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Edmund Backhouse (MP)
Encyclopedia
Edmund Backhouse banker, J.P.
on the County Durham
and for the North Riding
of Yorkshire
benches. He was Member of Parliament
for Darlington
.
(1779–1842), banker, of Polam Hill, Darlington
, and of his wife Hannah Chapman Backhouse, daughter of Joseph Gurney (1757–1841) and Jane Gurney, born Chapman of Norwich.
(Quakers), travelling in Great Britain and North America.
Edmund Backhouse married Juliet Mary, daughter and sole heir of Charles Fox of Trebah
in Cornwall, and his wife, Sarah. After the death of his sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Barclay Fox
, the Backhouses brought up their daughter, Jane Hannah Fox. They were the parents of Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet and grandparents of Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet
, Admiral Oliver Backhouse (1876–1943), twins: Lt-Col Miles Roland Charles Backhouse (1878–1962), Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse
(1878–1939) and Lady Harriet Findlay
DBE (1880–1954).
, the family bank.
.He was re-elected in 1874. He retired from Parliament in 1880. He was succeeded by Theodore Fry
.
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...
on the County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
and for the North Riding
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
benches. He was 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 Darlington
Darlington (UK Parliament constituency)
Darlington is a borough 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....
.
Family
He was the youngest son of Jonathan BackhouseJonathan Backhouse (1779-1842)
Jonathan Backhouse was a third generation banker from Darlington. He is known for financing the Stockton to Darlington Railway.-Biography:...
(1779–1842), banker, of Polam Hill, Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, and of his wife Hannah Chapman Backhouse, daughter of Joseph Gurney (1757–1841) and Jane Gurney, born Chapman of Norwich.
Parents
Both parents were ministers of the Religious Society of FriendsReligious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(Quakers), travelling in Great Britain and North America.
Marriage
Trebah
Trebah is a sub-tropical garden situated in Cornwall near Glendurgan Garden and above the Helford River .-History of Trebah:In 1831 Trebah was acquired by the Fox family who built Glendurgan Garden. Trebah was first laid out as a pleasure garden by Charles Fox, a Quaker polymath of enormous...
in Cornwall, and his wife, Sarah. After the death of his sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Barclay Fox
Barclay Fox
Robert Barclay Fox was a businessman, gardener and diarist, a member of the influential Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Family relationships:...
, the Backhouses brought up their daughter, Jane Hannah Fox. They were the parents of Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet and grandparents of Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edmund Trelawny Backhouse, 2nd Baronet was a British oriental scholar and linguist whose work exerted a powerful influence on the Western view of the last decades of the Qing Dynasty. Since his death, however, it has been established that some of his sources were forged, though it is not clear...
, Admiral Oliver Backhouse (1876–1943), twins: Lt-Col Miles Roland Charles Backhouse (1878–1962), Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse
Roger Backhouse
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse GCB GCVO CMG was an Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Navy and First Sea Lord of the British Admiralty from 1938 to 1939.-Family:...
(1878–1939) and Lady Harriet Findlay
Harriet Findlay
Dame Harriet Jane Backhouse Findlay, DBE was the daughter of Sir Jonathan Edmund Backhouse, 1st Bt. and Florence Trelawny...
DBE (1880–1954).
Business
In 1845 he became a junior partner in Jonathan Backhouse & CompanyBackhouse's Bank
Backhouse's Bank of Darlington was founded in 1774 by James Backhouse , a Quaker flax dresser and linen manufacturer, and his sons Jonathan and James ....
, the family bank.
Politics
In 1867, he was elected M.P. for Darlington as a LiberalLiberal 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...
.He was re-elected in 1874. He retired from Parliament in 1880. He was succeeded by Theodore Fry
Fry Family (Chocolate)
The Fry family was prominent in England especially Bristol, in the Society of Friends, and in the confectionery business in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.-Origins:...
.
Residence in Cornwall
He bought Trebah from his father-in-Law. He probably played a large part in the development of the remarkable garden, which is now open to the public.Death
He died at Trebah on 7 June 1906, aged 82 years and was buried at the Quaker Burial Ground in Budock. His executors sold Trebah to Mr. and Mrs. HextAlice Hext
Alice Hext was a Cornish philanthropist, garden developer and magistrate. She was the owner of the Trebah Estate and leisure garden, near Falmouth in Cornwall from 1907 to her death in 1939,...
Obituary in The Times
"Mr. Backhouse was a genial good-hearted gentleman, at once a banker and a country squire. He was diligent and painstaking in all he undertook in public or private life, and was considered one of the ablest representatives sent from the north to Parliament. He was not an orator, but his speeches were characterised by good sense and extreme caution. His judgement was considered safe and he was always conscientious."