John William Crombie
Encyclopedia
John William Crombie was a Scottish woollen manufacturer, folklorist
and Liberal Party
politician.
, the eldest son of John Crombie of Balgownie Lodge, near Aberdeen
. He attended the Gymnasium School, Old Aberdeen
and went on to the University of Aberdeen
where he obtained an MA degree
. He also studied in France and Germany. In 1895 he married Minna, the daughter of Eugene Wason
, MP. They had one son and a daughter.
at the 1892 general election
. At this election Crombie faced a Liberal Unionist opponent, J Stephen. Crombie held the seat for the Liberals with a majority of 1,068 votes.
and Crombie faced a sterner test, this time opposed by the Honourable Charles S Forbes Trefusis. It was reported that Trefusis was popular in the county as a local landowner but Crombie held on with a majority of 583.
In 1900
Crombie faced a new Conservative
opponent, Mr J Mowat the Provost
of Stonehaven
. However, in an election which saw the Unionists confirmed in power, Crombie’s constituency was one where the Liberal performance was said to be one of the strongest in Scotland and he won with a majority of 1,556.
In 1906
he again faced a new Conservative opponent, S J Gammell. In the Liberal landslide election year Crombie had his most comfortable majority ever, 2,353 votes.
, when he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
(1892–94) and President of the Board of Trade (1894–95). Crombie was also Deputy Lieutenant
for Aberdeenshire. In 1896 Crombie was appointed to be a member of a Board of Agriculture Departmental committee to report into the working of laws relating to dogs. The committee reported in early 1897. They made important recommendations on measures to be adopted to prevent and control rabies
. They also called for a tougher stance by local authorities, now to be aided by the police, to ensure effective dog licensing, which had been largely evaded by dog owners to that point and more powers to enable muzzling for safety, cut down sheep-worrying and to prevent disease. He was later appointed to a committee to inquire into the probable economic effect of a limit to the eight hours to the working day
of coal miners.
or Gladstonian
, Crombie was an orthodox free-trader
, as his letter to the editor of The Times
newspaper of 6 October 1903 demonstrated. In the letter he attacked the proposals of Prime Minister Arthur Balfour
with specific examples drawn from his experience as a woollen manufacturer and from other industries. He warned of the dangers of retaliatory action by foreign governments leading to higher and higher tariffs on all sides. Another source describes Crombie and “an Advanced Liberal” in favour of Irish Home Rule. Crombie was also a member of the Parliamentary Temperance Group, a classical concern of Victorian and Edwardian Liberals. In 1901, he sponsored a Bill
to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquor
to children under 16 years. The Bill became law
later that year, although the age of the children affected was reduced to 14 years.
and Nineteenth Century
. His death was announced in Folk-Lore, the journal of the Folklore Society
in 1908.
in Kensington
aged 50 years. He had been unwell for some time and had been confined to bed for three weeks. His funeral was held at St. Machar's Cathedral
, Aberdeen and a Memorial service was also held at St. Margaret's, Westminster
. His death occasioned a by-election
in his Kincardineshire constituency, held on 25 April 1908. The seat was held for the Liberals by Captain, The Honourable Arthur Cecil Murray.
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Family and education
Crombie was born in AberdeenshireAberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, the eldest son of John Crombie of Balgownie Lodge, near Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. He attended the Gymnasium School, Old Aberdeen
Old Aberdeen
Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891...
and went on to the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
where he obtained an MA degree
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
. He also studied in France and Germany. In 1895 he married Minna, the daughter of Eugene Wason
Eugene Wason
Eugene Wason was a Scottish lawyer and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in three periods between 1885 and 1918.-Family:...
, MP. They had one son and a daughter.
Career
Crombie’s father was a member of the manufacturing family the Crombies of Cothal Mills and Grandholm and in 1880 Crombie followed him into the family business, becoming a Director of J. & J. Crombie, Ltd, woollen manufacturers, the company founded 1806 by his grandfather. In 1892 he resigned from the business to take up politics.Member of Parliament
Crombie was elected Liberal MP for KincardineshireKincardineshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Kincardineshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was represented by one Member of Parliament ....
at the 1892 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
. At this election Crombie faced a Liberal Unionist opponent, J Stephen. Crombie held the seat for the Liberals with a majority of 1,068 votes.
1895-1906
The Unionists had improved their organisation in the constituency by the time of the 1895 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
and Crombie faced a sterner test, this time opposed by the Honourable Charles S Forbes Trefusis. It was reported that Trefusis was popular in the county as a local landowner but Crombie held on with a majority of 583.
In 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
Crombie faced a new Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
opponent, Mr J Mowat the Provost
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
of Stonehaven
Stonehaven
Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.Stonehaven, county town of Kincardineshire, grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" , and expanded inland from the seaside...
. However, in an election which saw the Unionists confirmed in power, Crombie’s constituency was one where the Liberal performance was said to be one of the strongest in Scotland and he won with a majority of 1,556.
In 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he again faced a new Conservative opponent, S J Gammell. In the Liberal landslide election year Crombie had his most comfortable majority ever, 2,353 votes.
Appointments
Crombie served as Private Secretary to James BryceJames Bryce
James Bryce may refer to:*James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce , British jurist, historian and politician*James W. Bryce , American inventor and pioneer in magnetic data recording...
, when he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
(1892–94) and President of the Board of Trade (1894–95). Crombie was also Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Aberdeenshire. In 1896 Crombie was appointed to be a member of a Board of Agriculture Departmental committee to report into the working of laws relating to dogs. The committee reported in early 1897. They made important recommendations on measures to be adopted to prevent and control rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
. They also called for a tougher stance by local authorities, now to be aided by the police, to ensure effective dog licensing, which had been largely evaded by dog owners to that point and more powers to enable muzzling for safety, cut down sheep-worrying and to prevent disease. He was later appointed to a committee to inquire into the probable economic effect of a limit to the eight hours to the working day
Eight-hour day
The eight-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement, also known as the short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. With working conditions...
of coal miners.
Political stance
Usually described as a RadicalRadicals (UK)
The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century, who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to transform the Whigs into the Liberal Party.-Background:...
or Gladstonian
Gladstonian Liberalism
Gladstonian Liberalism is a political doctrine named after the British Victorian Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party, William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstonian Liberalism consisted of limited government expenditure and low taxation whilst making sure government had balanced budgets...
, Crombie was an orthodox free-trader
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
, as his letter to the editor of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper of 6 October 1903 demonstrated. In the letter he attacked the proposals of Prime Minister Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
with specific examples drawn from his experience as a woollen manufacturer and from other industries. He warned of the dangers of retaliatory action by foreign governments leading to higher and higher tariffs on all sides. Another source describes Crombie and “an Advanced Liberal” in favour of Irish Home Rule. Crombie was also a member of the Parliamentary Temperance Group, a classical concern of Victorian and Edwardian Liberals. In 1901, he sponsored a Bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquor
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
to children under 16 years. The Bill became law
Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
An Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
later that year, although the age of the children affected was reduced to 14 years.
Publications
In 1890, Crombie published a book of poetical, literary and folkloric sketches entitled Some Poets of the People in Foreign Lands (Eliot Stock, London, 1890 and 2nd edition, 1891). The interest in poetry ran in the family. Crombie’s son Eugene, a Captain in the Gordon Highlanders in World War I, was a war poet. He died in 1917. Crombie’s interest in folklore led him to write and review learned articles on the subject. In 1886 he published an article in the Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland on the 'History of the Game of Hop Scotch' and the origins of its name. He also wrote articles on topical and political subjects for magazines such as the Westminster ReviewWestminster Review
The Westminster Review was a quarterly British publication. Established in 1823 as the official organ of the Philosophical Radicals, it was published from 1824 to 1914. James Mill was one of the driving forces behind the liberal journal until 1828....
and Nineteenth Century
Nineteenth Century (periodical)
The Nineteenth Century was a British monthly literary magazine founded in 1877 by Sir James Knowles. Many of the early contributors to The Nineteenth Century were members of the Metaphysical Society. The journal was intended to publish debate by leading intellectuals.In 1900, the title was changed...
. His death was announced in Folk-Lore, the journal of the Folklore Society
Folklore Society
The Folklore Society was founded in England in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts and crafts, customs and belief...
in 1908.
Death
Crombie died at his London home in Onslow SquareOnslow Square
Onslow Square is a garden square in South Kensington, southwest London, England.The square lies between the Old Brompton Road to the northwest and the Fulham Road to the southeast. To the north is South Kensington tube station. To the south is the Royal Marsden Hospital...
in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
aged 50 years. He had been unwell for some time and had been confined to bed for three weeks. His funeral was held at St. Machar's Cathedral
St. Machar's Cathedral
St Machar's Cathedral is a Church of Scotland church in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is located to the north of the city centre, in the former burgh of Old Aberdeen...
, Aberdeen and a Memorial service was also held at St. Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
. His death occasioned a by-election
Kincardineshire by-election, 1908
The Kincardineshire by-election, 1908 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Kincardineshire on 25 April 1908. The seat had become vacant when the sitting Liberal Member of Parliament John Crombie died on 22 March 1908...
in his Kincardineshire constituency, held on 25 April 1908. The seat was held for the Liberals by Captain, The Honourable Arthur Cecil Murray.