Godfrey Mark Palmer
Encyclopedia
Godfrey Mark Palmer was an English industrialist and Liberal Party
politician.
of Jarrow
and his third wife Lady Gertrude Palmer of Grinkle Park, near Loftus
in the then North Riding of Yorkshire
. He went to Eton
in 1892 and left in 1896 to continue his studies in Paris.
In 1906, he married Elma the daughter of Mr Alexander Geddes of Blairmore in Aberdeenshire
. They had one son and two daughters.
, Palmer took an interest in shipping
and the large industrial works on Tyneside
. By the time of his death he had become Chairman of Marley Hill Chemical Company and managing director of John Bowes and Partners, colliery owners, in both of which concerns his half-brother, Sir Alfred Molyneux Palmer, who had inherited the Palmer baronetcy
, was a director. Godfrey was also chairman of Chislet Colliery Ltd and had other business interests in London. He travelled widely on business, visiting the Far East
, India
, Australasia
, and the Americas
.
Palmer also served in the Territorial Force
. He achieved the rank of Major in the Yorkshire Regiment
.
as he had followed him into business and industry. Sir Charles Palmer had been MP for North Durham
from 1874
until 1885
when the seat was abolished. He then transferred to the constituency of Jarrow
which he held from 1885 until his death in1907.
Sir Charles Palmer’s death caused a by-election
in Jarrow and the local Liberal Association adopted Mr Spencer Leigh Hughes, a London based journalist and later MP for Stockport
as their candidate. In that contest the Liberal vote was split by the candidacy of an Irish Nationalist
and Hughes lost the election to Labour
. Jarrow
Liberals therefore had cause to look for another candidate and in 1909, Godfrey Palmer was unanimously invited to be the Liberal candidate at the next election.
Palmer was regarded as a strong candidate for the Liberals in Jarrow, given the family name and local connections and was expected in some quarters to win the seat back from Labour while other commentators felt the Unionists
had a better chance of beating Labour there. In the event this conflict of opinion was reflected in the result which revealed Jarrow as a very close three-way marginal. Palmer gained the seat from the sitting Labour MP, Peter Francis Curran, by the narrow majority of 67 votes, with the Conservative Mr J Kirkley just 217 votes behind the winner.
At the second general election of the year in December 1910, Palmer held his seat, again in a three-way fight, this time with a majority of 111 but on this occasion it was Kirkley for the Unionists who crept into second place ahead of a new Labour candidate.
By the time of the 1918 general election
, Palmer had aligned himself with the Lloyd George
Coalition
Liberals. He was not opposed by the Conservatives and presumably received the Coalition coupon
. In a straight fight against Labour’s John Hill, Palmer got 61% of the poll and a majority of 4,510 votes. He chose not to contest the 1922 general election and did not stand for Parliament again.
for Sir Eric Geddes
when Geddes served as First Lord of the Admiralty. He stayed on as Geddes' PPS when Geddes became Minister without Portfolio
and then Minister of Transport. Palmer also sat as a Justice of the Peace
for the North Riding of Yorkshire.
County Record Office.
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.
Family and education
Godfrey Palmer was the youngest son of Sir Charles Mark Palmer Bt, the founder of the Palmer Shipbuilding CoPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company
Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Limited, often referred to simply as Palmers, was a British shipbuilding company. The Company was based in Jarrow, in Northeast England and also had operations in Hebburn and Willington Quay on the River Tyne....
of Jarrow
Jarrow
Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
and his third wife Lady Gertrude Palmer of Grinkle Park, near Loftus
Loftus
Loftus may refer to:Persons*Adam Loftus , Irish Archbishop, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, first provost of Trinity College, Dublin*Adam Loftus, 1st Viscount Loftus , Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1619...
in the then North Riding of Yorkshire
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...
. He went to Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in 1892 and left in 1896 to continue his studies in Paris.
In 1906, he married Elma the daughter of Mr Alexander Geddes of Blairmore in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
. They had one son and two daughters.
Career
As the scion of a famous business family in North East EnglandNorth East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, Palmer took an interest in shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
and the large industrial works on Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
. By the time of his death he had become Chairman of Marley Hill Chemical Company and managing director of John Bowes and Partners, colliery owners, in both of which concerns his half-brother, Sir Alfred Molyneux Palmer, who had inherited the Palmer baronetcy
Palmer Baronets
There have been seven Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Palmer, two in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Ireland, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and three in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
, was a director. Godfrey was also chairman of Chislet Colliery Ltd and had other business interests in London. He travelled widely on business, visiting the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
Palmer also served in the Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
. He achieved the rank of Major in the Yorkshire Regiment
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
.
Politics
It was no surprise that Palmer followed his father into Liberal politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
as he had followed him into business and industry. Sir Charles Palmer had been MP for North Durham
North Durham (UK Parliament constituency)
North Durham 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....
from 1874
United Kingdom general election, 1874
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
until 1885
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
when the seat was abolished. He then transferred to the constituency of Jarrow
Jarrow (UK Parliament constituency)
Jarrow is a parliamentary 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:...
which he held from 1885 until his death in1907.
Sir Charles Palmer’s death caused a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Jarrow and the local Liberal Association adopted Mr Spencer Leigh Hughes, a London based journalist and later MP for Stockport
Stockport (UK Parliament constituency)
Stockport 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.-Boundaries:...
as their candidate. In that contest the Liberal vote was split by the candidacy of an Irish Nationalist
Nationalist Party (Ireland)
The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...
and Hughes lost the election to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Jarrow
Jarrow
Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
Liberals therefore had cause to look for another candidate and in 1909, Godfrey Palmer was unanimously invited to be the Liberal candidate at the next election.
Palmer was regarded as a strong candidate for the Liberals in Jarrow, given the family name and local connections and was expected in some quarters to win the seat back from Labour while other commentators felt the Unionists
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...
had a better chance of beating Labour there. In the event this conflict of opinion was reflected in the result which revealed Jarrow as a very close three-way marginal. Palmer gained the seat from the sitting Labour MP, Peter Francis Curran, by the narrow majority of 67 votes, with the Conservative Mr J Kirkley just 217 votes behind the winner.
At the second general election of the year in December 1910, Palmer held his seat, again in a three-way fight, this time with a majority of 111 but on this occasion it was Kirkley for the Unionists who crept into second place ahead of a new Labour candidate.
By the time of the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, Palmer had aligned himself with the Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
Coalition
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
Liberals. He was not opposed by the Conservatives and presumably received the Coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
. In a straight fight against Labour’s John Hill, Palmer got 61% of the poll and a majority of 4,510 votes. He chose not to contest the 1922 general election and did not stand for Parliament again.
Appointments
From 1917-1920 he was Parliamentary Private SecretaryParliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
for Sir Eric Geddes
Eric Campbell Geddes
Sir Eric Campbell-Geddes GCB, GBE, PC was a British businessman and Conservative politician. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty between 1917 and 1919 and as the first Minister of Transport between 1919 and 1921....
when Geddes served as First Lord of the Admiralty. He stayed on as Geddes' PPS when Geddes became Minister without Portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
and then Minister of Transport. Palmer also sat as a 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...
for the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Papers
The papers of Sir Charles Mark Palmer, Godfrey Mark Palmer and others from c1858 to the 20th century are contained in the Palmer family papers held at the North YorkshireNorth Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
County Record Office.