John Scurrah Randles
Encyclopedia
Sir John Scurrah Randles (1875 - 11 February 1945) was a British
businessman and Conservative
politician.
He was born in Boston, Lincolnshire
, son of a Wesleyan
minister. An industrialist in the coal and steel business, he was elected Member of Parliament for Cockermouth
in the 1900 general election
. He lost the seat in the 1906 election, but regained it in a by-election later the same year. Defeated in the December 1910 election, he won Manchester North West
in a 1912 by-election, and when the constituency was abolished, held Manchester Exchange
until 1922, when he retired following the takeover by United Steel Companies
of his Workington Iron and Steel Company.
He was knighted in 1905. A member of the executive of the National Trust
, and gave land on the shores of Derwentwater to the Trust. He was also a member of Cumberland County Council
and was active in setting up the Workington Technical College. He funded an operating theatre in his wife's name at Keswick Cottage Hospital. He died at his home in Keswick
.
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.
He was born in Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
, son of a Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
minister. An industrialist in the coal and steel business, he was elected Member of Parliament for Cockermouth
Cockermouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Cockermouth was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295, and again from 1641, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was a parliamentary borough represented by two...
in the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. He lost the seat in the 1906 election, but regained it in a by-election later the same year. Defeated in the December 1910 election, he won Manchester North West
Manchester North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester North West was one of six single-member Parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 by the division of the three-member Parliamentary Borough of Manchester under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Its first MP, William Houldsworth, had previously sat for Manchester...
in a 1912 by-election, and when the constituency was abolished, held Manchester Exchange
Manchester Exchange (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester Exchange was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
until 1922, when he retired following the takeover by United Steel Companies
United Steel Companies
The United Steel Companies were a steel making, engineering, coal mining and coal by-product group based in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.-History:...
of his Workington Iron and Steel Company.
He was knighted in 1905. A member of the executive of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and gave land on the shores of Derwentwater to the Trust. He was also a member of Cumberland County Council
Cumberland County Council
Cumberland County Council was the county council of Cumberland in the North West of England, an elected local government body responsible for most local services in the county. It was established in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888. Carlisle was initially within its area but became...
and was active in setting up the Workington Technical College. He funded an operating theatre in his wife's name at Keswick Cottage Hospital. He died at his home in Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
.