George Armitstead, 1st Baron Armitstead
Encyclopedia
George Armitstead, 1st Baron Armitstead (28 February 1824 in Riga
, Latvia
- 7 December 1915 in London
) was a British businessman, philanthropist and Liberal
politician.
merchant living in Latvia. His grandfather was the vicar of Easingwold
in East Yorkshire
and his great-grandfather was a farmer in Austwick
. He was educated in Wiesbaden
and Heidelberg
, Germany.
in 1843 and established the George Armitstead & Co shipping line and jute business in which he was senior partner.
for Dundee
between 1868 and 1873 and from 1880 to 1885. He held the office of Justice of the Peace
(JP) and of Deputy Lieutenant
(DL) of Forfarshire and Dundee. He was invested as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
(F.R.G.S.).
He donated £5,000 to the Prince of Wales Hospital Fund and shortly afterwards was created Baron Armitstead, of Castlehill in the City of Dundee, on 19 July 1906, by Arthur Balfour
, having refused an offer in 1893 by his great friend William Ewart Gladstone
. This friendship was significant for both of them, but more comfortable than influential, which is probably why it worked so well. He paid for Gladstone's holidays abroad in Biarritz
and Cannes
and often accompanied him almost as a paid companion except that Armitstead foot the bill. He is mentioned frequently in Gladstone's diary but without elaboration and was a pallbearer at Gladstone's funeral.
MP) in 1848 but they separated shortly afterwards following a scandalous affair with the daughter of the 15th chieftain of the clan of MacPherson of Cluny. They had leased Castle Huntly
in Longforgan, near Dundee. According to one account, when MacPherson learned of his daughter's affair, he threw her out of the house. Having nowhere else to turn the girl was taken to Castle Huntly by Armitstead. When Lady Armitstead gave her husband an ultimatum, he accepted it and she walked in her nightgown to the lodge where she spent the night. Nevertheless, they remained married until her death on January 6, 1913.
After the collapse of his marriage, Armitstead bought a large house at 4 Cleveland Square, in London. Lord Armitstead died at his London residence on 7 December 1915 at the age of 91. He was without issue and on his death, the barony became extinct. He bequeathed money for a chair of Philosophy at the University of Dundee
and a ward in a hospital. There are several benevolent trusts in the city of Dundee both from Lord and Lady Armitstead. One such trust, founded in 1882, was to support the Botanical Gardens at the University of Dundee. and the Armitstead Lectures.
His nephew, also George Armitstead (Džordžs Armitsteds in Latvian
) (1847–1912), was Mayor of Riga from 1901 to 1912. In 2006, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a statue of him while on tour in Latvia, in the presence of his great grandson. His monument is in the gardens close to the Latvian National Opera
. Another nephew, Henry Alfred Armitstead, served as a diplomat in Russia and seems to have been involved in an attempt to rescue the tsar after the Russian Revolution.
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
- 7 December 1915 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was a British businessman, philanthropist and Liberal
Liberal 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...
politician.
Background and education
Armitstead was born on 28 February 1824 at Riga, the second son of an English juteJute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
merchant living in Latvia. His grandfather was the vicar of Easingwold
Easingwold
Easingwold is a small market town and a civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 4,233.It is located north of York, at the foot of the Howardian Hills....
in East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire could be:*East Yorkshire Motor Services*An alternative name for the East Riding of Yorkshire*East Yorkshire , a former district of Humberside*East Yorkshire...
and his great-grandfather was a farmer in Austwick
Austwick
Austwick is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England, about north west of Settle. The village is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park....
. He was educated in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
and Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, Germany.
Business career
He came to DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
in 1843 and established the George Armitstead & Co shipping line and jute business in which he was senior partner.
Political career
Armitstead was Member of ParliamentMember 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 Dundee
Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)
Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West....
between 1868 and 1873 and from 1880 to 1885. He held the office of 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...
(JP) and of Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(DL) of Forfarshire and Dundee. He was invested as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(F.R.G.S.).
He donated £5,000 to the Prince of Wales Hospital Fund and shortly afterwards was created Baron Armitstead, of Castlehill in the City of Dundee, on 19 July 1906, by Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, having refused an offer in 1893 by his great friend William Ewart 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...
. This friendship was significant for both of them, but more comfortable than influential, which is probably why it worked so well. He paid for Gladstone's holidays abroad in Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
and Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
and often accompanied him almost as a paid companion except that Armitstead foot the bill. He is mentioned frequently in Gladstone's diary but without elaboration and was a pallbearer at Gladstone's funeral.
Personal life
He married Jane Elizabeth Baxter, daughter of Edward Baxter and Euphemia Wilson, (and brother of William Edward BaxterWilliam Edward Baxter
William Edward Baxter was a Scottish businessman, Liberal politician and travel writer.-Background and education:...
MP) in 1848 but they separated shortly afterwards following a scandalous affair with the daughter of the 15th chieftain of the clan of MacPherson of Cluny. They had leased Castle Huntly
Castle Huntly
Castle Huntly sits approximately seven miles west of Dundee in the Carse of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is situated close to the shore of the Firth of Tay and can be seen from the main road linking Dundee and Perth. The castle sits on top of a rocky outcrop surrounded by what is now...
in Longforgan, near Dundee. According to one account, when MacPherson learned of his daughter's affair, he threw her out of the house. Having nowhere else to turn the girl was taken to Castle Huntly by Armitstead. When Lady Armitstead gave her husband an ultimatum, he accepted it and she walked in her nightgown to the lodge where she spent the night. Nevertheless, they remained married until her death on January 6, 1913.
After the collapse of his marriage, Armitstead bought a large house at 4 Cleveland Square, in London. Lord Armitstead died at his London residence on 7 December 1915 at the age of 91. He was without issue and on his death, the barony became extinct. He bequeathed money for a chair of Philosophy at the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
and a ward in a hospital. There are several benevolent trusts in the city of Dundee both from Lord and Lady Armitstead. One such trust, founded in 1882, was to support the Botanical Gardens at the University of Dundee. and the Armitstead Lectures.
His nephew, also George Armitstead (Džordžs Armitsteds in Latvian
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
) (1847–1912), was Mayor of Riga from 1901 to 1912. In 2006, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a statue of him while on tour in Latvia, in the presence of his great grandson. His monument is in the gardens close to the Latvian National Opera
Latvian National Opera
The Latvian National Opera , Riga, is the national opera of Latvia. The opera company includes the Latvian National Ballet , LNO Chorus, and LNO Orchestra.-History:...
. Another nephew, Henry Alfred Armitstead, served as a diplomat in Russia and seems to have been involved in an attempt to rescue the tsar after the Russian Revolution.