Martineau family
Encyclopedia
The Martineau Family was a political dynasty from 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...

, England. Several of them were prominent Unitarians
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....

, to the extent that a room in Essex Hall, the headquarters building of the British Unitarians, was named after them.

Mayors of Birmingham

Members included five generations, father to son, of Birmingham (Lord) Mayors:
  • Robert Martineau (1798–1870), Mayor of Birmingham, 1846-7
  • Thomas Martineau (1828–1893), Mayor of Birmingham, 1884–85
  • Ernest Martineau (1861–1952), Lord Mayor of Birmingham, 1912–1914
  • Wilfrid Martineau (1889–1964), Lord Mayor of Birmingham, 1940–41
  • Denis Martineau (1920–1999), Lord Mayor of Birmingham, 1986–87


A blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....

, erected in 2008 by the Birmingham Civic Society, in Birmingham Council House commemorates all five.

Family

  • Thomas Martineau, a manufacturer of staples, married Elizabeth Rankin (8 October 1772 - 26 August 1848). Living in Norwich they had eight children. The first Martineau had settled in Norwich in 1688. One of his descendents is The Duchess of Cambridge.
    • Their son, Robert Martineau, became a magistrate, town councillor and then Mayor of Birmingham in 1846. He is buried in the family grave in Key Hill Cemetery
      Key Hill Cemetery
      Key Hill Cemetery, , originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, a Nonconformist cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Birmingham, England. It opened on 23 May 1836. Located in Hockley, the city's Jewellery Quarter, it is one of two cemeteries there...

      , Birmingham.
      • His son, Thomas Martineau (4 November 1828 - 28 July 1893), was Mayor of Birmingham 1884-7. He was knighted after receiving Queen Victoria
        Victoria of the United Kingdom
        Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

         to lay the foundation stone for the Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham
        Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham
        The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, Birmingham 4, England is a Grade I listed, red brick and terracotta building that now houses Birmingham Magistrates' Court.-History:...

        . He is buried in a separate grave in Key Hill Cemetery
        Key Hill Cemetery
        Key Hill Cemetery, , originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, a Nonconformist cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Birmingham, England. It opened on 23 May 1836. Located in Hockley, the city's Jewellery Quarter, it is one of two cemeteries there...

        , Birmingham.
      • His son, Robert Francis Martineau (16 May 1831 - 15 December 1909) was a town councillor in Birmingham, secretary of the Birmingham and Midland Institute
        Birmingham and Midland Institute
        The Birmingham and Midland Institute , now on Margaret Street in the city centre of Birmingham, England was a pioneer of adult scientific and technical education and today offers Arts and Science lectures, exhibitions and concerts. It is a registered charity...

        , chairman of the Technical School committee, trustee to Mason Science College
        Mason Science College
        Mason Science College was founded by Josiah Mason in 1875, the buildings of which were opened in Edmund Street, Birmingham, England on 1 October 1880 by Thomas Henry Huxley...

        , and then a member of the council of the University of Birmingham
        University of Birmingham
        The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...

         when it evolved from Mason College. He is buried in the family grave in Key Hill Cemetery
        Key Hill Cemetery
        Key Hill Cemetery, , originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, a Nonconformist cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Birmingham, England. It opened on 23 May 1836. Located in Hockley, the city's Jewellery Quarter, it is one of two cemeteries there...

        , Birmingham.
    • Their sixth child, Harriet Martineau
      Harriet Martineau
      Harriet Martineau was an English social theorist and Whig writer, often cited as the first female sociologist....

      (12 June 1802 - 27 June 1876), a political author and a pioneer sociologist, born in Norwich
      Norwich
      Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

      , lived in Ambleside
      Ambleside
      Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...

       and is buried in the family grave in Key Hill Cemetery
      Key Hill Cemetery
      Key Hill Cemetery, , originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, a Nonconformist cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Birmingham, England. It opened on 23 May 1836. Located in Hockley, the city's Jewellery Quarter, it is one of two cemeteries there...

      , Birmingham.
    • Their seventh child, James Martineau
      James Martineau
      James Martineau was an English religious philosopher influential in the history of Unitarianism. For 45 years he was Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy and Political Economy in Manchester New College, the principal training college for British Unitarianism.-Early life:He was born in Norwich,...

      (21 April 1805 – 11 January 1900), was a religious philosopher.


The family name continues within the Birmingham and London law firm by the name of Martineau, which was founded by, and whose partners over the last nearly two hundred years have included many, members of the Martineau family.
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