John Corbett (industrialist)
Encyclopedia
John Corbett was an English
industrialist, philanthropist
and Liberal Party
politician of the Victorian era
. He is particularly associated with salt mining in Droitwich Spa
, Worcestershire
.
, Staffordshire
, 1817 his father, Joseph Corbett, ran a successful canal
transport business there. John joined the family business but by 1850 canals were facing increasing competition from the new and expanding railways.
workings in Stoke Prior
from the British Alkali Company. Corbett brought all the innovations of the industrial revolution
to mechanise and commercialise the business, soon making his salt workings the largest in Europe and built a great fortune.
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Droitwich
, having unsuccessfully contested the seat in 1868
. He was re-elected at three subsequent general elections, joining the breakway Liberal Unionists when the Liberal Party split in 1886 over Home Rule for Ireland. Corbett retired from the House of Commons
at the 1892 general election
.
She missed her elegant Parisian lifestyle and the French upbringing she had enjoyed so Corbett had a French style chateau
built to assuage her homesickness, completed in 1875 for the staggering cost, at the time, of £247,000. Chateau Impney
still stands today, as a well known hotel, an eyecatching landmark just outside Droitwich Spa
.
Despite this lavish and romantic gesture they separated after nearly thirty years of marriage.
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...
industrialist, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and Liberal Party
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 of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. He is particularly associated with salt mining in Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa is a town in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe.The town is situated on massive deposits of salt, and salt has been extracted there since ancient times. The natural Droitwich brine contains 2½ lbs...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
Family background
Born in Brierley HillBrierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, 1817 his father, Joseph Corbett, ran a successful canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
transport business there. John joined the family business but by 1850 canals were facing increasing competition from the new and expanding railways.
Foresight
John Corbett sold his share of the family canal business and, in 1853, purchased disused saltSalt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
workings in Stoke Prior
Stoke Prior
Stoke Prior may refer to:*Stoke Prior, Herefordshire*Stoke Prior, Worcestershire...
from the British Alkali Company. Corbett brought all the innovations of the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
to mechanise and commercialise the business, soon making his salt workings the largest in Europe and built a great fortune.
Philanthropy
However he didn't simply utilise this fortune just for his own ends, preferring to reinvest profits into the business processes, innovation and also into improving his workforce's working conditions and even raising wages. His workers were so well paid, for the time, that many could boast that their wives didn't need to work at all.Politics
He was elected at the 1874 general electionUnited 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 *...
as 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,...
(MP) for the Droitwich
Droitwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Droitwich was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of England in 1295, and again from 1554, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918...
, having unsuccessfully contested the seat in 1868
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
. He was re-elected at three subsequent general elections, joining the breakway Liberal Unionists when the Liberal Party split in 1886 over Home Rule for Ireland. Corbett retired from the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at the 1892 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
.
Marriage
In 1855 he met his future wife Anna O'Meara in Paris. She lived in Paris with her Irish father and French mother. He married her within a year of meeting her. They were to have six children together. Rumor has it that one of the children was not John's.She missed her elegant Parisian lifestyle and the French upbringing she had enjoyed so Corbett had a French style chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
built to assuage her homesickness, completed in 1875 for the staggering cost, at the time, of £247,000. Chateau Impney
Chateau Impney
Chateau Impney is an imposing 19th century house built in the style of an elaborate French château near Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire, England...
still stands today, as a well known hotel, an eyecatching landmark just outside Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa is a town in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe.The town is situated on massive deposits of salt, and salt has been extracted there since ancient times. The natural Droitwich brine contains 2½ lbs...
.
Despite this lavish and romantic gesture they separated after nearly thirty years of marriage.