Valentine Crittall, 1st Baron Braintree
Encyclopedia
Valentine George Crittall, 1st Baron Braintree (28 June 1884 – 21 May 1961) was a British
politician and businessman who served briefly as a Labour
Member of Parliament
before later joining the Conservatives
.
businessman Francis Henry Crittall, founder of the Crittall window company
, and Ellen Laura Carter.
Member of Parliament
for the Essex
constituency of Maldon
in the 1923 general election
by a majority of only 49 votes over the sitting Conservative MP Lt Col Edward Ruggles-Brise
, and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lord Thomson
, the Minister of Air. He was defeated by Ruggles-Brise in the 1924 general election
, and knighted in 1930. He was elevated to the peerage
in 1948, as Baron Braintree, of Braintree in the County of Essex, and was a director of the Bank of England
from 1948 to 1955. He was also a Justice of the Peace
(magistrate
) for Essex.
, near Braintree
in Essex. Built as a "garden village" to provide accommodation for the people who worked in the Crittall family's growing factories, the village has been described as "a wonder of its time"http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2003-02-25.234.2: its motto is "Why not?"
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...
politician and businessman who served briefly as a Labour
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...
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,...
before later joining the Conservatives
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...
.
Background
Crittall was the son of EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
businessman Francis Henry Crittall, founder of the Crittall window company
Crittall Windows Ltd
Crittall Windows Ltd is a notable English manufacturer of steel-framed windows, today based in Witham, Essex, close to its historic roots in the county...
, and Ellen Laura Carter.
Political career
Crittall was elected as LabourLabour 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...
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,...
for the Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
constituency of Maldon
Maldon (UK Parliament constituency)
Maldon 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...
in the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
by a majority of only 49 votes over the sitting Conservative MP Lt Col Edward Ruggles-Brise
Edward Ruggles-Brise
Lt Col Sir Edward Archibald Ruggles-Brise, 1st Baronet, MC, DL was a British Conservative Party politician.Ruggles-Brise was a landowner and land agent, owner of Spains Hall in Finchingfield in Essex...
, and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lord Thomson
Christopher Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson
Christopher Birdwood Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson PC was a British Army officer who went on to serve as a Labour minister and peer...
, the Minister of Air. He was defeated by Ruggles-Brise in the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, and knighted in 1930. He was elevated 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...
in 1948, as Baron Braintree, of Braintree in the County of Essex, and was a director of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
from 1948 to 1955. He was also 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...
(magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
) for Essex.
Silver End
In 1926, Crittall founded the model Village of Silver EndSilver End
Silver End is a small village in Essex, between Braintree and Witham in England, UK. It was conceived as a model village by the industrialist Francis Henry Crittall who established a factory there to manufacture components for metal windows.-History:...
, near Braintree
Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
in Essex. Built as a "garden village" to provide accommodation for the people who worked in the Crittall family's growing factories, the village has been described as "a wonder of its time"http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2003-02-25.234.2: its motto is "Why not?"