Frederick Banbury, 1st Baron Banbury of Southam

Frederick George Banbury, 1st Baron Banbury of Southam PC (2 December 1850 – 13 August 1936), known as Sir Frederick Banbury, 1st Baronet, from 1903 to 1924, was a British businessman and Conservative Member of Parliament.[1]

The Right Honourable The Lord Banbury of Southam PC
Banbury in 1895
Member of Parliament for Peckham
In office 1892–1906
Preceded by	Arthur Anthony Baumann
Succeeded by	Charles Clarke
Member of Parliament for City of London
In office 1906–1924
Preceded by	Sir Edward Clarke
Succeeded by	Vansittart Bowater
Personal details
Born	2 December 1850
Died	13 August 1936
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Rosa Beale
Parents	Frederick Banbury Cecilia Laura Cox
Education	Winchester College
Occupation	Aristocrat, businessman, politician

Early life

Frederick Banbury was born on 2 December 1850. He was the eldest son of Frederick Banbury and Cecilia Laura (née Cox) of Shirley House Surrey.,[2] and was educated at Winchester College.[2]

Business career

Banbury was admitted to the London Stock Exchange in 1872[2] and was head of Frederick Banbury and Sons, stockbrokers, of London, between 1879 and 1906, as well as chairman of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) and a director of the London and Provincial Bank.[1][2]

Politics

Banbury was elected to represent Camberwell, Peckham in the House of Commons at the 1892 general election, and held the seat in 1895 and 1900. At the 1906 general election he lost the seat as the Liberal Party won a large majority.[2] Later in the year he returned to parliament when he was returned unopposed in a by election for the City of London.[2] He held the seat until 1924.[1]

He was a diligent member of the Commons, and was known for his formal attire and punctuality. Although he remained on the back benches he was regarded as an institution in the House.[2] Banbury was created a baronet, "of Southam in the County of Warwick", in 1903,[3] and admitted to the Privy Council in 1916.[1] When the bill which led to the initial extension of the franchise to women was passing through parliament, Banbury said during a debate:

"Women are likely to be affected by gusts and waves of sentiment. Their emotional temperament makes them so liable to it. But those are not the people best fitted in this practical world either to sit in this House ... or to be entrusted with the immense power which this bill gives them."[4][5]

After his retirement from the House of Commons at the 1924 general election, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Banbury of Southam, of Southam in the County of Warwick.[1][6]

Railways

He was the last chairman of the GNR, which lost its identity when, under the Railways Act 1921, it was grouped with several other railways on 1 January 1923 to become a constituent of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Sir Frederick was a strong opponent of the railway grouping, and had voted against the Bill during its passage through Parliament; he wanted no part of the future LNER, and decided to retire from railway service at the end of 1922.[7] In late September 1922, the GNR honoured Sir Frederick by naming its newest express passenger locomotive no. 1471 Sir Frederick Banbury. This locomotive belonged to GNR Class A1, was built in July 1922 and remained in service until November 1961.[8]

Personal life

Banbury married Elizabeth Rosa, daughter of Thomas Barbot Beale, of Brettenham, Suffolk in 1873.[1] She died in 1930.[1] Banbury survived her by six years and died in August 1936 at his home, Warneford Place, Highworth, Wiltshire aged 85. He was buried in Sevenhampton.[2] He was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Charles, his only son Captain Charles William Banbury having been killed in the First World War.[1]

Banbury was an animal lover, and for years was on the council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and served as its chairman.[2]

Notes

1. "BANBURY of Southam, 1st Baron". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. December 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
2. "Obituary: Lord Banbury A Parliamentary "Character"". The Times. 14 August 1936. p. 14.
3. "No. 27500". The London Gazette. 2 December 1902. p. 8366.
4. Hughes, Laura (14 June 2018). "Abuse of power: the truth about sexual harassment in Westminster". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
5. Gillett, Francesca (29 April 2018). "Women's suffrage: 10 reasons why men opposed votes for women". BBC News. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
6. "No. 32900". The London Gazette. 22 January 1924. p. 684.
7. Hughes 1987, pp. 9,12
8. Groves 1992, pp. 89,98,99

References

• Groves, Norman (1992). Great Northern Locomotive History: Volume 3b 1911-1922 The Gresley Era. Lincoln: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-70-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Hughes, Geoffrey (1987) [1986]. LNER. London: Guild Publishing/Book Club Associates. CN 1455.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Sources

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
• Lundy, Darryl. "FAQ". The Peerage.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Banbury of Southam

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Arthur A. Baumann	Member of Parliament for Peckham 1892 – 1906	Succeeded by Charles Clarke
Preceded by Sir Edward Clarke Arthur Balfour	Member of Parliament for the City of London 1906 – 1924 With: Arthur Balfour 1906–1922 Edward Grenfell 1922–1924	Succeeded by Edward Grenfell Vansittart Bowater
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baronet (of Southam) 1903 – 1936	Succeeded by Charles William Banbury
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Banbury of Southam 1924 – 1936	Succeeded by Charles William Banbury