Charles Campbell Ross was a British

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and banker based in Penzance

Penzance

Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...

, Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

. Educated at Brighton College

Brighton College

Brighton College is an institution divided between a Senior School known simply as Brighton College, the Prep School and the Pre-Prep School. All of these schools are co-educational independent schools in Brighton, England, sited immediately next to each another. The Senior School caters for...

, he was leading member of the Penzance Borough Council in the 1880s serving as mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 5 times in 1877, 1878, 1879, 1881 and 1883. During this period he was also member of parliament for the St Ives constituency

St Ives (UK Parliament constituency)

St. Ives 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.-History:...

 (1881–1885) as a member of the Conservative Party

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...

. The General Election of 1885 was "fiercely contested" and he was defeated by the Liberal candidate, Sir John St. Aubyn ..

His family home and estate in Penzance are now the Morrab Library

Morrab Library

The Morrab Library is an independent library based in Penzance in Cornwall in the UK.The library situated in Morrab House in Morrab Gardens, and was founded in 1818. Morrab is financed through membership subscriptions and is notable for its large celtic studies collection and local archives...

 and Morrab Gardens

Morrab Gardens

Morrab Gardens are a municipal garden covering three acres to the south of Penzance town centre, Cornwall, UK. It is known for its Mediterranean and sub-tropical plants....

. He also held the positions of borough

Borough

A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

 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...

, county

County

A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...

 magistrate and Hon Secretary of the West Cornwall Infirmary. The Ross bridge in Penzance is named after Charles Ross.

Charles Ross was a major partner in the Penzance Bank otherwise known as Batten, Carne and Carne with major branches in Penzance and Devonport

Devonport, Devon

Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...

, a position he inherited from his Grandfather the well known Cornish banker and geologist Joseph Carne

Joseph Carne

Joseph Carne was a British geologist and industrialist.-Early life:Carne was born at Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom, the eldest son of William Carne, a banker, and was educated at the Wesleyan school, Keynsham, near Bristol. His younger brother was John Carne...

 FRS. In 1896 the Penzance bank ceased trading and was wound up by in 1897. Following the collapse of Penzance bank Charles Ross moved to London and became a curator of a museum in the East of the city.

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