Joshua Scholefield
Encyclopedia
Joshua Scholefield was a British
businessman and Radical politician. He was elected as one of Birmingham
's two members of parliament
when the town was enfranchised in 1832
.
Born in Sheffield
, Yorkshire, by 1800 he had established himself as an iron manufacturer, merchant and banker at Birmingham
. He subsequently became a director of the National Provincial Bank
, the London Joint Stock Bank
and the Metropolitan Assurance Company.
. In that capacity Scholefield chaired a meeting of Birmingham's businessmen in January 1820 that resolved to petition parliament to hold an inquiry into the "deplorable situation of the Manufacturing and Labouring classes of the Community and of this Town in particular; and the distressing situation to which Manufactures and Commerce are reduced".
In 1830 he was a founding member of the Birmingham Political Union
along with his close friend Thomas Attwood
. Scholefield became the deputy chairman of the organisation, which campaigned for reform of parliament. The Union's aims were achieved with the passing of the 1832 Reform Act
, with the right to return two members to the House of Commons. The Radicals, who were dominant in the area, chose Attwood and Scholefield to contest the seat. It was initially expected that they would contest the seat with the Tories, but in the event the two men were elected unopposed. Scholefield was re-elected at subsequent polls and remained a member of parliament until his death. In parliament he opposed the new poor law
and supported the aims of the Chartists
. On 24 June 1844 he became ill, apparently with a stroke
, and died on 4 July at his residence in Birmingham, aged 69. He was buried in Edgbaston churchyard.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
businessman and Radical politician. He was elected as one of Birmingham
Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the city of Birmingham, in what is now the West Midlands Metropolitan County, but at the time was Warwickshire.-Boundaries and History:...
's two members 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,...
when the town was enfranchised in 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
.
Born in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Yorkshire, by 1800 he had established himself as an iron manufacturer, merchant and banker at Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. He subsequently became a director of the National Provincial Bank
National Provincial Bank
National Provincial Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1833 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it remains a registered company but is dormant...
, the London Joint Stock Bank
Midland Bank
Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
and the Metropolitan Assurance Company.
Birmingham Political Union
The growing industrial centre of Birmingham had neither local government nor parliamentary representation at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Scholefield became an advocate for municipal and parliamentary reform. In 1819 he was elected to the largely ceremonial position of high bailiff of Birmingham's Court LeetCourt leet
The court leet was a historical court baron of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts.-History:...
. In that capacity Scholefield chaired a meeting of Birmingham's businessmen in January 1820 that resolved to petition parliament to hold an inquiry into the "deplorable situation of the Manufacturing and Labouring classes of the Community and of this Town in particular; and the distressing situation to which Manufactures and Commerce are reduced".
In 1830 he was a founding member of the Birmingham Political Union
Birmingham Political Union
The Birmingham Political Union was a political organisation in Great Britain during the early nineteenth century. Founded by Thomas Attwood, its original purpose was to campaign in favour of extending and redistributing suffrage rights to the working class of the kind set out in the Reform Bill of...
along with his close friend Thomas Attwood
Thomas Attwood
Thomas Attwood was a British economist, the leading figure of the underconsumptionist Birmingham School of economists, and, as the founder of the Birmingham Political Union, a leading figure in the public campaign for the Great Reform Act of 1832.He was born in Halesowen, and attended Halesowen...
. Scholefield became the deputy chairman of the organisation, which campaigned for reform of parliament. The Union's aims were achieved with the passing of the 1832 Reform Act
Member of parliament
The 1832 Act enfranchised Birmingham as a parliamentary boroughParliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
, with the right to return two members to the House of Commons. The Radicals, who were dominant in the area, chose Attwood and Scholefield to contest the seat. It was initially expected that they would contest the seat with the Tories, but in the event the two men were elected unopposed. Scholefield was re-elected at subsequent polls and remained a member of parliament until his death. In parliament he opposed the new poor law
Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, sometimes abbreviated to PLAA, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Lord Melbourne that reformed the country's poverty relief system . It was an Amendment Act that completely replaced earlier legislation based on the...
and supported the aims of the Chartists
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
. On 24 June 1844 he became ill, apparently with a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, and died on 4 July at his residence in Birmingham, aged 69. He was buried in Edgbaston churchyard.