George Hammond Whalley
Encyclopedia
George Hammond Whalley was a British lawyer and Liberal Party
politician.
He was the eldest son of James Whalley, a merchant and banker from Gloucester
, and a direct descendant of Edward Whalley
, the regicide
. George was educated at University College London
, gaining a first class degree in Metaphysics
and Rhetoric
, and entered Gray's Inn
in 1835, being called to the bar in 1839. He was an assistant tithe commissioner between 1836 and 1847, writing over 200 articles for the Justice of the Peace between 1838 and 1842. In 1838 and 1839 he published a pair of treatises on the Tithe Acts
, which were expanded, bound and published in 1848 as The Tithe Act and the Whole of the Tithe Amendment Acts.
In 1846 he married Anne Wakeford, with whom he had a son and two daughters. During the Irish Potato Famine in 1847 he established several fisheries on the Irish west coast. In 1852 he was made High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire
,
a Deputy Lieutenant
of Denbighshire
,
and a captain in the Denbighshire Yeomanry.
He was chairman of the Llanidloes & Newtown Railway, the first in Montgomeryshire, from its inception in 1852 and was the first chairman of the Mid Wales Railway in 1859. He was also active in the Railway Benevolent Institurion and the National Temperance League
in Montgomery
, and was returned to Parliament on his second attempt at a by-election in December 1852
for the City of Peterborough
.
There were reports of irregularities in the election, which had been heavily influenced by Earl Fitzwilliam
, and his election was voided on 8 June 1853. A second by-election was held on 25 June 1853, when Whalley was re-elected.
Another election petition
was lodged, and a Committee of the House of Commons was established in July 1853 to investigate the case. The committee determined that he had not been legitimately elected, and reinstated his opponent, Thomas Hankey. He was once again elected, however, in the 1859 general election
.
An Anglican
, Whalley was persuaded to lead the parliamentary campaign against Roman Catholicism, taking over from the ailing Richard Spooner
. His principal aim was to abolish the Maynooth Grant
, claiming that Britain was paying for the creation of priests whose goal was to turn Britain into a "citadel of Popery". His three motions for the creation of a committee to consider repeal of the grant were all defeated in 1861, 1862, and 1863, and he experienced difficulty in getting his anti-Catholic speeches heard due to opposition from the numerous Irish MPs.
In 1866 he claimed to have evidence that Vatican machinations had caused the defeat of British troops in New Zealand, that Cardinal Cullen, the Irish primate, intended to place a Stuart pretender on the throne of England, and that the Pope had taken control of the British artillery corps, the police, the telegraph office, and railway companies. He was also a zealous supporter of Arthur Orton
, the notorious Tichborne Claimant, and was eventually jailed by Lord Chief Justice Cockburn
, who tried the case, for contempt of court
.
He died insolvent in 1878, still in office; his son, George Hampden Whalley, later became another MP for Peterborough between 1880 and 1883.
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.
He was the eldest son of James Whalley, a merchant and banker from Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, and a direct descendant of Edward Whalley
Edward Whalley
Edward Whalley was an English military leader during the English Civil War, and was one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England.-Early career:The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown...
, the regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
. George was educated at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, gaining a first class degree in Metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and Rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, and entered Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1835, being called to the bar in 1839. He was an assistant tithe commissioner between 1836 and 1847, writing over 200 articles for the Justice of the Peace between 1838 and 1842. In 1838 and 1839 he published a pair of treatises on the Tithe Acts
Tithe Commutation Act 1836
The Tithe Commutation Act of 1836 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom with the long title "An Act for the Commutation of Tithes in England and Wales". It replaced the ancient system of payment of tithes in kind with monetary payments...
, which were expanded, bound and published in 1848 as The Tithe Act and the Whole of the Tithe Amendment Acts.
In 1846 he married Anne Wakeford, with whom he had a son and two daughters. During the Irish Potato Famine in 1847 he established several fisheries on the Irish west coast. In 1852 he was made High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire
High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
,
a 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....
of Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
,
and a captain in the Denbighshire Yeomanry.
He was chairman of the Llanidloes & Newtown Railway, the first in Montgomeryshire, from its inception in 1852 and was the first chairman of the Mid Wales Railway in 1859. He was also active in the Railway Benevolent Institurion and the National Temperance League
Parliamentary career
He unsuccessfully stood for Parliament at the 1852 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
in Montgomery
Montgomeryshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Montgomeryshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1542, it elects one Member of Parliament , traditionally known as the knight of the shire, by the first-past-the-post system of election.The Montgomeryshire Welsh Assembly...
, and was returned to Parliament on his second attempt at a by-election in December 1852
for the City of Peterborough
Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formally styled The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past...
.
There were reports of irregularities in the election, which had been heavily influenced by Earl Fitzwilliam
Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 5th Earl FitzWilliam
Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam KG was a British nobleman. He was three times President of the Royal Statistical Society ....
, and his election was voided on 8 June 1853. A second by-election was held on 25 June 1853, when Whalley was re-elected.
Another election petition
Election petition
An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election or local government election in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong.- Outcomes :...
was lodged, and a Committee of the House of Commons was established in July 1853 to investigate the case. The committee determined that he had not been legitimately elected, and reinstated his opponent, Thomas Hankey. He was once again elected, however, in the 1859 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1859
In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...
.
An Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
, Whalley was persuaded to lead the parliamentary campaign against Roman Catholicism, taking over from the ailing Richard Spooner
Richard Spooner (MP)
Richard Spooner was a British businessman and politician. In his youth he was a Radical reformer, but in later life he moved to the political right to become an Ultra-Tory.-Early life and family:...
. His principal aim was to abolish the Maynooth Grant
Maynooth Grant
The Maynooth Grant was a major British political controversy of the 1840s which arose partly due to the general anti-Irish and anti-Catholic feelings of the British population....
, claiming that Britain was paying for the creation of priests whose goal was to turn Britain into a "citadel of Popery". His three motions for the creation of a committee to consider repeal of the grant were all defeated in 1861, 1862, and 1863, and he experienced difficulty in getting his anti-Catholic speeches heard due to opposition from the numerous Irish MPs.
In 1866 he claimed to have evidence that Vatican machinations had caused the defeat of British troops in New Zealand, that Cardinal Cullen, the Irish primate, intended to place a Stuart pretender on the throne of England, and that the Pope had taken control of the British artillery corps, the police, the telegraph office, and railway companies. He was also a zealous supporter of Arthur Orton
Arthur Orton
Arthur Orton , was the celebrated Tichborne claimant of the Victorian era.-Biography:Orton was born at Wapping, London, the son of George Orton, a butcher and purveyor of ships' stores....
, the notorious Tichborne Claimant, and was eventually jailed by Lord Chief Justice Cockburn
Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet
Sir Alexander James Edmund Cockburn, 12th Baronet Q.C. was a Scottish lawyer, politician and judge. A notorious womaniser and socialite, as Lord Chief Justice he heard some of the leading causes célèbres of the 19th century.-Life:Cockburn was born in Alţâna, in what is now Romania and was then...
, who tried the case, for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
.
He died insolvent in 1878, still in office; his son, George Hampden Whalley, later became another MP for Peterborough between 1880 and 1883.