872 Charles James

Constituency  : Merthyr  Tydfil  1880-88

Charles  took  over  from  Richard  Fothergill  at  Merthyr.

Charles  was  the  son  of  a  local  maltster.  He  was  brought  up  a  Wesleyan  but  moved  over  to  the  Unitarians. He  was  educated  locally  and  became  a  solicitor. He  was  a  sponsor  of  Henry  Richard's  candidature  in  1868.

Charles  supported  workmen's  compensation, sunday  closing  in  Wales    and  increased  inspection  of  mines .

Charles  resigned  his  seat  in  1888.

He  died  in  1890  aged  73.

871 Walter Powell

Constituency : Carmarthenshire  1880-85, Carmarthenshire  West  1885-9

Walter  took   one  of  the  Carmarthenshire  seats  back  from  the  Tories.

Walter  was  a  local  landowner. He  was  educated  at  Oxford.  He  was  originally  a  Conservative  supporter  but  gradually  moved  over  to  radical  Liberalism.  He  was  a  master  of  foxhounds  and  a  local  benefactor  to  the  town  of  Llanboidy  where  he  restored  the  parish  church ,  built  a  new  market  hall  and  founded  a  brass  band. In  the  1870s  he  was  active  in  the  United  Counties  Benefit  Society  for  improving  the  living  conditions  of  agricultural  labourers.

Walter  did  not  speak  in  Parliament. Although  an  Anglican  himself  he  supported  Welsh  disestablishment. Similarly he  supported  tenants'  rights. He  was  also  sympathetic  to  the  cause  of  the  Rebecca  rioters.  He  built  his  own  school  and  became  its  one-man  school  board  because  the  local  vicar  refused  to  let  non-conformists  opt  out  of  catechism  lessons. Local  newspapers  attacked  him  as  a  destructive  radical.

Walter  was  a  leading  owner  and  trainer  of  racehorses.

He  died  in  1889  aged  70  after  a  long  illness  which  prevented  him  from  sitting  on  horseback.  He  left  money  for  improving  the  water  supply  of  Llanboidy  in  his  will  which  his  widow  then  supervised.

870 Lewis Pugh

Constituency : Cardiganshire  1880-85

Lewis  took  Cardiganshire  back  from  the  defector  Thomas  Lloyd.

Lewis  came  from  the  area. He  was  educated  at  Winchester  and  Oxford. He  became  a  barrister  who  made  his  name  in  India  , rising  to  become  Attorney  General  of  Bengal.

Lewis's  parliamentary  contributions  were  mainly  about  India  or  the  issue  of  Crown  lands  in  Wales.

He  died  in  1908  aged  70.

869 Cyril Flower

Constituency : Brecon  1880-85, Luton  1885-92

Cyril  took  Brecon  back  from  the  Tories.

Cyril  cane  from  Surrey.  His  father  was  a  successful  merchant  trading  in  wool, tallow  and  gold  between  Britain  and  Australia.  He  was  also  interested  in  property  development. He  was  educated  at  Harrow  and  Cambridge  and  became  a  barrister. Cyril  was  also  involved  in  property  development  and  built  Battersea's  Park  Town. He  married  a  de  Rothschild.

Cyril  was  a  whip  in  Gladstone's  third  ministry  in  1886. Apart  from  a  handful  of  insignificant  questions  he  was  silent  in  Parliament. His  wife  later  estimated  that  he  had  found  100  jobs  for  Brecon  constituents  during  his  five  year  stint  there

Cyril  was  created  Baron  Battersea  in  1892.

Cyril  was  an  art  collector. He  was  a  patron  of   Whistler   and  Sandys  and  friendly  with  the  Pre-Raphaelites. He  also  commissioned  Edward  Luytens  to  rebuild  his  holiday  home  on  the  Norfolk  coast. He  was  also  a  keen  huntsman.

He  died  of  pneumonia  in  1907  aged  64.

868 Edward Litton

Constituency : Tyrone  1880-81

Edward  took  one  of  the  Tyrone  seats  from  the Tories.

Edward  was an  Irish  barrister. He  was  educated  at  Trinity  College  Dublin.

Edward  was  active  in  the  debates  on  the  Irish  Land  Bill.

Edward  resigned  his  seat  in  1881  to  become  a  land  commissioner. The  Liberal  victory  in  the by-election  gave  Gladstone  false  hope  that  he  was  cracking  the  Irish  problem.

He  became  a  judge  in  1890   but  died  that  same  year   aged  63 after  catching  a  chill  while  supervising  buildng  work  on  his  home.

867 William Findlater

Constituency : Monaghan 1880-85

William  was  the  other  Liberal  victor  at  Monaghan. He  was  selected  because  it  was  thought  the  Presbyterian  electors  would  not  vote  for  Charles  Russell.

William  was the  son  of  a  Londonderry  merchant. He  was  a  solicitor  and  part  owner  of  a  brewery. In  1878  he  became  president  of  the  Incorporated  Law  Society  of  Ireland. He  was  a  Presbyterian  and  a  Freemason.

William  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  Irish  Land  Act of  1881. He  was  a  champion  of  tenant  rights.

When  William's  colleague  John  Givan  resigned  his  seat  in  1883  the  Liberal  candidate  was  destroyed  by  Tim  Healy  for  the  Home  Rule  party. William  decided  to  switch  seats  to  his  home  town  of   South  Londonderry. However  Healy  followed  him  there  in  1885 standing  for  both  seats. William  came  in  a   distant  third  behind  the  Tory.

William  was  a  founder  of  the  Ulster  Reform  Club  in  1885  to  support  Liberal  resistance   to  Home  Rule. It  merged  wit  the  UK  Liberal  Unionist  party  the  following  year.

William  was  involved  in  a  group  building  artisan's  houses  in  Dublin

William  was  president  of  the  Statistical  and  Social Inquiry  Society  of  Ireland from  1891  to  1894. In  1896  he  was  knighted.

William  suffered  poor  health  in  his  last  years. He  died  in  1906  aged  81.

866 John Givan

Constituency : Monaghan  1880-83

John  was  one  of  two  Liberals  victorious  in  Monaghan  against  the  Tories.

John  was  the  son  of  a  linen  manufacturer. He  was  privately  educated  and  became  a  solicitor.

John  was  very  active  in  the  debates  around  the  Irish  Land  Act. He  was  credited  by  Gladstone  with  helping  to  secure  the  Liberal  victory  in  the  Tyrone  by-election  of  1881. In  January  1883  there  were  rumours  that  John  had  been  appointed  Under-Secretary  for  Ireland  which  turned  out  to  be  unfounded.

John  resigned  his  seat  in  1883  to  become  Crown  Solicitor  for  Meath, Louth  and  Drogheda.

He  died  in  1895  aged 57.

865 William Johnson

Constituency  : Mallow  1880-83

William  won  back  the  seat  of  Mallow  from  the  Home  Rule  League.

William  was  a  vicar's  son  educated  at  Dublin  University. He  became  a  barrister.

Gladstone  appointed  William  Solicitor  General  for  Ireland  in  1880  and  then  Attorney  General  for  Ireland  in  1881. He  resigned  his  seat  in  1883  to  become  a  judge.

As  a  judge  William  was  noted  for  being  merciful  and  getting  muddled  with  his  facts    leading  to  the  nickname  "Wooden-Headed  Billy".

William  was  created  a  baronet  on  his  retirement  in  1909.

He  died  in  1919  aged  90.

864 Charles Russell

Constituency : Dundalk 1880-85  , Hackney  South  1885-94

Charles  defeated  the  defector  Philip  Callan , forcing  him  to  switch seats  to  Louth,  in  a  rare  example  of  the  Liberals  recapturing  a  seat  from  the  Home  Rule  League. However  Charles  owed  his  election  to  the  support  of  Parnell  who  disliked  Callan  for  his  closeness  to  Butt  and  let  it  be  known  that  he  was  supporting  Charles,  a  move  criticised  by  other  Nationalists. Charles  actually  knocked  Callan  over  at  the  hustings.

Charles  came  from  a  Catholic  family. His  father  owned  a  brewery. He  was  educated  in Ireland  and  became  a  solicitor  in  1854  with  a  Catholic  client  base. His  friends  urged  him  to  go  to  London  and  train  as  a  barrister.  He  was  admitted in  1859  and  became  hugely  successful, the  George  Carman  of  his  day. He  contested  Dundalk  in  1868  and  1874.

Charles  came  to  favour  Home  Rule  and  wrote  a  column  for  the  Nationalist  journal  The  Nation.  In  1882  he  said  "the  government  of  Ireland  must  rest  mainly  with  the  Irish  people  and  that  before  the  Irish  people  could  be  expected  in  their  utterances  and  their  public  acts  to  show  a  due  sense  of  responsibility, they  must  have  the  power  which  brings  with  it  a  sense  of  responsibility". Parnell  was  a  friend. In  1883  he  defended  the  murderer  of  the  phoenix  Park  informant  O'Donnell.

In  1885  Charles  sought  a  constituency  in  England  and  chose  Hackney  South  over  Liverpool  Exchange.

In  1886  Charles  was  knighted  and  appointed  Attorney-General  by  Gladstone.

In  1888-89  Charles  represented  Parnell  at  the  Parnell  Commission  hearings  and  demolished  The  Times  and  the  forger  Richard  Pigott  on  the  stand  which  secured  a  favourable  verdict. In  1889  he  spoke  for  the  Liberal  candidate  at  a  by-election  in  Eccles.

In  1892  Charles  resumed  as  Attorney-General  and  represented  the  UK  in  the  Bering  Sea  Arbitration  in  1893.

In  1894  Charles  was  made  a  Lord  of  Appeal  and  given  a life  peerage. He  was  quickly  appointed  Lord  Chief  Justice, the  first  Catholic  in  the  post  for  centuries. In  1899  he  represented Britain  in  the  Venezuelan boundary  arbitration.

In  1900  he  was  taken  ill  and  died  aged  67.

863 Robert Lyons

Constituency : Dublin  1880-85

Robert  recaptured  one  of  the  Dublin  seats  from  the  Tories, the  Home  Rule  League  holding  the  other.  He  described  himself  as  an  "Independent  Liberal".

Robert  was  the  son  of  a  Cork  merchant. He  was  educated  at  a  grammar  school  in  Cork  and  Trinity  College  where  he  studied  medicine. In  1849  he  became  a  licentiate  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  and  in  1855  started  working  for  the  army. He  was  in  the  Crimea  studying conditions  there, In  1857  he  went  to  Portugal  to  study  an  outbreak  of  yellow  fever  there  and  received  an  honour  from  King  Pedro  V. He  returned  to  Dublin  and  held  a  variety  of  prestigious  medical  posts. In  1870  he  accepted  a  commission  from  Gladstone  to  report  on the  conditions  of  Fenian  prisoners.

Robert  spoke  against  Charles  Bradlaugh  being  allowed  to  take  his  seat- "Let  Northampton  send  to  us  a  God-fearing  if  not  a  God-loving  man".

Robert  supported  the  afforestation  of  Ireland.

He  died  in  1886  aged  60.

862 John Kinnear

Constituency : Donegal  1880-85

John's  win  following  a  Liberal  victory  in  a  by-election  in  1879  meant  the  Liberals  now  held  both  Donegal  seats.

John  was  a  Presbyterian   minister  ordained  in  America.  He  was  educated  at  Belfast  College.  Unsurprisingly  he  supported  the  closing  of  public  houses  on  a  Sunday.  He   supported  the  extension  of  Ulster's  tenant  rights  to  the  whole  of  Ireland  and  spoke  in  favour  of  the  Irish  Land  Act  of  1881.

John  was  a  benefactor  of  Magee  University  Library  in  Londonderry.

He  died  in  1894  aged  70.

861 James Richardson

Constituency  : County  of  Armagh  1880-85

James  captured  this  longtime  Tory  seat  for  the  Liberals.

James  was  a  Quaker  educated  privately  and  then  at  a  Quaker  school  in  London. His  father   was  a  linen  merchant  and  philanthropist  who  acquired  a  substantial  estate  through  his  second  marriage.  James  travelled  widely  in  America  and  Russia.

James  was elected  as  a  strong  supporter  of  tenant  rights.  He  supported  Gladstone's  second  Irish  Land  Act.

James  left  the  Commons  when  his  seat  was  scrapped.

He  died  in  1921  aged  75.

860 John Heron-Maxwell

Constituency  :  Kirkcudbright  1880-85

John  took  over  from  John  Maitland  at  Kirkcudbright .

John  was  a  clergyman's  son.  He  was  educated  at  Harrow  then  went  into  the  army. He  was  a  captain  in  the  1st  Royal  Scots  Regiment.

John  opposed  corporal  punishment  in  the  army . He  also  opposed  the  banning  of  alcoholic  drinks  in  army  canteens.

John  didn't  stand  for  re-election  in  1885.

He  died  in  1899  aged  62.

859 John McLaren

Constituency : Wigtown   Burghs  1880,  Edinburgh  1881

John  took  Wigtown  from  the  Tories.

John  was  the  son  of  Duncan  McLaren  the  MP  for  Edinburgh. He  was  small  and  frail  so  educated  privately  before  going  to  Edinburgh  University  and  becoming  a  Scottish  barrister. He  was  active  in  organising  the  Liberals  in  Scotland  and  masterminded  Gladstone's   Midlothian  Campaign.

John  wrote  a  number  of  legal  books.

Gladstone  immediately  appointed  John  Lord  Advocate  but  he  lost  the  ensuing  by-election. He  also  lost  a  by-election  at  Berwick-upon-Tweed  later  that  year.

John's  father  then  resigned  his  Edinburgh   seat  to  make  way  for  him. Late  in  1881  he  became  a  judge  as  Lord  McLaren  prompted  by  Gladstone and  Harcourt,

John  was  also  interested  in  maths  and  astronomy. He  was  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Astronomical  Society .

He  died  of  flu  in 1910  aged  79.

858 Arthur Elliott

Constituency : Roxburghshire  1880-92,   (  from  1886  Liberal  Unionist  ) City  of  Durham  1898-1906

Arthur  took  Roxburghshire  from  the  Tories.

Arthur  was  a  younger  son  of  the  Earl  of  Minto. At  the  age  of  four  he  had  to  have  a  leg  amputated  after  a  fall. He  was  educated  at  Edinburgh  University  and  Cambridge. He  became  a  journalist  . He  was  a  leading  Whig.

Arthur  opposed  the  Ground  Game  Bill. He  supported  the  death  penalty. In  1882  he  published  a  book  "The  State  and  the  Church".

Arthur  tried  to  force  Gladstone  to  commit  to  the  union  after  the  1885  result   and  was  wildly  cheered  by  the  Tories. He  switched  to  the  Liberal  Unionists  and  held  his  seat  in  1886. He  was  one  of  the  more  active  MPs  in  building  a  new  organisation. He  was  defeated  in  1892. In  1895 he  stood  at  Durham  and  lost  to  Matthew  Fowler  by  3  votes. He  won  the  by-election  following  Fowler's  death  in  1898  by  65  votes.  By  this  time  he  was  editor  of  the  Edinburgh  Review.

Arthur  was  one  of  a  small  group  of  Conservatives  and  Liberal  Unionists  who  were  opposed  to  the  Boer  War.

Arthur  was  elected  more  comfortably  in  1900 . He  was  briefly  Financial  Secretary  to  the  Treasury  in  1903  but  he  opposed  Chamberlain's  plans  on  tariff  reform  and  stepped  down. He  subsequently  criticised  Balfour  for  not  giving  a  clear  indication  of  where  he  stood. Durham  had  a  joint  organisation  for  Conservatives  and  Liberal  Unionists  the  Durham  Constitutional  Association. Arthur  broke  with  them  in  1905  when  he  continued  to  support  Free  Trade. He  said  in  the  House  "I  will  not  remain  a  member  of  any  Party  which  makes  a  system  of  antiquated  protectionism  a  principal  part  of  their  policy."He  stood  as  a  Free  Trade  candidate  in  1906  with  the  Liberals  agreeing  to  support  him  but  he  was  beaten  by  the  DCA's  candidate .

He  died  in  1923  aged  76.

857 Edward Marjoribanks

Constituency : Berwickshire  1880-94

Edward  reclaimed  Berwickshire  from  the  Tories.

Edward  was  the  son  of  Dudley  Marjoribanks, MP  for  Berwick  and  shortly  to  become  Baron  Tweedmouth.  He  was  educated  at  Harrow  and  Oxford  and  became  a  barrister. He  did  some  work  on  the  Tichborne  trial. In  1873  he  married  a  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  making  him  Winston  Churchill's  uncle  by  marriage. He  and  his  father  owned  a  ranch  in  Texas. He  contested  a  seat  in  Kent  in  1874

Edward  was  a  keen  sportsman  with  an  interest  in  hunting, shooting  and  fishing.

Edward  supported  the  legalisation  of  marriage  with  a  deceased  wife's  sister.

Edward  became  Comptroller  of  the  Household  in  1886.

In  1892  Edward  became  Chief  Whip  until  he  inherited  his  father's  title  in  1894. He  was  a  huge  success  as  Chief  Whip  holding  the  government's  slender  majority  together  with  his  tact  and  charm.  Rosebery  kept  him  in  the  Cabinet  as  Lord  Privy  Seal  and  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster.

In  1905  Edward  was  appointed  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  by  Campbell-Bannerman.

In  1908  Edward  came  under  fire  for  corresponding  with  the  German  emperor  on  the  British  naval  programme. Asquith  said  it  was  "a  purely  personal  and  private  communication, conceived  in  an  entirely  friendly  spirit". However  when  he  became  Prime  Minister  he  removed  him  from  the  Admiralty  and  made  him  Lord  President  of  the  Council. He  lasted  just  a  few  months  in the  post  before  a  nervous  breakdown  forced  his  retirement  from  the  government.

In  his  later  years  Edward  suffered  serious  financial  losses  which  necessitated  selling  some  of  his  estates  and  his  father's  art  collection.

In  1909   Edward  moved  to  Dublin  to  be  cared  for  by  his  sister. He  died  later  that  year  aged  60.

856 Stephen Williamson

Constituency : St  Andrews  Burghs  1880-85, Kilmarnock  Burghs  1886-95

Stephen  took  over  from  Edward  Ellice  at  St  Andrews.

Stephen  was  the  son  of  a  shipowner. He   went  to  Liverpool  in  1848  and  founded  the  firm  Balfour, Williamson &  Co  who  mainly  traded  with  South  America.

Stephen  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  debates  often  on  maritime  matters.

In  1885  Stephen  was  just  edged  out  by  Robert  Anstruther  the  former  Fife  MP. Both  of  them  secured  1,256  votes  but  Anstruther  was  awarded  the  seat  after  a  scrutiny  of  the  ballot  papers.  There  was  a  story  that   a  corrupt  committee  member  swallowed  one  of  Stephen's  vtes  during  the  procedure. Stephen  moved  to  Kilmarnock  where  he  displaced  the  incumbent  Tory  in  1886.

Stephen  was  defeated  in  1895.

He  died  in  1903  aged  75.

855 Robert Bruce

Constituency  : Fife  1880-85  , West  Fife  1885-9  ( from  1886  Liberal  Unionist )

Robert  took  over  from  Robert  Anstruther  at  Fife.

Robert  was  a  younger  brother  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford. He  was  a  captain  in  the  Fifeshire  Artillery  Militia.

In  1883  Robert  expressed  concern  about  the  education  of  Scottish  children  who  worked  part  time  in  factories.

When  the  seat  was  split  in  1885  Robert  was  elected  unopposed  in  West  Fife  and  again  in  1886  despite  switching  to  the  Liberal  Unionists.

In  1886  Robert  spoke  against  the  Church  of  Scotland  Bill  as  unlikely  to  obtain  its  stated  aim  of  reuniting  the  Presbyterian  churches.

He  died  in  1891  aged  42.

854 Robert Middleton

Constituency : Glasgow  1880-85

Robert  replaced  Charles  Tennant  who  did  not  stand. Although  in  third  place  behind  the  other  Liberal  MPs  he  polled  more  than  the  two  Tory  candidates  combined.

Robert  was  a  Glasgow  merchant. He  put  himself  forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  1879  by-election  but  deferred to  Tennant.

He  died  in  1891  aged  60.

853 Frank Henderson

Constituency : Dundee  1880-85

Frank  took  the  second  seat  at  Dundee  after  James  Yeaman  decided  to  fight  the  seat  as  a  Conservative  and  lost  by  nearly  2000 votes.

Frank  was  the  son  of  a  Dundee  leather  merchant. He  was  educated  at  Dundee  High  School. He  was  a  well-regarded  employer.

Frank's  contributions  in  the  Commons  were  usually  concerned  with  the  administration  of  education  in  Scotland.

In  1880  Frank  presided  over  the  unveiling  of  a  statue  of  Burns  in  Dundee  and  was  loudly  applauded  by  the  crowd  when  he  declared  that  Burns  had  exalted  the  lowly..

Frank   stood  down  in  1885  probably  on  health  grounds  for  he  died  just  four  years  later  aged  53.

852 John Peddie

Constituency  : Kilmarnock  Burghs  1880-85

John  took  over from  James  Harrison  at  Kilmarnock.

John  was  a  Presbyterian solicitor's  son. He  studied  law  at  Edinburgh  University  but  started  work  in  an  architect's  office. He  set  up  his  own  practice  in  1845  and  his  first  commission  was  the  United  Presbyterian  Synod  Hall  in  Edinburgh. He  also  did  work  at  Princess  St  station. He  was  then  appointed  architect  to  the  Royal  Bank  of  Scotland  designing  several  branches. He  also  worked  on  Cockburn  Street  and  Aberdeen  Town  Hall. In  1878  his  son  John  joined  the  practice  and  a  year  later  he  retired.

John  stood  in  1880  on  a  disestablishment  platform  and  in  1884  introduced  a  private  members  bill  on  the  subject.

In  1885  the  Whig  faction  put  up  a  candidate , Viscount  Dalrymple ,  which  allowed  the  Tory  to  sneak  a  narrow  victory  as  John  was  in  Australia  at  the  time  of  the  election..  Despite  Gladstone's  prompting  he  did  not  stand  again  pleading  financial  difficulties.

John  was  hampered  by  his  feckless  family. His  father  was  heavily  in  debt  and  his  house  had  to  be  sold. His  sisters  failed  to  marry so  he  was  supporting  them. His  uncle  Donald  fled  to  America  after  being  discovered  embezzling  from  the  church  and  John  felt  obliged  to  cover  the  losses. He  also  lost  heavily  in  a  number  of  hydropathic  companies  which  failed  in  1880. He  sought  alternative  investments  in  the  US  and  Australia. He  became  ill  in  1890  and  had  to  terminate  all  his  directorships.

He  died  in  1891  aged  67 and  was  buried  in  a  cemetery  where  he  had  designed  the  extension.

851 Richard Campbell

Constituency : Ayr  Burghs 1880-88 ( from  1886  Liberal  Unionist )

Richard  recaptured  Ayr  Burghs  from  the  Tories.

Richard's  grandfather  was  a  general. He  was  also  descended  from  William  Campbell  who  made  a  fortune  in  India. He  was  educated  at  Rugby  and  went  into  the  army  serving  in  the  8th  Madras  Cavalry.

Richard  made  just  one  brief  Commons  intervention  about  the  boundary  changes  in  1885. He  belonged  to  the  Whig  side  of  the  party. He  joined  the  LIberal  Unionists  in  1886.

He  died  in  1888  aged  56.

850 Donald Currie

Constituency : Perthshire 1880-85; West  Perthshire 1885-1900 ( from 1886  Liberal Unionist )

Donald  recaptured  Perthshire  for  the  Liberals.

Donald  was  one  of  ten  children. He  was  educated  at  Belfast  Academy  and  the  Royal  Belfast  Academical  Institution. He  started  work  in  a  shipping  office  at  Greenock. In  1844  he  switched  to  Cunard  and  rose  to  become  cargo  manager  there. In  1849  he  was  sent  to  Europe  to  establish  branch  houses  after the  abolition  of  the  navigation  laws. By  1862  he  wanted  his  own  business  and  set  up  the  Castle  firm  sailing  between  Liverpool  and  Calcutta  using  ships  owned  by  his  friends. The  company  prospered  through  a  sailing  service  to  Cape  Town. The  South  African  leader  John  Molteno  insisted  they  share  a  mail  contract  with  the  rival  Union  line  which  kept  both  companies  on  their  toes  until  they  eventually  merged  in  1900. In  1875  Donald  was  invited   to   chair  a  committee  of  shipowners  and  influenced  the Merchant  Shipping  Act  of  1876.  Also  that  year  he  was  sent  to  South  Africa  by  Lord  Carnarvon  to  broker  a  deal  on  the  Kimberley  diamond  fields.

Donald  was a  Presbyterian. He  was  knighted  in  1881.

In  1886  Donald  became  a  Liberal  Unionist  although  his  friendship  with  Gladstone  endured  and  the  Liberal  leader  was  often  his  guest  on  summer  cruises. He  enjoyed  hunting  stags.

Donald's  ships played  a  vital  part  in  the  Boer  War.

Donald  bought  large  estates  and  was  a  beneficient  landlord. His  final  years  were  given  over to  philanthropy  with  huge  donations  to  University  College Hospital, Edinburgh  University  and Belfast  Royal  Academy.

He  died  in  1909  aged  83.

849 Joseph Bolton

Constituency : Stirlingshire  1880-92

Joseph  recaptured  Stirlingshire  for  the  Liberals.

Joseph  was  a  partner  in  the  East  India  merchant  firm  Ker, Bolton & Co.  He  spent  his  early  career  in  India  and  then  returned  to  Scotland  where  he  expanded  the  company. He  was  chairman  of  the  Caledonian  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  chairman  of  the  Caledonian  Railway  Company. He  stood  unsuccessfully  in  Glasgow  in  1874  receiving  a  derisory  number  of  votes.

Joseph  introduced  the  Compulsory  Purchase  of  Land  Bill  in  1886.

Joseph  stood  down  in  1892.

He  died  in  1901  aged  81.

848 John Webster

Constituency : Aberdeen  1880-85

John  replaced  the  by-election  victor  John  Leith  at  Aberdeen. Leith  had  been  edged  out  by  the  radical-leaning  Aberdeen  Liberal  Association  (  the  first  in  Scotland  to  affiliate  to  the  NLF ) and  John  was  a  compromise  candidate  from  thirteen  hopefuls. He  was  elected  with  a  big  majority.

John  was   a  lawyer's  son  educated  at  Marischal  College  (  he  was  later  criticised  for  supporting  its  merger  with  King's  College )  and  Aberdeen  University. He  became  a  Scottish  Advocate. He  was  Lord  Provost  of  Aberdeen  from  1856  to  1859. He  was  also  chairman  of  the  Scottish  Provincial  Assurance  Company  and  on  the  University  Court. John  was  a  keen  supporter  of  Gladstone  and  organised  an  anti-war  demonstration  in  the  city  in  1878.

John  opposed  giving  more  representation  to  the  Scottish  universities  as  they  were  as  party-dominated  as  any  other  seat. He  supported  disestablishment  of  the  Church.

John  stood  down  in  1885  when  the  seat  was  split. The  Liberal  Unionists  tried  to  persuade  him  to  stand  against  James  Bryce  in  Aberdeen  South  in  1886  but  he  declined  the  offer. He  did  accept  the  chairmanship  of  the  Liberal  Unionist  Association.

John  was  a  tall  willowy  man.

He  died  in  1891 aged  80.

847 Robert Farquharson

Constituency  :  Western  Aberdeenshire  1880-1906

The  1880  election  saw  the  Liberals  return  to  power  with  a  big  majority  making  impressive  gains  everywhere  except  Ireland. Gladstone's  "Midlothian  campaign"  denouncing  the  Conservatives'  foreign  policy  drew  all  the  headlines  and  Disraeli, old  and  failing,  could  muster  little  resistance. His  time  was  over. Of  course  Gladstone  was  not  actually  leader  of  the  Liberal  party  any  more  but  neither  Hartington  nor  Granville  could  envisage  forming  a  government  without  him  and  he  would  not  accept  a  subordinate  role  and  so  they  advised  the  queen  that  she  must  send  for  him. It  has  to  be  said  that  despite  the  big  victory  the  1880  crop  were  relatively  undistinguished  with  many  fairly  senior  local  worthies, careerist  barristers  and  young  aristocrats   contributing  little. Most  of  them  only  served  the  one  term.

Robert  easily  won  Western  Aberdeenshire  after  Lord  Douglas  Gordon shifted  to  Huntingdonshire.

Robert  was  a  doctor  educated  at  Edinburgh  University. He  was  an  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Coldstream  Guards. He  was  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians. He  was  also  a  considerable  landowner.

Robert  was  a  frequent  speaker  in  the  House, usually  on  medical  matters.  He  was  an  opponent  of  female  suffrage.

In  1892  Robert's  majority  shrank  to  just  80.

In  1905  Robert  decided  to  step  down  at  the  next  election.

In  1912  Robert  was  peripherally  involved  in  a  suffragette  protest  when  Lloyd  George  visited  Aberdeen.

Robert  wrote   a  number  of  books  including  the  autobiographical  In  and  Out  of  Parliament.

He  died  in  1918  aged  81.

846 Newton Wallop aka Viscount Lymington

Constituency : Barnstaple  1880- 85, South  Molton 1885-91 ( from  1886  Liberal  Unionist )

The  splendidly-named  Newton  took  his  seat  just  weeks  before  the  dissolution  following  the  resignation  of  Samuel  Waddy  to  contest  and  win  Sheffield. Strangely  that  contest  took  place  weeks  before  Newton's  election.

Newton  was  the  son  and  heir  of  the  Earl  of  Portsmouth. He  was  educated  at  Oxford.

Newton's  maiden  speech  was  on  the  Irish  Land  Act  of  1881  which  he  supported  despite  being  an  Irish  landlord  himself. He  travelled  to  Canada  and  lauded  it  as  a  good  place  for  emigrants.

Newton  switched  seats  to  South  Molton  when  Barnstaple  was  reduced  to  one  member.

In  1891 Newton  succeeded  his  father. Newton  was  under-secretary  of  state  for  war  throughout  Campbell-Bannerman's  premiership  but  never  held  office  under  Asquith.

He  died  in  1917  aged  61.

Newton  was  the  last  Liberal  MP  elected  during  Disraeli's  government. We  now  move on  to  those  elected  in  the  1880  general  election.

845 Sir George McPherson-Grant

Constituency : Elginshire  and  Nairnshire  1879-86  

Sir  George  took  over  after  Alexander  Duff  became  Earl  of  Fife.

George  was  a  baronet's  son  educated  at  Harrow  and  Oxford. He  inherited  his  father's  title  at  the  age  of  11  in  1850.  He  became  famous  as  a  successful  cattle  breeder  winning  prizes  at  all  major  shows  including  the  Paris  Exhibition  of  1876   and  starting  the  breed  of  Aberdeen  Angus. In  1869  he  leased  the  site  for  the  Cragganmore  whiskey  distillery.

George  posed  a  single  parliamentary  question  on  a  local  matter. In  1883  he  gave  evidence  to  the  Napier  Commission  in  Inverness-shire.

George  fought  the  1886  election  as  a  Liberal  Unionist  but  was  defeated  by  Charles  Anderson.

He  died  in  1907  aged  68.

844 Charles Tennant

Constituency  : Glasgow  1879-80,  Peebles  and  Selkirk   1880-86

Charles  restored  the  Liberal  hold  on  all  three  seats  after  the  death  of  the  victorious  Tory  in  1874.

Charles  was  the  grandson  of  the  famous  chemist  and  industrialist  of  the  same  name.  Charles  re-invigorated  the  failing  company  and  became  extremely  wealthy. He  bought  a  large  estate  and  lived  as  a  country  gentleman. He  also  built  many  workers'  houses  near  to  his  chemical  works. He  was  President  of  the  United  Alkali  Company  and  chairman  of  the  Union  Bank  of  Scotland. He  was  a  Trustee  of  the  National Gallery  and  well  known  as  an  art  collector.

In  1885  Charles  was  made  a  baronet. The  following  year  he  was  defeated  by  the  Liberal  Unionist  Walter  Thorburn  by  50  votes.

In  1904  Charles  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Tariff  Commission.

He  died  in  1906  aged  82. His  son  Harold  was  also  a  Liberal  MP  and  his  clever  daughter  Margot  married  Herbert  Asquith.

843 George Howard

Constituency : Cumberland  East  1879-80, 1881-85

George  succeeded  his   deceased  father  as  MP  for  Cumberland  East.

George  was  a  grandson  of  the  6th Earl  of  Carlisle. He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Cambridge  then  went  off  to  study  at  the  Heatherley  School  of  Fine  Art. He  became  part  of  the  Etruscan  school  and  married  Rosalind  Stanley  who  became  known  as  a  campaigner  for  temperance  and  female  suffrage.  She  assisted  the  campaigns  of  both  George  and  his  father. He  became  friendly  with  Edward  Burne-Jones   and  William  Morris  and  a  patron  of  the  Pre-Raphaelite  Brotherhood. His  work  was  exhibited  from  1867  onwards.

George  spoke  in  favour  of  opening  museums  on  a  Sunday  in  1882. He  said  that  all  the  classes  had  "a  right  to  see  the  treasures  of  which  they  were  joint  owners  on  the  only  day  it  was  convenient  for  them  to  go  there".  His  parliamentary  contributions  were  usually  on  cultural  matters. He  became  a  Trustee  of  the  National  Gallery. He  also  supported  policemen's  pensions  and  the  employment  of  ex-servicemen.

George  travelled  widely  particularly  to  Italy  and  Egypt.

In  1880  George  was  pushed  into  third  place  by  a  Tory  but  he  died  within  a  year  and  George  regained  the  seat  in  the  by-election. He  did  not  stand  for  a  new  seat  when  Cumberland  East  was  abolished.

George  went  over  to  the  Liberal  Unionists while  Rosalind  stayed  loyal  to  Gladstone.

George  became  Earl  of  Carlisle  himself  in  1889.

George  was  known  to  be  charming  and  courteous  but  also  somewhat  sceptical  and  ironic.

He  died  in  1911  aged  67. His  son  Charles  was  a  Conservative  MP.

842 William Fletcher

Constituency : Cockermouth  1879-80

William   took  over  after  the  suicide  of his  older  brother  Isaac. He  won  the  by-election  by  around  200  votes.

As  noted  previously  the  Fletchers  were  colliery  owners. William  was  a  Quaker.

William  never  spoke  in  the  Commons.

He  died  in  1900  aged  69.