Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling
Encyclopedia
Baron Swaythling
Baron Swaythling, of Swaythling in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1907 for the prominent Jewish banker, Liberal politician and philanthropist, Sir Samuel Montagu, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Swaythling in the...
(21 December 1832 - 12 January 1911) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
banker who founded the bank of Samuel Montagu & Co.. He was a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and Liberal
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 who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1900, and was later raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Montagu was born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
as Montagu Samuel, the second son of Louis Samuel a watchmaker of Liverpool and his wife Henrietta Israel, daughter of Israel Israel of Bury Street, St. Mary Axe, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was educated at the High School of Liverpool Mechanics' Institute as Samuel Montagu. In 1853 he founded the bank of Samuel Montagu as a foreign banker. Montagu was a pious Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jew
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and devoted himself to social services and advancing Jewish institutions He was involved founding new synagogues in establlishing the Federation of Synagogues, which was an umbrella body for the small Orthodox congregations in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
.
He was elected at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
Liberal
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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Whitechapel
Whitechapel (UK Parliament constituency)
Whitechapel was a parliamentary constituency in the Whitechapel district of East London. In 1885 the seat was established as a division of the parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets...
, and held the seat until he stood down at the 1900 general election
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**...
. From 1887 to 1890, he was a member of the Gold and Silver Commission. He was created a Baronet, of Swaythling in the County of Hampshire, on 23 June 1894.
Land owned by Montagu in Jeremys Green Lane, Edmonton
Edmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
now known as Montagu Road - was presented to the Federation of Synagogues as a burial strip. At this time he was aware of the overcrowding in his constituency, and was especially keen to see Jewish families move out to the suburbs. In 1898, therefore, he proposed that land south of Salmons Brook
Salmons Brook
Salmons Brook is located in the London Borough of Enfield and is a minor tributary of the River Lea. - Etymology :Salmons Brook is marked thus on Rocque's map of 1754, probably named from the family of John Salemon of Edmonton mentioned in 1274...
, Edmonton - some 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) in all - be used for 700 houses, to house between 3000 and 4000 people. The houses were to have low rents and to include small gardens, with preference given to those currently living in Whitechapel. The project was first offered to the LCC
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
, and then Edmonton UDC, both were prevaricated. In 1899 the proposals were rejected and Montagu subsequently gave £10,000 towards LCC housing on the White Hart Lane estate Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
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In 1907 Montagu was raised to the peerage as Baron Swaythling
Baron Swaythling
Baron Swaythling, of Swaythling in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1907 for the prominent Jewish banker, Liberal politician and philanthropist, Sir Samuel Montagu, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Swaythling in the...
, of Swaythling in the County of Hampshire.
Montagu married Ellen Cohen, daughter of Louis Cohen, in 1862. His daughter Lily
Lily Montagu
Lilian Helen "Lily" Montagu, CBE was the first woman to play a major role in Reform Judaism.She was the sixth of ten children born to Ellen Cohen Montagu and Samuel Montagu , a self-made millionaire by the age of thirty, Samuel Montagu was a wealthy banker and bullion broker, a member of the...
would eventually found Liberal Judaism
Liberal Judaism
Liberal Judaism , is one of the two forms of Progressive Judaism found in the United Kingdom, the other being Reform Judaism. Liberal Judaism, which developed at the beginning of the twentieth century is less conservative than UK Reform Judaism...