Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Hilton Seely, 2nd Baronet KGStJ
(7 July 1859 – 26 February 1926) was a British industrialist, landowner and Liberal Unionist
(later Liberal Party
) politician who served as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Lincoln
from 1895 to 1906 and for Mansfield
from 1916 to 1918. He was a Justice of the Peace
for Hampshire
and Nottinghamshire
and the Deputy Lieutenant
for Nottinghamshire. He was also a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John
.
, Nottinghamshire
, the eldest son of Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
(1833–1915), an industrialist and major land-owner in both Nottinghamshire and the Isle of Wight
. He was educated at Harrow School
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, and inherited the family estates at Sherwood Lodge in Nottinghamshire, and Gatcombe in the Isle of Wight.
for the early part of his political career. He first stood for election to Parliament
at the 1886 general election
, when he unsuccessfully contested Mid Derbyshire
. He stood for Rushcliffe
at the 1892 election
without success, but won a seat in Lincoln
at the 1895 election
, which his grandfather Charles Seely had represented until 1885 as a Liberal. He was re-elected again in 1900
with Conservative backing. However in February 1904 he lost the backing of the local Conservative and Liberal Unionist Association over his support for free trade
. The Conservatives adopted Henry Page Croft
as their candidate in place of Seely, who stood in the 1906 general election
as a Free Trade candidate.
Despite this setback, he again stood for Lincoln in the General Election of January 1910 as a Liberal Unionist in support of Free Trade and was again opposed by a Liberal and a Conservative. This time he finished in third place and did not stand for Parliament again for another six years. He instead served as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire
for 1912.
He was the successful Liberal Party candidate at a by-election in September 1916 in the Mansfield division of Nottinghamshire
. At the 1918 general election
, after boundary changes, he stood in the new Broxtowe division of Nottinghamshire
, but the seat was won with a large majority by the Labour Party
candidate. Seely did not stand for Parliament again.
, younger brother John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, and son Sir Hugh Seely, 3rd Baronet and 1st Baron Sherwood were all Members of Parliament
. His uncle was the civil engineer, businessman and politician Sir Francis Evans, 1st Baronet
.
Seely married Hilda Lucy (née Grant), granddaughter of the inventor Sir Thomas Tassell Grant
KCB, FRS, in 1891, and they had six children:
Sir Charles died in Basford
aged 66.
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(7 July 1859 – 26 February 1926) was a British industrialist, landowner and Liberal Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
(later 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 who served as 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 Lincoln
Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)
Lincoln is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
from 1895 to 1906 and for Mansfield
Mansfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Mansfield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundary review:...
from 1916 to 1918. He was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and the 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 Nottinghamshire. He was also a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
.
Early life
He was born in MansfieldMansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, the eldest son of Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
Colonel Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet KGStJ was a British industrialist and politician.Seely was Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Nottingham from 1869 to 1874 and 1880 to 1885, and for Nottingham West from 1885 to 1886, and Liberal Unionist MP for Nottingham West from 1892 to 1895...
(1833–1915), an industrialist and major land-owner in both Nottinghamshire and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, and inherited the family estates at Sherwood Lodge in Nottinghamshire, and Gatcombe in the Isle of Wight.
Political career
Seely was a Liberal UnionistLiberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
for the early part of his political career. He first stood for election to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at the 1886 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1886
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, when he unsuccessfully contested Mid Derbyshire
Mid Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Derbyshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...
. He stood for Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 80's:-Notes and references:...
at the 1892 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...
without success, but won a seat in Lincoln
Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)
Lincoln is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
at the 1895 election
United 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...
, which his grandfather Charles Seely had represented until 1885 as a Liberal. He was re-elected again 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**...
with Conservative backing. However in February 1904 he lost the backing of the local Conservative and Liberal Unionist Association over his support for free trade
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...
. The Conservatives adopted Henry Page Croft
Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft
Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft was a British Conservative Party politician.-Early life and family:He was born at Fanhams Hall in Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Benyon Croft a naval officer and a major benefactor of the Richard Hale School, and Anne Elizabeth...
as their candidate in place of Seely, who stood in the 1906 general election
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**...
as a Free Trade candidate.
Despite this setback, he again stood for Lincoln in the General Election of January 1910 as a Liberal Unionist in support of Free Trade and was again opposed by a Liberal and a Conservative. This time he finished in third place and did not stand for Parliament again for another six years. He instead served as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire
High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire
’The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
for 1912.
He was the successful Liberal Party candidate at a by-election in September 1916 in the Mansfield division of Nottinghamshire
Mansfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Mansfield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundary review:...
. At the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, after boundary changes, he stood in the new Broxtowe division of Nottinghamshire
Broxtowe (UK Parliament constituency)
Broxtowe is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, but the seat was won with a large majority by the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate. Seely did not stand for Parliament again.
Family
Seely was a member of a family of politicians, industrialists and significant landowners. His grandfather Charles Seely (1803-1887), father Sir Charles Seely, 1st BaronetSir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
Colonel Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet KGStJ was a British industrialist and politician.Seely was Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Nottingham from 1869 to 1874 and 1880 to 1885, and for Nottingham West from 1885 to 1886, and Liberal Unionist MP for Nottingham West from 1892 to 1895...
, younger brother John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, and son Sir Hugh Seely, 3rd Baronet and 1st Baron Sherwood were all Members 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,...
. His uncle was the civil engineer, businessman and politician Sir Francis Evans, 1st Baronet
Sir Francis Evans, 1st Baronet
Sir Francis Henry Evans, 1st Baronet, KCMG was a British civil engineer, businessman and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
.
Seely married Hilda Lucy (née Grant), granddaughter of the inventor Sir Thomas Tassell Grant
Sir Thomas Tassell Grant
Sir Thomas Tassell Grant KCB FRS was a notable inventor in the 19th century.He was born in Portsea, Hampshire, the son of Thomas and Ann Grant of Soberton, Hampshire....
KCB, FRS, in 1891, and they had six children:
- Violet Lucy Emily Seely (1892–1979), who married the 2nd Viscount AllendaleWentworth Beaumont, 2nd Viscount AllendaleWentworth Henry Canning Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Allendale KG CB OBE MC DL JP was a British peer.Allendale was the son of the 1st Viscount Allendale and was educated at Eton and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1912. He was commissioned into the Territorial Force in 1912 and transferred...
KGOrder of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
a grandson of the 5th Marquess of LondonderryMarquess of LondonderryMarquess of Londonderry is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of Commons. Stewart had already been created Baron Londonderry in 1789, Viscount Castlereagh in 1795 and Earl...
. Violet's grandson is George William Beaumont Howard, the current and 13th Earl of CarlisleEarl of CarlisleEarl of Carlisle is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1322 when the soldier Andrew Harclay, 1st Baron Harclay was made Earl of Carlisle. He had already been summoned to Parliament as Lord Harclay in 1321...
whose principal family seat was Castle HowardCastle HowardCastle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, north of York. One of the grandest private residences in Britain, most of it was built between 1699 and 1712 for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, to a design by Sir John Vanbrugh...
. - Charles Grant Seely (1894–1917), killed in action in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
- Sir Hugh Seely, 3rd Baronet and 1st Baron Sherwood, who became an MP and a government minister
- Ivy Angela Seely MBEMBEMBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 1898) - Victor Basil John Seely (1900–1980), who inherited the baronetcy on the death of his brother Hugh, and whose son SIr Nigel Edward Seely (b.1923) is the 5th of the Seely BaronetsSeely BaronetsThe Seely Baronetcy, of Sherwood Lodge in Arnold in the County of Nottingham and Brook House in Brooke on the Isle of Wight, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 19 February 1896 for the industrialist Charles Seely, the son and namesake of Charles Seely...
- Squadron Ldr Nigel Richard William Seely (1902–1943) who married Isabella Elinor Margarete von Rieben, killed in action in World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Their son Hilton Nigel Matthew Seely married 1971 Leonie Mary Taylor, daughter of Brigadier George Taylor CBE, DSO & Bar, KHSGeorge Taylor (soldier)Brigadier George Taylor CBE, DSO & Bar was a British born soldier who served in the British Army. According to The Independent "he won an almost unrivalled reputation as a battle commanding officer in North-West Europe in 1944-45 before commanding brigades in the Korean war and in Kenya during the...
Sir Charles died in Basford
Basford Rural District
Basford was an rural district close to Nottingham, England, from 1894 to 1974. The district consisted of two detached parts, to the north and south of Nottingham...
aged 66.
Sources
External links
- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/search/quick_search.aspx?s=SUBCATEGORY:Family+%26+estate+papers++(285):C20035:CATEGORY:Family+%26+personal+papers+(385):C10011:&queryText=seely&searchtext=seely&queryType=ALL&catRestrict=C10011%3aCATEGORY&catSelected=Family+%26+personal+papers+(385)&catDisplay=Family+%26+personal+papers&ShowAllCategories=0Information on the Seely family estates at the UK National Registry of Archives]
- memorial by the famous sculptor Sir Thomas BrockThomas BrockSir Thomas Brock KCB RA was an English sculptor.- Life :Brock was born in Worcester, attended the School of Design in Worcester and then undertook an apprenticeship in modelling at the Worcester Royal Porcelain Works. In 1866 he became a pupil of the sculptor John Henry Foley. He married in 1869,...
to his eldest son Charles Grant Seely, killed at Gaza in World War 1 (1917), in Gatcombe Church. - The Great Houses of Nottinghamshire, Sherwood Lodge (1881)
- Wight Life April/May 1975 article on The Seely Family and their Island Homes