Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet, JP
(18 March 1814 – 23 December 1893) was a self-made businessman from Gateshead
in the North-East of England
. A colliery labourer who went on to own several coal mines, he later bought a wire rope
manufacturing company which manufactured the first Transatlantic telegraph cable
. He was also a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
(MP).
, the eldest son of Ralph Elliot, a coal miner. He started work at the age of 9 as a trapper boy at Whitefield Pit, Penshaw
, and eventually owned this colliery later in his life.
. Elliot purchased Whitefield Colliery, where he had worked as a boy in 1864 and in 1866 Elliot & Glass's Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company laid the first Atlantic cable. In 1868 he was president of the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers.
for North Durham
. In 1873, with William Hunter of Sandhoe, he opened Kimblesworth Colliery. He lost his seat at Durham at the 1874 general election but regained it later in the year. He was created a baronet
on 15 May 1874 in recognition of his work for public services. He advised Benjamin Disraeli to invest in the Suez Canal
, which privided a faster shipping route to India. He was a financial advisor to the Egyptian Khedive (the viceroy under the Ottomans), and also received an honour from the King of Portugal – the grand cross of the military order of Our Lady of Villa Viciosa. As an MP made arrangements for the new tongue of Big Ben, in Westminster
, London
, to be forged at Hopper’s Iron Foundry in Houghton-le-Spring
.
In 1874/5 he was president of Durham University Society and in 1876 he was Provincial Grand Master of the Freemasons. In 1877 Elliot donated the 130 foot tall tower and spire of St Mary’s Church, West Rainton, in memory of his daughter, Elizabeth, and in 1878 he erected a stone tomb in the churchyard of All Saints’ Church, Penshaw to his father, mother and brothers and also to his son Ralph Elliot who had died in 1873 aged 35 at the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1880 Elliot lost his seat at North Durham but regained it in a by-election in 1881. In 1882 he purchased land in Aberamman as a gift in memory of his wife and daughter Elizabeth. Work commenced on the construction of St Margaret’s Church and it was completed in 1883. In 1883 Elliot was president of the Association of Mining Engineers. In 1885 the North Durham constituency was reorganised under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
and at the 1886 general election Elliot was elected MP for Monmouth Boroughs
. He held the seat until 1892.
Elliot established the Elliot Home for Seamen, in Temple Street, Newport, Monmouthshire in 1886, and in 1889 donated the stained glass window of the Baptism, Resurrection and Ascension to All Saint’s Church, Penshaw, in memory of his brothers and son. Elliot was visited at his residene at the Royal Crescent in Whitby
by Bram Stoker
. Elliot owned an Egyptian princess mummy and which may have inspired Stoker to write the Jewel of the Seven Stars, a horror novel, in 1903.
Elliot worked on a plan to amalgamate the all the coalfields of Great Britain. He proposed that, to improve the working conditions of the miners, a proportion of the coal industry profits should be paid into a fund for retired miners.
Elliot died at the age of 79 and was buried at Houghton Hillside Cemetery on 28 December 1893.
was MP for Northallerton and Richmond and succeeded to the baronetcy.
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...
(18 March 1814 – 23 December 1893) was a self-made businessman from Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
in the North-East of England
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...
. A colliery labourer who went on to own several coal mines, he later bought a wire rope
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....
manufacturing company which manufactured the first Transatlantic telegraph cable
Transatlantic telegraph cable
The transatlantic telegraph cable was the first cable used for telegraph communications laid across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It crossed from , Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia Island, in western Ireland to Heart's Content in eastern Newfoundland. The transatlantic cable connected North America...
. He was also a Conservative Party
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...
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).
Early life
Elliot was born in GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, the eldest son of Ralph Elliot, a coal miner. He started work at the age of 9 as a trapper boy at Whitefield Pit, Penshaw
Penshaw
The village of Penshaw , formerly known as Painshaw or Pensher, is an area of the metropolitan district of the City of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, England...
, and eventually owned this colliery later in his life.
Business developents
In 1840 Elliot entered into a partnership and purchased Washington Colliery. In 1849, he purchased Kuper & Co, wire rope and telegraph cable manufacturer and formed a partnership with Richard Atwood GlassRichard Atwood Glass
Sir Richard Atwood Glass was an English telegraph cable manufacturer and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1869.-Biography:...
. Elliot purchased Whitefield Colliery, where he had worked as a boy in 1864 and in 1866 Elliot & Glass's Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company laid the first Atlantic cable. In 1868 he was president of the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers.
Political career
At the 1868 general election, Elliot was elected Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
for North Durham
North Durham (UK Parliament constituency)
North Durham is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. In 1873, with William Hunter of Sandhoe, he opened Kimblesworth Colliery. He lost his seat at Durham at the 1874 general election but regained it later in the year. He was created a baronet
Elliot Baronets
There have been two separate creations of Elliot Baronets: The first has merged with a higher title, and the second has become extinct.-Elliot Baronets of Penshaw, Durham :...
on 15 May 1874 in recognition of his work for public services. He advised Benjamin Disraeli to invest in the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, which privided a faster shipping route to India. He was a financial advisor to the Egyptian Khedive (the viceroy under the Ottomans), and also received an honour from the King of Portugal – the grand cross of the military order of Our Lady of Villa Viciosa. As an MP made arrangements for the new tongue of Big Ben, in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, 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...
, to be forged at Hopper’s Iron Foundry in Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring is part of the City of Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear, North East England that has its recorded origins in Norman times. It is situated almost equidistant between the cathedral city of Durham 7 miles to the south-west and the centre of the City of Sunderland about 6...
.
In 1874/5 he was president of Durham University Society and in 1876 he was Provincial Grand Master of the Freemasons. In 1877 Elliot donated the 130 foot tall tower and spire of St Mary’s Church, West Rainton, in memory of his daughter, Elizabeth, and in 1878 he erected a stone tomb in the churchyard of All Saints’ Church, Penshaw to his father, mother and brothers and also to his son Ralph Elliot who had died in 1873 aged 35 at the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1880 Elliot lost his seat at North Durham but regained it in a by-election in 1881. In 1882 he purchased land in Aberamman as a gift in memory of his wife and daughter Elizabeth. Work commenced on the construction of St Margaret’s Church and it was completed in 1883. In 1883 Elliot was president of the Association of Mining Engineers. In 1885 the North Durham constituency was reorganised under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
and at the 1886 general election Elliot was elected MP for Monmouth Boroughs
Monmouth Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)
Monmouth Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency consisting of several towns in Monmouthshire...
. He held the seat until 1892.
Elliot established the Elliot Home for Seamen, in Temple Street, Newport, Monmouthshire in 1886, and in 1889 donated the stained glass window of the Baptism, Resurrection and Ascension to All Saint’s Church, Penshaw, in memory of his brothers and son. Elliot was visited at his residene at the Royal Crescent in Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
by Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
. Elliot owned an Egyptian princess mummy and which may have inspired Stoker to write the Jewel of the Seven Stars, a horror novel, in 1903.
Elliot worked on a plan to amalgamate the all the coalfields of Great Britain. He proposed that, to improve the working conditions of the miners, a proportion of the coal industry profits should be paid into a fund for retired miners.
Elliot died at the age of 79 and was buried at Houghton Hillside Cemetery on 28 December 1893.
Family
Elliot married Margaret Green of Shiney Row in 1836. Their son GeorgeSir George Elliot, 2nd Baronet
Sir George William Elliot, 2nd Baronet was an English colliery owner and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1874 and 1895....
was MP for Northallerton and Richmond and succeeded to the baronetcy.
Sources
- Lanagan, Paul; (2004). Houghton Hillside Cemetery Guide Book & Map, Houghton-le-Spring. ISBN 9780954325350
- Rushford, Frank H; (1950). Houghton-le-Spring: A History, Durham
External links
- Sir George Elliot Atlantic Cable Pioneer
- The Elliot Baronets' Vault at Houghton-le-Spring Hillside Cemetery
- George Elliot's home at Houghton Hall