Thomas Berridge
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry Devereux Berridge (6 July 1857 – 24 October 1924) was a British Liberal
politician and solicitor
.
of Lowton
St. Mary’s in Lancashire
. He was educated privately and at Upholland
Grammar School where his father was the headmaster. In 1887 Berridge married Agnes Campion from Redhill
. Mrs Berridge suffered from heart problems in later life and while apparently in good health and spirits was taken ill suddenly at a dance in Kensington and died in a few minutes in Feb. 1909. They had one son and one daughter.
, who were the solicitors to the Mining Association of Great Britain. In 1878 he was admitted as a solicitor. In 1882 he became a partner in the firm of Burn & Berridge, solicitors to the government of Newfoundland
. He was a member and later Master of the Court of the City of London Solicitors' Company
of which David Lloyd George
was also a member.
.
was tipped for an appointment to be a Judge
or Governor of a British Colony. In the event this did not happen but it provided the opportunity for Berridge to associate himself with the constituency. In 1903 however Lyttelton was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies
and the Parliamentary regulations of the day required him to contest a by-election
. Berridge was adopted as Liberal candidate. There was some initial suggestion that Lyttelton should not be opposed but the local Liberal Association decided there were good precedents for such a contest and wished to have the chance of opposing the government on its policies. Besides, Alfred Lyttelton was to succeed Joseph Chamberlain
as Colonial Secretary and the Warwick & Leamington seat being so close to Chamberlain's Birmingham
stronghold it was considered by the Liberals as something of a ‘rotten borough
’ which Chamberlain felt he could dispose of as he wished, and this was added reason for the Liberals' wish to stand a candidate. The by-election resulted in a Unionist majority of 190 for Lyttelton over Berridge on a turnout of 86%. This contrasted to Lyttelton’s majority of 831 at the previous general election in 1900
.
announced the dissolution of Parliament
on 16 December 1905 and called a general election for January 1906, Warwick and Leamington Liberal Association was quick to adopt Berridge formally as Liberal and free-trade candidate at a meeting on 18 December.
On 12 January 1906, Lloyd George came to a public meeting in Leamington to speak for Berridge but due to a large number of Unionist supporters (many imported from Birmingham) causing disruption and noise and singing patriotic songs in the hall, he was never able to make himself heard and had to leave and make his speech to a smaller gathering of Liberals at another location.
Benefitting from the surge in support for the Liberal Party at the general election, Berridge won Warwick and Leamington with a majority of 209 votes, removing Lyttelton from the House of Commons, at least for a few weeks until he was returned unopposed at a by-election for the seat of St George's, Hanover Square
in Westminster. Berridge remained MP for Warwick and Leamington for four years until the general election of January 1910 when he was defeated by the Conservative
Ernest Pollock. In March 1910 Berridge gave his constituency party notice that he was unlikely to contest the next election after his defeat but he did in fact agree to stand at the December 1910 general election although he again lost to Pollock.
later the Royal Air Force
Voluntary Hospitals between 1916-1919.
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 and solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
.
Family and education
Berridge was the son of the Reverend W Berridge the VicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Lowton
Lowton
Lowton is a village, part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is around from Leigh and south of Wigan. The settlement lies across the A580 East Lancashire Road....
St. Mary’s in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He was educated privately and at Upholland
Upholland
Upholland is a civil parish and village in West Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately 3 miles east of Skelmersdale, also in West Lancashire, and 4½ miles west of Wigan in Greater Manchester.-Geography:...
Grammar School where his father was the headmaster. In 1887 Berridge married Agnes Campion from Redhill
Redhill
Redhill can refer to:* Redhill, South Australia, Australia* Redhill, Nottinghamshire, England* Redhill, Shropshire, England* Redhill, Somerset, England* Redhill, Surrey, England**Redhill railway station**Redhill Aerodrome* Redhill, Singapore, Singapore...
. Mrs Berridge suffered from heart problems in later life and while apparently in good health and spirits was taken ill suddenly at a dance in Kensington and died in a few minutes in Feb. 1909. They had one son and one daughter.
Solicitor
Berridge went into the law and was articled to Maskell Peace, solicitors of WiganWigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, who were the solicitors to the Mining Association of Great Britain. In 1878 he was admitted as a solicitor. In 1882 he became a partner in the firm of Burn & Berridge, solicitors to the government of Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. He was a member and later Master of the Court of the City of London Solicitors' Company
City of London Solicitors' Company
The City of London Solicitors' Company is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company was formed in 1908; the City granted it Livery status in 1944. The Company received a Royal Charter in 1958. Prior to 1969, when the City of London Law Society was formed, the Company functioned...
of which David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
was also a member.
Political and public life
Like most middle-class men of his time, Berridge took an interest in public affairs. He was some time Chairman of the Law and Parliamentary Committee of the Board of Works for the St Giles District in London and he wanted a full-time career in politics. In 1904, he was Honorary Secretary of a committee of leading Liberal organisations set up to honour the retirement of Sir William Harcourt and commissioned two portraits of Sir William painted one for the family and the other to hang in the National Liberal ClubNational Liberal Club
The National Liberal Club, known to its members as the NLC, is a London gentlemen's club, now also open to women, which was established by William Ewart Gladstone in 1882 for the purpose of providing club facilities for Liberal Party campaigners among the newly-enlarged electorate after the Third...
.
Warwick & Leamington by-election, 1903
In the summer of 1902 there were rumours of a possible vacancy in the constituency of Warwick and Leamington when the sitting Liberal Unionist member Alfred LytteltonAlfred Lyttelton
Alfred Lyttelton QC was a British politician and sportsman who excelled at both football and cricket. During his time at university he participated in Varsity Matches in five sports: cricket , football , athletics , rackets and real tennis , displaying an ability that made him...
was tipped for an appointment to be a Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
or Governor of a British Colony. In the event this did not happen but it provided the opportunity for Berridge to associate himself with the constituency. In 1903 however Lyttelton was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
and the Parliamentary regulations of the day required him to contest a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. Berridge was adopted as Liberal candidate. There was some initial suggestion that Lyttelton should not be opposed but the local Liberal Association decided there were good precedents for such a contest and wished to have the chance of opposing the government on its policies. Besides, Alfred Lyttelton was to succeed Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
as Colonial Secretary and the Warwick & Leamington seat being so close to Chamberlain's Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
stronghold it was considered by the Liberals as something of a ‘rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
’ which Chamberlain felt he could dispose of as he wished, and this was added reason for the Liberals' wish to stand a candidate. The by-election resulted in a Unionist majority of 190 for Lyttelton over Berridge on a turnout of 86%. This contrasted to Lyttelton’s majority of 831 at the previous general election 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**...
.
General Election of 1906
Berridge remained the local Liberal candidate after the by-election and when the new Liberal prime minister Henry Campbell-BannermanHenry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...
announced the dissolution of Parliament
Dissolution of parliament
In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time...
on 16 December 1905 and called a general election for January 1906, Warwick and Leamington Liberal Association was quick to adopt Berridge formally as Liberal and free-trade candidate at a meeting on 18 December.
On 12 January 1906, Lloyd George came to a public meeting in Leamington to speak for Berridge but due to a large number of Unionist supporters (many imported from Birmingham) causing disruption and noise and singing patriotic songs in the hall, he was never able to make himself heard and had to leave and make his speech to a smaller gathering of Liberals at another location.
Benefitting from the surge in support for the Liberal Party at the general election, Berridge won Warwick and Leamington with a majority of 209 votes, removing Lyttelton from the House of Commons, at least for a few weeks until he was returned unopposed at a by-election for the seat of St George's, Hanover Square
Westminster St George's (UK Parliament constituency)
Westminster St George's, originally named St George's, Hanover Square, was a parliamentary constituency in Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system of election.-History:The...
in Westminster. Berridge remained MP for Warwick and Leamington for four years until the general election of January 1910 when he was defeated by the 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...
Ernest Pollock. In March 1910 Berridge gave his constituency party notice that he was unlikely to contest the next election after his defeat but he did in fact agree to stand at the December 1910 general election although he again lost to Pollock.
Honours
Berridge was knighted in 1912 and made a KBE in 1920 for his war work, in particular for his chairmanship of the executive committee of the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
later the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Voluntary Hospitals between 1916-1919.