Thomas Fielding Johnson
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fielding Johnson was a prominent Victorian businessman and philanthropist
in Leicester, England. Among his many acts of public spiritedness and generosity was the gifting in 1919 of a 37 acres (15 ha) site and buildings for the establishment of Leicester University.
, Notttinghamshire, one of eight children born to John Goode Johnson (1798-1872) and Eliza Fielding (1803–1878). His very early years were spent at the family home, The Old House in Langwith but he was soon sent to study at the Proprietary School in Leicester (the building now occupied by the New Walk Museum
& Art Gallery) and moved into the Leicester home of his uncle (his mother's brother) and aunt, Joseph and Martha Fielding.
His aunt and uncle had no children of their own and Fielding Johnson was adopted by them in 1840 aged twelve. This sort of arrangement was not uncommon among the Victorian middle-classes and allowed the wealth earned by successful parents to be passed down the generations and retained within families. Previously known simply as Thomas Johnson, from then on he adopted the surname that he is now known by; Fielding Johnson.
In 1855 Fielding Johnson married Julia Christiana Stone, the daughter of Samuel Stone and Mary Chamberlain. As the first Town Clerk to the New Corporation of Leicester (an office equivalent to Chief Executive in the modern City Council and which he held between 1836 and 1872), Fielding Johnson's father-in-law was a prominent member of Leicester's growing professional middle-class. He was a partner in the legal firm of Stone, Paget and Billson and left a legacy to future generations of lawyers in the form of his `Stone's Justices' Manual', a definitive legal text which is still available today. The marriage ended after only four years as a result of Christiana's premature death in 1859. It produced two sons; Thomas Fielding Johnson Junior (1856–1931) and Joseph (1857) who died aged only six months.
Fielding Johnson remarried in 1863. His second wife came from his existing social circle and was Agnes Paget, second daughter of Alfred Paget and Eliza Smith. Alfred Paget was also a partner in the firm of Stone, Paget and Billson and belonged to a local family with a landowning background whose younger members were prominent in Leicester's professions. This second marriage -which appears to have been a very happy one- lasted until Agnes died in 1917. It produced a daughter Agnes Mabel (1864-1942) and a son, Harold Paget (1865–1877) who contracted measles while a boarder at Rugby School
and died, aged only twelve.
From 1869 until Thomas's death, The Fielding Johnson family lived at `Brookfield', a large Victorian house standing in its own miniature `estate' and modelled on the seats of the local gentry
. Situated in open countryside along the London Road and just beyond the town boundary, it was one of the first houses to be built in what later became the residential suburb of Stoneygate
. The house and grounds were gifted to the new Diocese
of Leicester by Thomas Fielding Johnson Junior in the 1920s and became the home of Bishop Bardsley, Leicester's first bishop since the ninth century. They are now the Charles Frears School of Nursing and Midwifery and part of the Leicester De Montfort University
.
and spinning business in 1852, shortly before his death. Thomas became the owner aged 24 years old.
Fielding Johnson appears to have been a gifted but careful businessman who recognised that his best hopes for sustainable success lay in developing an effective business model in one factory and then duplicating it in others. It appears to have worked (during his own lifetime, at least). Throughout the 1914-18 war the Fielding & Johnson Company supplied more yarn to the Government for army purposes than any other firm in England.
Like many of his Victorian counterparts, Fielding Johnson seems to have had a painstaking and comprehensive approach and concerned himself with commercial, technical and employment aspects of the business. The picture that emerges from the history books is of a hardworking, decent man whose business ambitions were a means to achieving broader social goals and who was content that they could be satisfied within the part of England that he knew best and among the people that he had grown up with. In this, he is very different from today's modern entrepreneur for whom a more fragmented, globalised approach is more normal.
and in 1861 two famous steam engines named `Juno' and `Jupiter' were installed in this factory to operate the new `Brookhouse' knitting frames. These two engines were not replaced until the 1940s. In 1862 the firm bought a second factory in Leicester, Abbey Mills, and in 1865 a third, Anker
Mill in Nuneaton
. The two engines in this latter (named `Annie' and `Elizabeth') were modelled on James Watt
's original steam engine and ran night and day between 1890 and 1938 with only three stoppages of more than a week.
for the Borough in 1873 and for the County in 1888. Remarkably for a man in his position, he also found time to be a prison visitor.
Like many of the City's emerging middle-class, Fielding Johnson was a religious nonconformist and like John Biggs http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/lc/growth-and-history/statuesandsculpture/johnbiggs he attended the Great Meeting Hall in Bond Street (where his marriage to Christiana took place).
Humane in his outlook and a Liberal
by conviction, he was nonetheless a firm believer in maintaining law and order and volunteered as a Special Constable
during the Chartist
riots that followed the 1848 French Revolution
.
Fielding Johnson was also ready to take up arms when necessary and was one of the first twelve members of the Leicester Volunteer Rifle Corps. Formed in 1859 and later absorbed into the Territorial Army, they were a reaction to the perceived threat of an invasion from France led by belligerent army officers during the unstable reign of Emperor Napoleon III.
The premature deaths of his first wife and two children must have heightened his awareness that even the wealthy were terribly vulnerable to the effects of illness and poor health in Victorian Britain. He was a trustee of the Sutton's Hospital Charity which provided funds for patients requiring convalescence after hospital treatment. He was also a member of the Board of Governors of Leicester Infirmary (later the Leicester Royal Infirmary
) for thirty years, spending most of it as Vice Chairman and the years between 1898 and 1902 as Chairman.
On 10 June 1919 Thomas Fielding Johnson was introduced to King George V and Queen Mary during their visit to Leicester as `the Grand Old Man'. In recognition of his great contribution to the city and its people, he was presented with the honorary Freedom of the City on 30 September 1919 aged 91 years old. A silver casket containing the document is in the possession of Leicester Museum. A memorial tablet commemorating his gift to Leicester University can be seen in the building that bears his name while a bell at Leicester Cathedral
was named in honour of his son, Thomas Fielding Johnson Junior.
Biography written by Fielding Johnson's great granddaughter.
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...
in Leicester, England. Among his many acts of public spiritedness and generosity was the gifting in 1919 of a 37 acres (15 ha) site and buildings for the establishment of Leicester University.
Family life
Fielding Johnson was born in LangwithLangwith
Langwith may refer to:*Langwith, Derbyshire*Langwith College, part of the University of York, England*Langwith Junction, Derbyshire*Nether Langwith, Nottinghamshire...
, Notttinghamshire, one of eight children born to John Goode Johnson (1798-1872) and Eliza Fielding (1803–1878). His very early years were spent at the family home, The Old House in Langwith but he was soon sent to study at the Proprietary School in Leicester (the building now occupied by the New Walk Museum
New Walk Museum
The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery is a museum on New Walk in Leicester, England, not far from the city centre. Two dinosaur skeletons are permanently installed in the museum — a cetiosaur found in Rutland , and a plesiosaur from Barrow upon Soar.Other permanent exhibits include an Egyptian area,...
& Art Gallery) and moved into the Leicester home of his uncle (his mother's brother) and aunt, Joseph and Martha Fielding.
His aunt and uncle had no children of their own and Fielding Johnson was adopted by them in 1840 aged twelve. This sort of arrangement was not uncommon among the Victorian middle-classes and allowed the wealth earned by successful parents to be passed down the generations and retained within families. Previously known simply as Thomas Johnson, from then on he adopted the surname that he is now known by; Fielding Johnson.
In 1855 Fielding Johnson married Julia Christiana Stone, the daughter of Samuel Stone and Mary Chamberlain. As the first Town Clerk to the New Corporation of Leicester (an office equivalent to Chief Executive in the modern City Council and which he held between 1836 and 1872), Fielding Johnson's father-in-law was a prominent member of Leicester's growing professional middle-class. He was a partner in the legal firm of Stone, Paget and Billson and left a legacy to future generations of lawyers in the form of his `Stone's Justices' Manual', a definitive legal text which is still available today. The marriage ended after only four years as a result of Christiana's premature death in 1859. It produced two sons; Thomas Fielding Johnson Junior (1856–1931) and Joseph (1857) who died aged only six months.
Fielding Johnson remarried in 1863. His second wife came from his existing social circle and was Agnes Paget, second daughter of Alfred Paget and Eliza Smith. Alfred Paget was also a partner in the firm of Stone, Paget and Billson and belonged to a local family with a landowning background whose younger members were prominent in Leicester's professions. This second marriage -which appears to have been a very happy one- lasted until Agnes died in 1917. It produced a daughter Agnes Mabel (1864-1942) and a son, Harold Paget (1865–1877) who contracted measles while a boarder at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and died, aged only twelve.
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
. Situated in open countryside along the London Road and just beyond the town boundary, it was one of the first houses to be built in what later became the residential suburb of Stoneygate
Stoneygate
Stoneygate is part of the City of Leicester, England.Situated on the south-east side of the city some two miles from the centre, Stoneygate is a mainly residential suburb characterised by its large Victorian houses...
. The house and grounds were gifted to the new Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Leicester by Thomas Fielding Johnson Junior in the 1920s and became the home of Bishop Bardsley, Leicester's first bishop since the ninth century. They are now the Charles Frears School of Nursing and Midwifery and part of the Leicester De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
.
Business
Fielding Johnson's adoptive father Joseph made him a partner in his worstedWorsted
Worsted , is the name of a yarn, the cloth made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from the village of Worstead in the English county of Norfolk...
and spinning business in 1852, shortly before his death. Thomas became the owner aged 24 years old.
Fielding Johnson appears to have been a gifted but careful businessman who recognised that his best hopes for sustainable success lay in developing an effective business model in one factory and then duplicating it in others. It appears to have worked (during his own lifetime, at least). Throughout the 1914-18 war the Fielding & Johnson Company supplied more yarn to the Government for army purposes than any other firm in England.
Like many of his Victorian counterparts, Fielding Johnson seems to have had a painstaking and comprehensive approach and concerned himself with commercial, technical and employment aspects of the business. The picture that emerges from the history books is of a hardworking, decent man whose business ambitions were a means to achieving broader social goals and who was content that they could be satisfied within the part of England that he knew best and among the people that he had grown up with. In this, he is very different from today's modern entrepreneur for whom a more fragmented, globalised approach is more normal.
Innovation
The Fielding & Johnson Company was one of the first in Leicester to use -in the 1840s- steam engines in its factories. In 1852 they acquired a factory in Bond Street which spun wool sourced in England and -later- New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and in 1861 two famous steam engines named `Juno' and `Jupiter' were installed in this factory to operate the new `Brookhouse' knitting frames. These two engines were not replaced until the 1940s. In 1862 the firm bought a second factory in Leicester, Abbey Mills, and in 1865 a third, Anker
Anker
Anker is a given name of Danish and Norwegian origin, sometimes used as a surname. Anker may also refer to a place name.-Given name:*Ancher Nelsen , American politician*Anker Boye , Danish politician...
Mill in Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
. The two engines in this latter (named `Annie' and `Elizabeth') were modelled on James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
's original steam engine and ran night and day between 1890 and 1938 with only three stoppages of more than a week.
Voluntary and social work
While he appears to have had little interest in national politics, Fielding Johnson was very active in local politics and social affairs. He was a town councillor between 1861 and 1870 and was also made a Justice of the PeaceJustice 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 the Borough in 1873 and for the County in 1888. Remarkably for a man in his position, he also found time to be a prison visitor.
Like many of the City's emerging middle-class, Fielding Johnson was a religious nonconformist and like John Biggs http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/lc/growth-and-history/statuesandsculpture/johnbiggs he attended the Great Meeting Hall in Bond Street (where his marriage to Christiana took place).
Humane in his outlook and a Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
by conviction, he was nonetheless a firm believer in maintaining law and order and volunteered as a Special Constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...
during the Chartist
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
riots that followed the 1848 French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Fielding Johnson was also ready to take up arms when necessary and was one of the first twelve members of the Leicester Volunteer Rifle Corps. Formed in 1859 and later absorbed into the Territorial Army, they were a reaction to the perceived threat of an invasion from France led by belligerent army officers during the unstable reign of Emperor Napoleon III.
The premature deaths of his first wife and two children must have heightened his awareness that even the wealthy were terribly vulnerable to the effects of illness and poor health in Victorian Britain. He was a trustee of the Sutton's Hospital Charity which provided funds for patients requiring convalescence after hospital treatment. He was also a member of the Board of Governors of Leicester Infirmary (later the Leicester Royal Infirmary
Leicester Royal Infirmary
The Leicester Royal Infirmary is a large National Health Service hospital in Leicester, England. It is located to the south-west of the city centre. It has Leicester's accident and emergency department, and is part of the University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust.The hospital was originally...
) for thirty years, spending most of it as Vice Chairman and the years between 1898 and 1902 as Chairman.
On 10 June 1919 Thomas Fielding Johnson was introduced to King George V and Queen Mary during their visit to Leicester as `the Grand Old Man'. In recognition of his great contribution to the city and its people, he was presented with the honorary Freedom of the City on 30 September 1919 aged 91 years old. A silver casket containing the document is in the possession of Leicester Museum. A memorial tablet commemorating his gift to Leicester University can be seen in the building that bears his name while a bell at Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
was named in honour of his son, Thomas Fielding Johnson Junior.
Further reading
- Elizabeth Halford "The Grand Old Man: Before and After", (Merlin Books 1984) ISBN 0-86303-182-X
Biography written by Fielding Johnson's great granddaughter.