was  President  on  the  first  day  of  the  1873  Co-Operative   Congress. He  led  and  co-ordinated  the  Nine  Hours  Strike  in  the  1870s. In  1873  he  organised  a  mass  demonstration  in  Newcastle  in  protest  at  the  exclusion  of  Newcastle's  miners  from  the  franchise  in  1867  which  was  due  to  a  peculiar  form  of  tenure. He  supported  Mechanics  Institutes  and  opened  Newcastle  Public  Library.  

Joseph  was  well  known  as  a  Radical  when  he  entered  Parliament.  He  was  short, graceless  and  rough  in  appearance  but  had  genuine  oratorical  gifts  and    made  an  impression  in  the  Commons  once  he  had  recovered  from  a  bout  of  ill  health  which  incapacitated  him  between  1874  and  1876.   In  1876  he  made  a  notable  speech  criticising  Disraeli's  Royal  Titles  Bill. He  was  not  a  great  party  man; as  a  convinced  Imperialist  he  supported  Disraeli's  foreign  policy  and  criticised  Gladstone's  settlement  with  the  Boers  in  1881. His  Liberal  critics  accused  him  of  wanting  Tory  compliments.

In  1885  Joseph  was  opposed  by  the  local  party  organisation  and  stood  as  an  Independent  Liberal.. He  was  supported  by  Parnell  as  a  friend  of  Irish  Nationalism.  He   won  the  contest  but  decided  to  quit  parliamentary  politics  in  1886.

Joseph  still  wrote  on  political  questions  in  his  paper  the  Newcastle  Daily  Chronicle  where  he  spoke  out  against  "doctrinaire  Radicalism "  and  whether  intentionally  or  not   helped  the  Tories  gain  ground  in  the  city.

He  died  in  1900  aged  70.

That  concludes  our  look  at  the  by-election  victors  of  the  1868-74  Parliament.

752 James Yeaman

Constituency : Dundee  1873-80

James  came  out  top  of  three  Liberals  contesting  the  right  to  succeed  George  Armitstead. He  was  Provost  of  Dundee  from  1869  to  1872.

James  was  a  merchant  involved  in  Arctic  trading.

In  1874  James  spoke  in  favour  of  improving  workers' housing  in  London.

At  some  point  in  the  1874-80  Parliament  James  decided  to  contest  the  next  election  as  a  Conservative. He  was  defeated.

He  died  in  1886  aged  70.

751 Henry Villiers-Stuart

Constituency  : County  Waterford  1873-4, 1880-85

Henry  also  managed  to  retain  an  Irish  seat  for  the  Liberals , succeeding  Edmonde  la  Poer  who  resigned  the  seat. He  was  unopposed..

Henry  was  the  son  of  Baron  Stuart  de  Decies (  a  former  MP  for  the  seat )  and  a  descendant  of  the  former  Prime  Minister  the  Earl  of  Bute.  His  mother was  an  Austrian  aristocrat  and  he  served  in  the  Austrian  army  from  1844  to  1846  before  transferring  to  the  British  Army. He  then  became  a  vicar  serving  two  parishes  between 1852  and  1871  before  deciding  he  wanted  a  political  career  instead. He  was  an  Irish  landlord  who  took  government  loans  to  provide  employment.

Henry  did  not  contest  the seat  in  1874  believing  he  would  succeed  his  father  who  died  a  fortnight  before  the  poll. However  his  claim  to  the  barony  was  denied  by  a  court  who  found  that  his  mother  had  not  been  free  to  marry  his  father  although  the  marriage  was  valid  under  Scottish  law.

Henry  was  elected  again  in  1880. In  1882  he  went  to  Egypt  on  a  diplomatic  mission  to  report  on  the  state  of  the  country  after  the  occupation.  This  also  led  to  him  publishing  some  books  on  Egypt. He  also  introduced  the  Labourer's  Cottages  and  Allotments  ( Ireland )  Bill  which  passed  in  1882.

In  1891 he  travelled  in  South  America.

He  died  in  1895  after  falling  off  a  boat  near  his  home  in  Waterford. He  was  68.

750 Charles French

Constituency : Roscommon  1873-80


After  a  string  of  losses  to  the  Home  Rule  Association the  Liberals  held  on  to  an  Irish  seat  when  Charles  French  succeeded  his  uncle  at  Roscommon.


Charles  was  the  eldest  son  of  Baron  de  Freyne  but  barred  from  succeeding  him  because  born  out  of  wedlock.


Charles  supported  the  extension  of  railways  in  his constituency.


He  died  in  1925 aged  74. 

749 John Dundas

Constituency  : Richmond  1873-85

John  succeeded  his  older  brother  Lawrence  when  the  latter  became  Earl  of  Zetland  not  long  after  his  own  by-election  triumph.

John  was  the  son-in-law  of  Sir  Charles  Wood.

John  succesfully  fought  off  the  re-naming  of  the  constituency  to  Northallerton  in  1885.

He  died  in  1892  aged  46.

748 James Barclay

Constituency : Forfarshire  1872-92 ( from  1886  Liberal  Unionist )

James  took  over  at  Forfarshire   after  Charles  Carnegie  resigned  to  become  an  inspector  of  police.

James  was  educated  at  Aberdeen  Grammar  School  then  Aberdeen  University. He  became  a  manure  merchant    then  a  large  cattle  farmer.  In  1864   he  became  a  councillor  leading  the  "Progressive"  faction  allied  to  but  separate  from  the   Liberals. In  1872  he  was  the  official  choice  as  Liberal  candidate  for  the  by-election  but  the  moderate  faction  put  up  John  Leith  who  was  elected.

James  was  described  by  the  Marquess  of  Huntly  as  " a  thick-set  man  of  medium  height, dark-haired  and  swarthy. He  had  the  misfortune  to  speak  through  his  nose with  a  twang, and was  not  a  success  in  the  House  of  Commons  as  a  speaker."  In  1882  he  presented  a  petition  from  the  Convention  of  Royal  and  Parliamentary  Burghs  calling  for  women who  had  the  municipal  franchise  to  be  given  the  vote.

James  joined  the  Liberal  Unionists  in  1886  and  retained  his  seat  at  the  election. He  was  defeated  by  John  Rigby  in  1892.

James  didn't  stand  again  confining  himself  to  agricultural  activities. In  1901  he  purchased  the  Glenbuchat  Estate   as  a  testing  ground  for  new  scientific  methods.

He  died  in  Nigeria  in  1907  aged  74.

747 George Balfour

Constituency : Kincardineshire  1872-92

George  took  over  at  Kincardineshire  after  the death  of  James  Nicol.

George  was  destined  for  an  army  career  from  the  start. He  was  the  son  of  a  captain  and  educated  at  Addiscombe  Military  Academy. He  became  a  lieutenant  in  the  Madras  Artillery  in  1825. From  1840  he  served  in  China  and  was  put  in  charge  of  captured  property  in  China  and  money  paid  under  the  Treaty  of Nanking. He  was  consul  in  Shanghai  from  1843  to  1846. He  became  lieutenant-colonel  in  1854. He  was  Inspector - General  of  Ordnance  in  Madras  from  1857  to  1859  and  then  held  posts  on  the  Military  Finance  Department  in  India  from  1859  to  1865  when  he  became  a  major-general. He  returned  to  England  and  worked  on  recruitment  at  the  War  Office  until  1871.

George  continued  in  the  army  after  his  election  rising  to  the  rank  of  general  in  charge  of  the  Royal  Artillery. Despite  his  military  background  he  advocated  a  reduction  in  expenditure  on  the  army.  He  spoke  frequently  in  the  Commons  on  military  and  Indian  matters.

George  was  an  early  ecologist  opposing  deforestation  in  India  as  causing  climate  change.

George  married  Charlotte, daughter  of  the  Radical  Joseph  Hume.

He  died  in  1894  aged  85.

746 Lawrence Dundas

Constituency  : Richmond  1872-3

Lawrence  took  over  at  Richmond  when  Roundell  Palmer  became  Lord  Chancellor.

Lawrence  was  the  son  of  the  former  MP  John  Dundas. He  was  educated  at  Harrow  and  Cambridge. He  became  a  Cornet  in  the  Royal  House  Guards  in  1866. He  left  the  army  to  take  up  his  seat. He  was  a  Freemason.

Lawrence  was  in  the  Commons  for  less  than  a  year  before  he  succeeded  his  uncle  as  Earl  of  Zetland. He  was  replaced  by  his  younger  brother  John.

Lawrence  was  a  Lord  in  Waiting  for  a  short  period  in  1880  but  in  1884  he  was  an  early defector  from  the  Liberals  to  the  Conservatives. In  1889  Salisbury  made  him  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland  after  the  position  had  in  Balfour's  words  "gone  begging  round  the  peerage ". He  left  the  politics  to  Balfour  and  as  the  Irish  Times  put  it  "his  name  was  associated  chiefly  with  the  social  obligations  of  his  office". Lawrence  was  a  racehorse  owner  and  was  frequently  to  be  found  at  Irish  meets.  Lawrence  also  launched  a  successful  appeal  to  relieve  distress  in  the  West  although  he  tartly  noted that  "Providence  has  not  endowed  the  Celt  with  sufficient  energy  to  do  much  more  than  eat  potatoes  that  are  put  in  his  mouth". He  held   the  post  until  1892, the  year  he  was  upgraded  to  a  Marquess. His  last  speech  in  the  Lords  was  against  Home  Rule  in  1913.

Lawrence  also  got  involved  in  local  politics  and  was  an  alderman  on  North  Riding  County  Council. He  was  Mayor  of  Richmond  in  1895-6.

Lawrence  was  Master  of  the  Zetland  Hunt  for  35  years.

He  died  in  1929  aged  84.

745 Sir Robert Cunliffe

Constituency :  Flint  Boroughs  1872-4; Denbigh  Boroughs  1880-85

Robert  was  elected  unopposed  after  Sir  John  Hanmer  was  elevated  to  the  peerage  although the  local  radicals  who  would  have  preferred  a  nonconformist  candidate  grumbled  about  lack of  consultation. In  fact  the  selection  process  was  more  democratic  than  had  hitherto  been  the  case.

Robert  was  the  son  and  heir  of  a  baronet  who  worked  in  the  Bengal  Civil  Service. He  was educated  at  Eton  then  served  in  the  Scots  Fusilier  Guards from  1857  to  1862. He  then   became  main  partner  in  a  firm  of  solicitors.

Robert  switched  to  Denbigh  Boroughs  for  1880. He  was  defeated by  the  Tories  in  1885

He  died  in  1905  aged  66.  

744 John Leith

Constituency : Aberdeen  1872-80

John  took  over  at  Aberdeen  following  the  death  of  William  Sykes.  He  triumphed  over  both  a  Tory  and  another  Liberal  James  Barclay. The  Tory  declared  John  had  been  nominated  "by  an  antiquated  and  would-be  despotic  Whig  clique  in  this  Burgh"  and  urged  working-men  to  vote  for  Barclay  in  an  attempt  to  split  the  vote.

John  was  a  barrister  who  had  practised  in  Calcutta.He  was  a  keen  swimmer. He  was  Professor  of  Law  at  Haileybury  from  1853  to  1857. He  stood  against  Sykes  in  1857.

He  died  in  1887  aged  79.

743 Francis Bassett

Constituency : Bedfordshire  1872-5

Francis  took  over  at  Bedfordshire  when  Francis  Russell  became  Duke  of  Bedford.

Francis  was  a  Quaker  banker  whose  bank  Bassett  &  Co  later  merged   with  Barclays.

Francis  resigned  in  1875  to  make  way  for  George  Russell, Bedford's  heir  who  hadn't  been  old  enough  at  the  time  of  the  by-election.

He  died  in  1899  aged  79 , a  few  months  after  suffering  a  paralytic  stroke.

742 William Munster

Constituency : Mallow  1872-4

William  became  Mallow's  fourth  MP  in  three  years  when  George  Waters  resigned  to  become  a  judge.

William  was  the  23  year  old  son  of  the  former  MP  Henry  Munster.

William  committed  suicide  in  1877  wrongly  believing  that  his  wife  had  perished  in  a  hotel  fire  in  Missouri. He  was  28.

741 Nathaniel Buckley

Constituency :  Stalybridge  1871-4

Nathaniel  chalked  up  the  last  Liberal  gain  during  Gladstone's  first  ministry  when  he  took Stalybridge  from  the  Tories. The  local  Liberals  originally  selected  Edward  Stanley  as  their candidate  for  the  by-election  despite  Nathaniel  contesting  the  seat  in  1868  but  were  prevailed upon  by  their  working  class  supporters  to  re-adopt  Nathaniel instead. He  won  by  208  votes.

Nathaniel  was  a  millionaire  cotton  millowner. In  1873  he  bought  an  estate  in  Ireland  and  after  a  revaluation  sent  out  rent  notices  with  increases  of  50-500%. There  were  evictions  and  an  assassination attempt  on  his  bailiff. His  actions  exposed  weaknesses  in  the  first  Irish  Land  Act.

Nathaniel  did  not  speak  in  the  Commons.

Nathaniel  had  the  Reform  Club  in  Dukinfield  built.

Nathaniel  was  defeated  in  1874. His  nephew  Abel  was  elected  MP  for  Prestwich  in  1885.

He  died  in  1892  aged  71.

740 Jeremiah Colman

Constituency : Norwich  1871-95

When  Jacob  Tillett  was  unseated  , his  successor  was  his  friend  and  business  colleague  Jeremiah  Colman.

Jeremiah  was  a  scion  of  the  famous  mustard  manufacturing  family. He  became  a  partner  in  1851  and  greatly  expanded  the  works  providing  new  employment  in  a  depressed  city.  He  received  special  commissions  from  royalty  for  his  products. He  was  Mayor  of  the  city  in  1867. He  prefigured  President  Kennedy  in  his  approach  to  municipal  politics  " Men  should  go  into  municipal  affairs  to  see  what  they  could  do  for  the  town , inatead  of  seeing  what  the  town  could  do  for  them ". He  was  a  noted  philanthropist  and benevolent  employer  creating  his  own  mini-welfare  state   and  leader  of  nonconformity  in  Norwich. He  was  also  a  pioneer  of  branding  and  marketing.

Jeremiah  seconded  the  Queen's  Speech  in  1872. He  was  not  blessed  with  great  oratorical  powers  so  didn't  make  the  impact  expected  in  the  Commons. He  both  sat  on  and  appeared  as  a  witness  before  a  select  committee  on  food  adulteration  in  1872  where  he  complained  that  retailers  had  been  fined  for  selling  his  mustard  when  it  was  clearly  labelled  as  a  manufactured  condiment  and  not  mustard  seed  in  its  pure  state.

Gladstone  offered  him a  baronetcy  in  1893  which  he  declined  saying  "anything  I  can  do  to  promote  the  principles  I  have  always  supported... I  am  glad  to  do  but  I  much  prefer  that  it  should  be  without  the  reward  or  rank  a  title  is  supposed  to  give".

In  1896  Jeremiah  and  his  family  visited  Egypt  to  boost  the  health  of  his  son  Alan  who  unfortunately  died  while  they  were  there.

He  died  in  1898  aged  68. He  donated  a  number  of  works  of  art ,  to  Norwich  Castle  Museum  which  he  had  helped  to  establish.

739 Sir Henry Storks

Constituency : Ripon  1871-4

Sir  Henry  took  over  at  Ripon  after  the  resignation  of   Sir  John  Hay.

Henry  was  a  judge's  son  educated  at  Charterhouse   then  went  into  the  Army  as  an  ensign  of  the  61st  Regiment  of  Foot.  He  was  steadily  promoted  through  the  ranks  eventually  reaching  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general. He  superintended  the  British  bases  during  the  Crimean  War  and  supported  the  efforts  of  Florence  Nightingale. He  succeeded  Gladstone  as  Lord  High  Commissioner  of  the  Ionian  islands. He  became  Governor  of  Malta  in  1864  then  Jamaica  in  1865. From  1867  he  worked  at  the  War  Office  in  a  variety  of  roles  including  Surveyor-General  of  the  Ordnance.

  Henry's  political  ambitions  were  hampered  by  his  strong  support  for  the  Contagious  Diseases  Act  which  actually  stemmed  from  practices  he  had  instituted  in  the  Ionian  islands  and  Malta. He  believed  that  prostitution  was  a  necessity  for  the  army  and  navy  and  actually  revealed  that  he  had  tried  to  bring  soldier's  wives  and  girlfriends  under  the  scope  of  the  legislation. This  goaded   other  Liberals  into  standing  against  him. Thus  he  had  to  pull  out  of   the  by-election  in  Newark in  1870  when  posters  were  put  up  against  him. He  also  failed  at  Colchester. Gladstone  was  very  keen  that  Henry  should  come  into  the  Commons  to  support  Cardwell  and  Colchester  was  a  safe  seat. The  National  Anti-Contagious  Diseases  Acts  Association  decided  to  put  up  a  rival  candidate  Dr  Langley  against  him. Langley  and  the  prominent  suffragist  Josephine  Butler  were  subject  to  abuse  and  intimidation  tacitly  encouraged  by  Henry's  committee  members  although  Henry  himself  disavowed  these  tactics.  The  Liberal  whip  Glyn  tried  to  persuade  Langley  to  withdraw  and  he  did  so  a  few  days  before  the  poll  but  the  damage  had  been  done. Mass  Liberal  abstentions  gave  the  seat  to  the  Tories. The  Standard  commented " Sir  Henry  Kicks  is  much  to  be  pitied. He  has  offended  Harriet  Martineau  and  Ursula  Bright, and  we  fear  he  is  a  doomed  man".

Once  in  Parliament  Henry  supported  the  abolition  of  purchase  in  the  army. As  he  continued  to  hold  the  office  of  Surveyor-General  he  often  answered  parliamentary  questions  on  Cardwell's  behalf.

In  the  1874  election  Henry  was  defeated  by  fellow  Liberal, Earl  de  Grey  who  had  actually  facilitated  his  election  in  1871.

Henry  died  soon  after  the  election  aged  63.
 

738 Sir Dominic Corrigan

Constituency : Dublin 1870-4

Dominic  chalked  up  the  penultimate  Liberal  gain  in  this  Parliament  when  he  captured  the  second  Dublin  seat  after  the  Tory  Sir  Arhur  Guinness  was  unseated  for  bribery.

Dominic  was  a  Dublin  born  doctor  educated  at  Maynooth  and  then  Edinburgh  Medical  School.  He  returned  to  Dublin  and  became  a  distinguished  physician  with  many  public  appointments  as  well  as  a  private  practice. He  came  to  be  a  specialist  on  heart  conditions  and  the  abnormal  pulse  rate  in  aortic  valve  insufficiency  is  named  "Corrigan's  pulse "  after  his  work. In  1859  he  became  the  first  Catholic  president  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  in  Ireland. He  was  created  a  baronet  in  1866. He  stood  unsuccessfully  in  1868

After  his  election  Dominic  campaigned  for  secular  education  in   Ireland  and  the  early  release  of  Fenian  prisoners.  He  defended  the  mass  meeting  in  Phoenix  Park  in  1871.Some  of  his  suggestions  on  Irish  university  education   went  into  Gladstone's  Irish  Universities  Bill. The  Catholic  hieararchy  were  not  pleased  ; Cardinal  Cullen  wrote  "I  hope  that  at  the  next  election  we  shall  be  able  to  pay  off  Sir  Dominic". His  support  for  temperance  and  the  closure  of  pubs  on  Sundays   lost  him  support  in  the  constituency  and  he  declined  to  stand  again  in  1874. Saunder's  Newsletter   commented "  the  Liberals  of  Dublin  have  not  treated  their  late  representative  with  generosity. He  brought  to  their  cause  a  distinguished  name  which  will  always  hold  a  high  place  in  the  history  of  Irish  medicine,  and  we  are  not  aware  that  his  party  have  any  reason  to  complain  of  any  want  of  zeal  on  his  part  in  their  service".

He  died  in  1880  after  a  stroke  aged  77.

737 Jacob Tillett

Constituency  : Norwich  1870-71, 1875, 1880-85

Jacob  claimed  the  second  Norwich  seat  for  the  Liberals  after  the  resignation  of  the  Tory  representative.

Jacob  was  a  solicitor  from  Norwich  and  a  leader  of  non-conformity  in  the  city.  In  1845  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Norfolk  News  "a  weekly  journal  based  upon  civil, religious  and  commercial  freedom " . He  was  a  friend  of  Cobden, Bright  and  Morley. He  was  guardian  for  a  time  and  an  inspiration  to  the  radical  journalist  H.W. Massingham.  Jacob  was  noted  for  his  campaigns  against  corruption  in  municipal  politics, particularly  when  he  was  mayor  in  1859, which  makes  his  own  subsequent  electoral  difficulties  embarrassing. He  stood  in  1868  where  the  Earl  of  Kimberley  saw  him  and  noted "He  is  determined  to  persevere  in  standing  for  Norwch. On  the  whole  I  think  the  Whigs  are  wrong  in  not  supporting  him. He  is  decidedly  the  working  man's  favourite  &  in  towns  like  Norwich  the  moderate  Liberals  must  whether  they  like  it  or  not  consult  the  wishes  of  the  working  men".

Jacob's  by-election  victory  was   eventually  voided  on  petition.  He  contested  the  seat  unsuccessfully  in  1874  then  won  it  back  at  a  by-election  in  1875.  This  was  again  voided  when  his  party  agents  were  found  to  have  offered  jobs  in  return  for  votes. That  same  year  he  was  Mayor  again  and  chairman  of  the  Norwich  School  Board  until  he  won  the  seat  a  third  time  in  1880.  He  remained  in  situ  until  1885  when  he  stood  down. He  was  persuaded  to  stand  again  in  1886  but  was  unsuccessful.

He  died  in  1892  aged  73.

736 George Greville-Nugent

Constituency  : Longford  1870-4

The  petitioners  who  unseated  Reginald  Greville-Nugent  must  have  wondered  why  they  bothered  when  his  elder  brother  George  was  elected  to  replace  him.

In  Parliament  George  asked  one  question  on  a  military  matter  in  1873.

He  died  in  1897  aged  55.

735 George Browne

Constituency : Mayo  1870-73 , 1873-80  ( Home  Rule  League )

George  took  over  at  Mayo  after  the  death  of  George  Moore.

George  was  a  substantial  landowner. He  was  later  referred  to  as  one  of  the  three  good  landlords  in  Ireland."

George  was  a  supporter  of  Isaac  Butt  and  switched  to  the  Home  Rule  League. He  was  re-elected  in  1874  an  held  the  seat  when  the  election  had  to  be  run  again  shortly  afterwards. However  his  moderation  was  not  acceptable  to  the  militants  and  he  was  unseated  by  Parnell  himself  in  1880.

George  moved  to  Killiney  near  Dublin  and  became  involved  in  municipal  politics  there.

He  died  in  1923 aged  85.

734 George Waters

Constituency  : Mallow  1870-2

George  took  over  at  Mallow  when  Henry  Munster  was  disqualified.

George  was  educated  at  Trinity  College, Dublin  and  became  a  barrister. He  chaired  the  Electoral  Commission  which  disenfranchised  Cashel.

George  resigned  his  seat  in  1872  to  become  chairman  of  the  Quarter  Sessions  at  Waterford.

George  retired  in  1892. He  died  in  1905  aged  77.

733 Samuel Bristowe

Constituency : Newark  1870-80

Samuel  took  over  at  Newark  after  the  death  of  Edward  Denison. He  was  elected  as  an opponent of  the  Contagious  Diseases  Act, the  support  of  Josephine  Butler  and  other  Repealers forcing  the  withdrawal  of  the  government-backed  candidate  Henry  Storks a  fervent  supporter  of  the  Acts.

Smuel  came  from  a landowning  family. He  was  educated  at  Cambridge  and  became  a  barrister. He  was  Recorder  of  Newark  at  the  time  of  his  election  and  resigned  that  post.

Samuel  was  defeated  in  1880; he  tried  to  get  back  in  at  Nottinghamshire  South  but  was  easily  defeated.

Samuel  became  a  County  Court  judge  instead.  Despite  this  regular  income  he  had  to  sell  part  of  the  family  estate  in  1888  due  to  the  agricultural  depression. In  1889  he  found  against  a  German  manufacturer  of  false  teeth  who  was  chasing  payment; the  man  followed  him  out  of  court  and  shot  him  at  Nottingham  station. He  survived  but  the  bullet  remained  in  his  body.

Samuel  retired  in  1891. He  died  in  1897  aged  74.  

732 Elisha Robinson

Constituency : Bristol  1870

Elisha  took over  from  the  deceased  Francis  Berkeley  at  Bristol  wining  the  by-election  by  760  votes.

Elisha  was the  son  of  a  Gloucestershire  paper  maker.  He  moved  to  Bristol  in  1844  and  set  up  his  own  business  making  paper  bags.He  was  Mayor  of  Bristol  in  1866.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Port  and  Pier  Railway. He  was  a  Baptist  and  a  keen  cricketer.

Elisha  was  unseated  on  a  technicality.

He  died  in  1885  aged  68.

731 James Innes-Ker aka Marquess of Bowmont

Constituency : Roxburghshire  1870-4

James  took  over  at  Roxburghshire  when  Sir  William  Scott  stood  down.

James  was  the  son  and  heir  of  the  Duke  of  Roxburghe.

In  1874  he  married  a  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough. He  was  defeated  by  the  Tories  in  1874.

James  succeeded  his  father  in  1879.

He  died  in  1892  aged  53.

730 Denis Heron

Constituency  :  Tipperary  1870-74

In  1869  the  Liberal  MP  for  Tipperary  Charles  Moore  died  and at  the  by-election  Denis  was  defeated  by  a  Fenian  nationalist  Jeremiah  Rossa. Although  sympathetic  to  nationalist  aspirations  Denis  was  unacceptable  to  militants  because  lawyers  were  professionaly  associated  with  government. The  Nation  reported  that  priests  supporting  Denis  had  to  have  a  police  guard  "to  protect  them  from  a  thrashing  at  the  hands  of  enraged  Christians  of  their  own  flock ". Fortescue  wrote  to  Gladstone  "Heron  has  pandered  to  the  mob  as  far  as  he  dared, wearing  a  green  sash  on  the  hustings  etc  and  has  failed  in making  himself  popular". Rossa  was  actually  in  prison  at  the  time  and  Denis  immediately  challenged  the  result  on  those  grounds  ( Rossa's  candidature  had  caught  he  and  his  supporters  on  the  hop ). He  was  successful  and  beat  the  new  Fenian  candidate  at  the  election  by  four  votes.

Denis  was  a  Catholic  educated  at  Downside  Abbey. In  1845 he  was  excluded  from  Trinity  College  on  the  grounds  of  his  religion. He  later  became  a  professor  of  jurisprudence  and  political  economy  at  Queen's  College, Galway.

Denis  stood  down  in  1874.

He  died  in  1881  aged  57  when  he  had  a  heart  attack  while  salmon  fishing.    

729 Sir John Lubbock

Constituency : Maidstone  1870-80; London University  1880-1900  ( from  1886 Liberal  Unionist )

Sir  John  took  over  at  Maidstone  after  Charles  Buxton  stepped  down.

Sir  John  was  a  banker's  son  from  Kent  and   in  his  childhood   a  neighbour  of  Charles  Darwin  who  stimulated  his  passion  for  science. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  then  went  into  his  father's  bank.   He  created  the  clearing  system  for  cheques. In  1860  he  took  part  in  the  famous  evolution   debate  at  Oxford. In  1864  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  X  Club  an  elite  dining  club  for  Darwin  supporters. In  1865  he published  Pre-Historic Times  which  was  the  standard   archaeology  textbook  for  the  next  fifty  years.  He  invented  the  terms  "Palaeolithic"  and  "Neolithic". When  Darwin  died  in  1882  it  was  Sir  John's  suggestion  that  he  be  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey  and  he  was  one  of  the  pallbearers. He  stood  unsuccessfully  in  West  Kent  in  1865  and  1868.

As  an  MP  Sir  John  put  his  weight  behind  four  main  causes :  scientific  education, free  trade, protection  of  ancient  monuments  and  shorter  hours. He  scored  triumphs  with  the  Bank  Holidays  Act  of  1871  and Ancient  Monuments  Act  of  1882.

In  1879  Sir  John  became  the  first  president  of  the  Institute  of  Banking. He  formed  a  company  to  introduce  Edison's  system  of  electric  lighting  to  Britain.

Sir  John  was  defeated  at  Maidstone  in  1880  but  switched  to  London  University  when  Robert  Lowe  received  a  viscountcy.

In  1884  Sir  John  founded  the Proportional  Representation  Society  which  later  became  the  Electoral  Reform  Society. He  tried  to  incorporate  the  Single  Transferable  Vote  in  the  Third  Reform  Act.

In  1886  Sir  John  went  with  the  Liberal  Unionists.  That  same  year  he  supported   the  Tithe Rent-Charge  Redemption  Bill. He  also  introduced  a  bill  to  regulate  the  hours  of  youngsters  apprenticed  to  shopkeepers.

Sir  John  was  a  philanthropist  and  founded  the  Bank Clerks  Orphanage  in  1883.

As  part  of  his  scientific  interests  Sir  John  kept  a  pet  wasp  and  tried  to  teach  his  dog  how  to  read.

From  1890  to  1892  he  was  chairman  of  the  London  County  Council.

In  1900  Sir  John  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Avebury  after  the  Iron  Age  fort  he  had  bought  to  preserve, He  also  became  President  of  the  Royal  Statistical  Society  that  year.

In  1905  Sir  John  helped  found  the  Anglo-German  Friendship  Committee.

Sir  John  died  in  1913  aged  79. He was  the  grandfather  of  the  Orpington  by-election  winner  Eric  Lubbock.

728 Auberon Herbert

Constituency : Nottingham  1870-74

Auberon   chalked  up  another  Liberal  gain  when  he  took  Nottingham  after  the  Tory MP resigned  through  ill  health.  He  restored  some  philosophical  firepower  to  the  Liberal  benches  after  the  defeat  of  Mill  but  like  him  wasn't  in  Parliament  for  long.

Auberon  was  a  brother  of  the  Earl  of  Carnarvon. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford  then  joined  the  7th  Queen's  Own  Hussars  for  three  years  serving  in  India. In  1862  he  returned  to  Oxford  and  became  a  lecturer  in  history  and  jurisprudence. In  1864  he  visited  the  Dano- Prussian  War  as  an  observer  but  actually  took  part  in  rescuing  wounded  Danish  soldiers. He  subsequently  witnessed  the  Seige  of  Richmond  in  the  American  Civil  War. At  this  point  Auberon  was  a  Conservative  and  stood  for  them  at  the  Isle  of  Wight  in  1865. He  became  private  secretary  to  Stafford  Northcote  at  the  Board  of  Trade  from  1866-8. He  then  stood  for  Berkshire  as  a  Liberal  in  1868.  He  presided  over  the  fourth  day  of  the  first  Co-Operative  Congress  in  1869. In  1870  he  observed  events  in  Paris.

Auberon  supported  the  idea  of  secular  education, allowing  the  "freest  play"   in  religious  discussion. He  also  backed  Dilke's  inquiry  into  the  civil  list  and  went  further  in  declaring  himself  a  republican. He  was  a  vegetarian  and  helped  get  the  Protection  of  Wild  Birds  Act  passed  in  1872. He  backed  Joseph  Arch  and  spoke  at  the  mass  meeting  when  the  Agricultural  Labourer's  Union  was  formed. In  Parliament  Auberon  tended  to  follow  the  lead  of  Henry  Fawcett.

Although  Auberon , increasingly  at  odds  with  his  parliamentary  colleagues  over  franchise  extension, open  competition   and  progressive  taxation,  retired  at  the  next  election,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  Eastern  Question  agitation  organising  a  large  demonstration  in  Hyde  Park  against  the  prospect  of  war  with  Russia. He  was  also  an  enthusiastic  backer  of  Charles  Bradlaugh. He  divided  his  time  between  farming  and  writing.

Auberon's  views  were  influenced  by  Herbert  Spencer ; he  backed  voluntaryism  to  the  point  of   voluntary  taxation. In  1884  A  Politician  In  Trouble  About  His  Soul  discussed  his   objections  to  the  party  system.   He  wrote   that  "When  you  strive  for  power  , you  may  form  a  temporary  , fleeting  alliance  with  the  great  principles, if  they  happen  to  serve  your  purpose  of  the  moment, but  the  hour  soon  comes   ... when  they  will  not  only  cease  to  be  serviceable  to  you  but  are  likely  to  prove  highly  inconvenient  and  embarrassing ".In  1890  he  founded  the  magazine  Free  Life  to  propound  his  ideas  on  voluntaryism . He  believed  government  should  be  "strictly  limited  to  its  legitimate  duties  in  defence  of  self-ownership  and  individual  rights ". Under  his  plans  the  franchise  would  be  limited  to  those  who  paid  the  voluntary  tax.

On  his  death  Benjamin  Tucker  wrote  "He  was  a  true  anarchist  in  everything  but  name. How  much  better  ( and  how  much  rarer ) to  be  an  anarchist  in  everything  but  name  than  to  be  an  anarchist  in  name  only". Auberon  himself  rejected  the  term. Hobson,  in  an  essay  in  Humanitarian  in  1898   entitled  A  Rich  Man's  Anarchism , critiqued  his  "first  come  first  served"  approach  to  private  property.

He  died  in  1906  aged  68.  

727 William Foster

Constituency  : Bridgnorth 1870-80, 1880-85  ( Conservative )

William  chalked  up  a  Liberal  gain  in  taking  Bridgnorth  after  the  resignation  of  the  incumbent  Tory. Surprisingly  he  was  elected  unopposed.

William  was  the  son  of  the  erstwhile  MP  for  South  Staffordshire  and  iron  manufacturer . He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford.

William  saw  off  a  Tory  challenge  in  1874  but  was  a  Conservative  himself  by  1880. He  never  spoke  in  the  Commons.

William  was  a  philanthropist  and  art  collector  with  paintings  by  Reynolds, Turner  and  Constable.

He  died  in  1924  aged  78.

726 Henry Munster

Constituency : Mallow  1870

Henry  succeeded  Edward  Sullivan  at  Mallow  when  he  became  Irish  Master  of  the  Rolls.

Henry  was  born  in  London . He  was  educated  at  King's  College  School  and  Cambridge. In  1845  he  was  cox  when  Cambridge  won  the  Boat  Race. He  was  also  a  keen  cricketer. He  became  a  barrister.

Henry  had  stood  at  Cashel  in  1868  and  bought  the  allegiance  of  25  of  the  town's  butchers  at  £30  a  head. The  borough  was  disenfranchised  soon  afterwards.

Henry  did  not  learn  the  lesson  and  his  election  was  voided  soon  afterwards  for  bribery.

In  1884  Henry  was  involved  in  a  libel  case  against  the  Brightonian   magazine.

He  died  in  1894  aged  70.

725 Samuel Holland

Constituency : Merioneth  1870-85

Samuel  took  over  at  Merioneth  after  the  death  of   David  Williams.

Samuel  was  born  in  Liverpool, the  son  of  a  slate  merchant. His  cousin  was  the  writer  Elizabeth  Gaskell. He  worked  for  his  father  as  an  office  boy  but  by  18  was  managing  a  quarry  at  Blaenau. He  had  the  idea  of  a  railway  from  Blaenau  Ffestiniog  to  Porthmadog. He  founded  book  clubs, elementary  schools  and  a  Savings  bank. He  was  also  a  sheep  farmer.

In  1875  Samuel  helped  set  up  the  Dr  Williams  School  in  Dolgellau  and  became  the  first  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Governors. He  campaigned  for  a  lighthouse  for  Cardigan  Bay.

In  1880  Samuel  joined  the International  Arbitration  and  Peace  Association.

Despite  still  being  in  good  health  Samuel  decided  to  retire  in  1885  and  was  criticised  by  local  radicals  for  working  to  secure  the  nomination  of  another  moderate  businessman  Henry  Robertson to  succeed  him.

He  died  in  1892  aged  89.

724 Edmund Dease

Constituency : Queen's  County  1870-80

Edmund  took  over  at  Queen's  County  when  John  Fitzpatrick   was  elevated  to  the  peerage.

Edmund  was  educated  at  Queen's  University, Dublin. He  was  a  Commissioner  of  National  Education. He had  an  estate  in  the  constituency.

In  1870  Edmund  wrote  to  Gladstone  asking  the  government  to  help  restore  the  pope's  temporal  power  as  a  necessary  prop  to  his  spiritual  authority  and  dignity. Gladstone, who  had  already  written  an  anonymous  article  for the  Edinburgh  Review  celebrating  the  pope's  defeat,  replied  that  the  government  could  not  interfere  in  the  government  of  Italy  but  did  support  the  personal  freedom  and  independence  of  the  pope  which  was  enough  to  upset  Presbyterians  when  the  letter  was  published.

Edmund  was  a  moderate  supporter  of  Home  Rule.

In  1880  Patrick  Cahill  secretary  of  the  Parnellite  Independent  Club  wrote  in  favour  of  supporting  Edmund  in  the  upcoming  election "Dease's  very  presence  and  vote  is  of  immense  weight... We  have, unhappily  too  many  adventurers  in  our  ranks, and  there  are  far  too  few  of  hereditary  position  and  high  personal  character. A  single  vote  from  a  man  like  Dease  outweighs  the  whole  vote  of  seven  obtuctionists... When  men  like  Dease  take  their  proper  place  in  our  ranks  we  cannot  be  cried  down  as  mere  jacquerie". However  Edmund  was  opposed  and  defeated.

He  died  in  1904  aged  75.

723 Henry James

Constituency : Taunton  1869-85, Bury  1885-95  ( from  1886  Liberal  Unionist )

Henry  didn't  actually  have  to  fight  a  by-election. He  challenged  the  result  in  Taunton  and  after  a  scrutiny  of  the  votes  in  March  1969  he  was  declared  a  winner. ( His  Liberal  colleague  William  Price's  position  was  unaffected. )

Henry  was  a  doctor's  son  from  Hereford. He  was  educated  at  Cheltenham  College  and
became  a  barrister. In  his  legal  career  he  utilised  the  talents  of  the  young  Asquith.

Henry  made  his  parliamentary  mark  in  1872  with  his  contributions  to  the  debates  on  the  Judicature  Act.  He  crticised  Gladstone  for  his  lukewarm  support  for  removing  Women's  Disabilities.  Nevertheless,  in  1873  Gladstone  made  Henry  Solicitor-General  and  knighted  him. Just  before  the  1874  election  he  was  made  Attorney-General. He  was  re-appointed  to  this  post  in  1880  and  steered  the  Corrupt  Practices  Act  of  1883  through  Parliament.  Roy  Jenkins  wrote  that  Henry  was  Gladstone's  favourite  law  officer  and  described  him  as  an  "agreeable, urbane, hedonistic  Whig".   In  1885 he  switched  seats  to  Bury  when  Taunton  was  reduced  to  a  single  member  constituency.

In  1886  Henry  represented  Charles  Dilke  in  the  Crawford  divorce  case  and  he  was  responsible  for  the  disastrous  advice  which  led  Dilke  to  reopen  the  case  and  ensure  his  own  downfall.

When  Gladstone  formed  his  third  ministry  he  offered  Henry  the  Lord  Chancellorship  but  Henry  was  implacably  opposed  to  Home  Rule  and  declined. This  sacrifice  made  him  a  prominent  Liberal  Unionist.  He  told  his  Bury  electors  " I  am  going  to  take  up  abode  in  no  cave. The  climate  of  a  cave  would  not  suit  me ",   The  local  Liberal  caucus  disowned  him  but  he  held  the  seat  which  had  no  significant  Irish  population. He  understood  the  local  Liberals'  anger : "they  had  won  the  seat  in  1885  for  me  and  now  a  year  afterwards  they  saw  me  holding  it  for  those  we  had  defeated".

In  1888  Henry  represented  The  Times  in  the  Parnell  Commission  investigating  the  allegation  made  by  the  paper  that  Parnell  condoned  the  Phoenix  Park  murders.

Henry  joined  Salisbury's  government  in  1895  as  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster. He  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  James. He  opposed  Chamberlain's  Tariff  Reform   plans.

He  died  in  1911  aged  82.