C. P. Scott
Encyclopedia
Charles Prestwich Scott (26 October 1846 – 1 January 1932) was a British journalist, publisher and politician. Born in Bath, Somerset, he was the editor of the Manchester Guardian (now the Guardian
) from 1872 until 1929 and its owner from 1907 until his death. He was also a Liberal Member of Parliament and pursued a progressive liberal agenda in the pages of the newspaper.
, Oxford. He took a first in Greats in the autumn of 1869, then in 1870 went to Edinburgh
to train on The Scotsman
. While at Oxford, his cousin John Taylor, who ran the London office of the Manchester Guardian, decided that the paper needed an editor based in Manchester and offered Scott the post. Scott already enjoyed a familial connection with the paper; its founder, John Edward Taylor
, was his uncle, and at the time of his birth Scott's father, Russell Scott, was the paper's owner, though he later sold it back to Taylor's sons under the terms of Taylor's will. Accepting the offer, Scott joined the paper as their London editor in February 1871 and became its editor on 1 January 1872.
As editor Scott initially maintained the Manchester Guardian' s well-established moderate Liberal line, "to the right of the party, to the right, indeed, of much of its own special reporting". However, when in 1886 the whigs
led by Lord Hartington
and a few radicals led by Joseph Chamberlain
, split the party, formed the Liberal Unionist Party
and gave their backing to the Conservatives, Scott's Manchester Guardian swung to the left and helped Gladstone
lead the party towards support for Irish Home Rule
and ultimately the "new liberalism".
constituency; he stood again for the same seat in 1891 and 1892. He was elected at the 1895 election
as MP for Leigh
, and thereafter spent long periods away in London during the parliamentary session. His combined position as a Liberal backbencher
, the editor of an important Liberal newspaper, and the president of the Manchester Liberal Federation made him an influential figure in Liberal circles, albeit in the middle of a long period of opposition. He was re-elected at the 1900 election
despite the unpopular stand against the Boer War
that the Guardian had taken, but retired from Parliament at the time of the Liberal landslide victory
in 1906
, at which time he was occupied with the difficult process of becoming owner of the newspaper he edited.
's owner, Edward Taylor, died. His will provided that the trustees of his estate should give Scott first refusal on the copyright of the Manchester Guardian at £10,000, and recommended that they should offer him the offices and printing works of the paper on "moderate and reasonable terms". However, they were not required to sell it at all, and could continue to run the paper themselves "on the same lines and in the same spirit as heretofore". Furthermore, one of the trustees was a nephew of Taylor and would financially benefit from forcing up the price at which Scott could buy the paper, and another was the Manchester Guardian' s manager, but faced losing his job if Scott took control. Scott was therefore forced to dig deep to buy the paper: he paid a total of £240,000, taking large loans from his sisters and from Taylor's widow (who had been his chief supporter among the trustees) to do so. Taylor's other paper, the Manchester Evening News
, was inherited by his nephews in the Allen family. Scott made an agreement to buy the MEN in 1922 and gained full control of it in 1929.
' s centenary (at which time he had served nearly fifty years as editor), Scott put down his opinions on the role of the newspaper. He argued that the "primary office" of a newspaper is accurate news reporting: in his words, "comment is free
, but facts are sacred". Even editorial comment has its responsibilities: "It is well to be frank; it is even better to be fair". A newspaper should have a "soul of its own", with staff motivated by a "common ideal": although the business side of a newspaper must be competent, if it becomes dominant the paper will face "distressing consequences".
In his editorials, Scott was hostile to militant suffragettes, whom he accused of employing 'every engine of misguided fanaticism in order to wreck, if it be in their power, the fair prospects of their cause' He was just as disturbed by the General Strike of 1926, hoping 'Will not the General Strike cease to be counted henceforth as a possible or legitimate weapon of industrial warfare' Irish rebels were authors of their own destruction he thought, writing on the execution of Padraig Pearse and James Connolly
after the Easter Uprising in Dublin 'it is a fate which they invoked and of which they probably would not complain'
, though C. P. remained as Governing Director of the company and was at the Guardian offices most evenings. He died in the small hours of New Year's Day 1932.
(later Girton College, Cambridge
). She died in the midst of the dispute over Taylor's will. Their daughter Madeline married long-time Guardian contributor C. E. Montague. Their eldest son Lawrence died in 1908, aged thirty-one, after contracting tuberculosis
. His middle son John became the Manchester Guardian' s manager and founder of the Scott Trust
. Youngest son Ted, who succeeded his father as editor, drowned in a sailing accident after less than three years in the post. John and Ted Scott jointly inherited the ownership of the Manchester Guardian & Evening News Ltd.; after Ted's death John passed it on to the Scott Trust.
In 1882, having built a new house in Darley Dale
, Sir Joseph Whitworth leased The Firs in Fallowfield
to his friend C. P. Scott. After Scott's death the house became the property of the University of Manchester
, and was the Vice-Chancellor's residence until 1991. Scott used to travel into his Cross Street Office by bicycle.
Scott is the grandfather of Evelyn Aubrey Montague
(1900–1948), the Olympic athlete and journalist depicted in the film Chariots of Fire
. Evelyn, like his grandfather, wrote for the Manchester Guardian, and became its London editor.
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
) from 1872 until 1929 and its owner from 1907 until his death. He was also a Liberal Member of Parliament and pursued a progressive liberal agenda in the pages of the newspaper.
Early years
Educated at Hove House and Clapham Grammar School, Scott went up to Corpus Christi CollegeCorpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, Oxford. He took a first in Greats in the autumn of 1869, then in 1870 went to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to train on The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
. While at Oxford, his cousin John Taylor, who ran the London office of the Manchester Guardian, decided that the paper needed an editor based in Manchester and offered Scott the post. Scott already enjoyed a familial connection with the paper; its founder, John Edward Taylor
John Edward Taylor
John Edward Taylor was the founder of the Manchester Guardian newspaper, later to become The Guardian.-Biography:...
, was his uncle, and at the time of his birth Scott's father, Russell Scott, was the paper's owner, though he later sold it back to Taylor's sons under the terms of Taylor's will. Accepting the offer, Scott joined the paper as their London editor in February 1871 and became its editor on 1 January 1872.
As editor Scott initially maintained the Manchester Guardian
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
led by Lord Hartington
Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire KG, GCVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman...
and a few radicals led by 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....
, split the party, formed the Liberal Unionist Party
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...
and gave their backing to the Conservatives, Scott's Manchester Guardian swung to the left and helped Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
lead the party towards support for Irish Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
and ultimately the "new liberalism".
Parliamentary career
In 1886, Scott fought his first general election as a Liberal candidate, an unsuccessful attempt in the Manchester North EastManchester North East (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester North East was one of several Parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 from the former Manchester constituency. It was abolished in 1918....
constituency; he stood again for the same seat in 1891 and 1892. He was elected 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...
as MP for Leigh
Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
Leigh is a 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.-Boundaries:...
, and thereafter spent long periods away in London during the parliamentary session. His combined position as a Liberal backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
, the editor of an important Liberal newspaper, and the president of the Manchester Liberal Federation made him an influential figure in Liberal circles, albeit in the middle of a long period of opposition. He was re-elected at the 1900 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**...
despite the unpopular stand against the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
that the Guardian had taken, but retired from Parliament at the time of the Liberal landslide victory
Landslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
in 1906
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**...
, at which time he was occupied with the difficult process of becoming owner of the newspaper he edited.
Taking ownership of the Manchester Guardian
In 1905, the Manchester GuardianManchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
, was inherited by his nephews in the Allen family. Scott made an agreement to buy the MEN in 1922 and gained full control of it in 1929.
Views
In a famous 1921 essay marking the Manchester GuardianGuardian.co.uk
guardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
, but facts are sacred". Even editorial comment has its responsibilities: "It is well to be frank; it is even better to be fair". A newspaper should have a "soul of its own", with staff motivated by a "common ideal": although the business side of a newspaper must be competent, if it becomes dominant the paper will face "distressing consequences".
In his editorials, Scott was hostile to militant suffragettes, whom he accused of employing 'every engine of misguided fanaticism in order to wreck, if it be in their power, the fair prospects of their cause' He was just as disturbed by the General Strike of 1926, hoping 'Will not the General Strike cease to be counted henceforth as a possible or legitimate weapon of industrial warfare' Irish rebels were authors of their own destruction he thought, writing on the execution of Padraig Pearse and James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
after the Easter Uprising in Dublin 'it is a fate which they invoked and of which they probably would not complain'
Final years
C. P. Scott remained editor of the Manchester Guardian until 1 July 1929, at which time he was eighty-three years old and had been editor for exactly fifty-seven and a half years. His successor as editor was his youngest son, Ted ScottEdward Taylor Scott
Edward Taylor "Ted" Scott was a British journalist, who was editor and briefly co-owner of the Manchester Guardian, and the younger son of its legendary editor-owner C. P...
, though C. P. remained as Governing Director of the company and was at the Guardian offices most evenings. He died in the small hours of New Year's Day 1932.
Family
In 1874, Scott married Rachel Cook, who had been one of the first undergraduates of the College for Women, HitchinHitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
(later Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
). She died in the midst of the dispute over Taylor's will. Their daughter Madeline married long-time Guardian contributor C. E. Montague. Their eldest son Lawrence died in 1908, aged thirty-one, after contracting tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. His middle son John became the Manchester Guardian
Scott Trust
The Scott Trust Limited is the British company which owns Guardian Media Group and thus The Guardian, The Observer and Auto Trader as well as various local newspapers, Smooth Radio and other radio stations, and various other media businesses in the UK...
. Youngest son Ted, who succeeded his father as editor, drowned in a sailing accident after less than three years in the post. John and Ted Scott jointly inherited the ownership of the Manchester Guardian & Evening News Ltd.; after Ted's death John passed it on to the Scott Trust.
In 1882, having built a new house in Darley Dale
Darley Dale
Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a town in Derbyshire, England, with a population of around 6,000 people. It lies north of Matlock, on the River Derwent and the A6 road.- History :...
, Sir Joseph Whitworth leased The Firs in Fallowfield
Fallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
to his friend C. P. Scott. After Scott's death the house became the property of the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, and was the Vice-Chancellor's residence until 1991. Scott used to travel into his Cross Street Office by bicycle.
Scott is the grandfather of Evelyn Aubrey Montague
Evelyn Aubrey Montague
Evelyn Aubrey Montague was an English athlete and journalist. He ran in the 1924 Paris Olympics, placing sixth in the steeplechase race. Montague is immortalized in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire, where he is portrayed by Nicholas Farrell...
(1900–1948), the Olympic athlete and journalist depicted in the film Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice....
. Evelyn, like his grandfather, wrote for the Manchester Guardian, and became its London editor.
Quotations
- "[A newspaper's] primary office is the gathering of news. At the peril of its soul it must see that the supply is not tainted."
- "Television? The word is half Latin and half Greek. No good can come of it."
- "Truth like everything should be economised." (quoted in Europe: Grandeur and Decline by A.J.P. Taylor p. 237)
- "Comment is free, but facts are sacred."
Further reading
- C. P. Scott, 1846–1932: the making of the "Manchester Guardian". London: Frederick Muller. (5 extracts from Scott's writings; 18 other contributions.)
- Lejeune, C. A. (1964) Thank You for Having Me. London: Hutchinson (the author's mother was a friend of Scott)
External links
- Comment is free, but facts are sacred: Scott's famous essay