George Whiteley, 1st Baron Marchamley

British politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Whiteley, 1st Baron Marchamley PC (30 August 1855 – 21 October 1925) was a British Conservative turned Liberal Party politician. He served as Chief Whip between 1905 and 1908 in the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H. Asquith.

Quick facts The Right HonourableThe Lord MarchamleyPC, Monarch ...
The Lord Marchamley
George Whiteley MP, circa 1906
In office
12 December 1905  1 June 1908
MonarchEdward VII
Prime MinisterHenry Campbell-Bannerman
H. H. Asquith
Preceded byAlexander Acland-Hood
Succeeded byJack Pease
Member of Parliament
for Pudsey
In office
10 October 1900  1 June 1908
Preceded byBriggs Priestley
Succeeded byJohn James Oddy
Member of Parliament
for Stockport
In office
22 February 1893  10 October 1900
Preceded byLouis John Jennings
Succeeded byJoseph Leigh
Personal details
Born(1855-08-30)30 August 1855
Died21 October 1925(1925-10-21) (aged 70)
London, England, UK
PartyLiberal (1900–1925)
Other political
affiliations
Conservative (Before 1900)
SpouseAlice Tattersall (d. 1913)
RelationsHerbert (brother)
Parent
  • George Whiteley (father)
Close

Background

Whiteley was the eldest son of George Whiteley, JP, of Woodlands, Blackburn, Lancashire.[1] His brother, Herbert, also became a Member of Parliament.

He was partner in a cotton-spinning firm and had major brewing interests.[2]

Political career

As a Conservative,[2] Whiteley was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockport from 1893 to 1900.[1][3] He then joined the Liberal Party, in whose interest he was elected M.P. in 1900 for Pudsey, serving until 1908.[1][2][4] He became Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip) when the Liberals came to power in December 1905,[1] and was made a Privy Counsellor in 1907.[5] On 1 June 1908, he resigned from Parliament by accepting appointment as Steward of the Manor of Northstead.[6] It was thought that his retirement was due entirely to insomnia, from which he had suffered for a long period.[7] On 3 July 1908 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Marchamley, of Hawkstone in the County of Shropshire.[8][9] He contributed occasionally in the House of Lords, making his last speech in November 1919.[10] The Complete Peerage summarised up his oratory as: "A ready speaker, with a somewhat caustic humour, he was on the platform an effective asset to the Liberal Party".[2]

He was made a JP for the counties of Hampshire in 1900, and Shropshire in 1908.[11]

Family

Lord Marchamley married Alice, only child of William Tattersall, JP, of Quarry Bank, Blackburn, and St Anthony's Milnthorpe, in 1881. In 1907, he purchased, from the 4th Viscount Hill, Hawkstone Hall and its estates in Shropshire, later selling them in 1923.[12] His own title was taken from the village of Marchamley, near Hawkstone Hall, and after Hawkstone itself.

Lady Marchamley died in 1913. Marchamley survived her by twelve years and died at his home, 29 Princes Gardens, London,[2] after an operation[13] in October 1925, aged 70. He was buried in the churchyard of St Luke's, Weston-under-Redcastle, Shropshire. He was succeeded in the barony by his son, William.[1]

Arms

Coat of arms of George Whiteley, 1st Baron Marchamley
Crest
A stag’s head couped Argent attired Or holding in the mouth a bell Gold.
Escutcheon
Per fesse dancettée Sable and Gules in chief a pale Or thereon three bars of the second in base a fleur de lis Argent.
Supporters
Dexter a griffin sejant sinister a hawk both per fess Gules and Sable armed and membered Or each charged on the fesse line with a fleur-de-lis Argent.[14]
Motto
Live To Live
Punch cartoon depicting Liberal versus Labour voting issues arising from a comment by George Whiteley[15][16]

References

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