John Lonsdale, 1st Baron Armaghdale
Encyclopedia
John Brownlee Lonsdale, 1st Baron Armaghdale (23 March 1850 – 8 June 1924), known as Sir John Lonsdale, Bt, between 1911 and 1918, was a British
businessman and Conservative
politician.
, Lonsdale was the son of James Lonsdale DL
, JP
(1826–1913) and Jane Brownlee, and was educated privately. He was a partner in the family firm of J. and J. Lonsdale & Company.
. He sat as Member of Parliament for Mid-Armagh
between 1900 and 1918 wher he served as a whip for the Irish Unionist Party
in the House of Commons
for 15 years, and was a strong opponent of Home Rule
. He was created a Baronet, of Prince's Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and of The Pavilion in the
City and County of Armagh, on 7 July 1911, and raised to the peerage as Baron Armaghdale, of Armagh in the County of Armagh, on 17 January 1918. Between 1920 and 1924 he was Lord Lieutenant of Armagh
.
, and kept a London house at Prince's Gardens, SW7. A keen golfer, Lord Armaghdale presented the Lonsdale Cup to the County Armagh Golf Club. He died in January 1924, aged 74, when the baronetcy and barony became extinct. Lady Armaghdale died in London
in 1937.
At that time the nearby Manchester Ship Canal Railway was taking steam locomotives out of service and the company (then ICI) purchased a replacement from the Ship Canal. Although this replacement was 22 years older (Hunslet Engine Co 1898) it had recently been refurbished. The replacement locomotive was repainted in a vivid cherry red and the Lady Armaghdale nameplates were fixed to the water tanks. It was used until 1968 when rail traffic was transferred to road. The locomotive was sold to the Warwickshire Industrial Locomotive Preservation Group who transferred it to the Severn Valley Railway.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman and Conservative
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...
politician.
Early life
Born at The Pavilion, in the cathedral city of ArmaghArmagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
, Lonsdale was the son of James Lonsdale DL
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....
, JP
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...
(1826–1913) and Jane Brownlee, and was educated privately. He was a partner in the family firm of J. and J. Lonsdale & Company.
Business and political career
Lonsdale was a director of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank and of the North of England Debenture Company, chairman of Levenstein Ltd and vice-chairman of the Manchester Ship Canal Warehousing Company. In 1895 he was appointed High Sheriff of ArmaghHigh Sheriff of Armagh
The High Sheriff of Armagh is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Armagh. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258...
. He sat as Member of Parliament for Mid-Armagh
Mid Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Armagh was a constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act for the 1885 general election and returned one Member of Parliament until it was abolished with effect from the 1922 general election....
between 1900 and 1918 wher he served as a whip for the Irish Unionist Party
Irish Unionist Party
The Irish Unionist Alliance was a Unionist party founded in Ireland in 1891 to oppose plans for Gladstonian and Parnellite Home Rule for Ireland. The party was led for much of its life by Colonel Edward James Saunderson and later by the William St John Brodrick, Earl of Midleton...
in 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...
for 15 years, and was a strong opponent of Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
. He was created a Baronet, of Prince's Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and of The Pavilion in the
City and County of Armagh, on 7 July 1911, and raised to the peerage as Baron Armaghdale, of Armagh in the County of Armagh, on 17 January 1918. Between 1920 and 1924 he was Lord Lieutenant of Armagh
Lord Lieutenant of Armagh
This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Armagh. The office was created on 23 August 1831....
.
Personal life
Lord Armaghdale married Florence Rumney, of Stubbins House, Lancashire. They had no children. The Armaghdales lived in England at The Dunes, Sandwich BaySandwich Bay
Sandwich Bay is a long sweeping inlet of the sea between Ramsgate and Deal, on the east coast of Kent, England. The coastal area consists of sand flats with their associated salt marshes and coastal sand dunes. The Sandwich Flats stretch for about five miles along the coast...
, and kept a London house at Prince's Gardens, SW7. A keen golfer, Lord Armaghdale presented the Lonsdale Cup to the County Armagh Golf Club. He died in January 1924, aged 74, when the baronetcy and barony became extinct. Lady Armaghdale died 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...
in 1937.
Memorial in steam
The Lady Armaghdale is the name of a steam locomotive on public display in the Engine House at Highley in Shropshire on the Severn Valley Railway. This is not the first steam engine to carry this name. The first was purchased by Levenstein Ltd in 1920 from the manufacturer Hawthorne Leslie and located at the Blakely dyestuffs works in Manchester. In those days it was common to name steam locomotives serving industry and this one was named after the Chairman’s wife. The locomotive remained in use at the Brakley works until early in 1963 when there was an accident and it could not be repaired.At that time the nearby Manchester Ship Canal Railway was taking steam locomotives out of service and the company (then ICI) purchased a replacement from the Ship Canal. Although this replacement was 22 years older (Hunslet Engine Co 1898) it had recently been refurbished. The replacement locomotive was repainted in a vivid cherry red and the Lady Armaghdale nameplates were fixed to the water tanks. It was used until 1968 when rail traffic was transferred to road. The locomotive was sold to the Warwickshire Industrial Locomotive Preservation Group who transferred it to the Severn Valley Railway.