Sir William Feilden, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir William Feilden, 1st Baronet (13 March 1772 – 21 May 1850) was an English cotton manufacturer and a Liberal
and later Conservative
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1847.
Feilden was the third son of Joseph Feilden and Margaret Leyland of Witton. He was educated at Blackburn Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford
. He became a cotton mill owner and lived at Witton Hall. In 1798 he purchased the hamlet of Feniscowles
south west of Blackburn, from Thomas Ainsworth.
At the 1832 general election
, Feilden was elected as Liberal Member of Parliament
(MP) for Blackburn
.
Feilden built the house of Feniscowles in Pleasington
in a romantic valley on the banks of the River Darwen
. He also gave a site for a church at Feniscowles in 1840, and provided the stone for its construction.
At the 1841 general election
, Feilden changed his allegiance to the Conservatives but was re-elected and remained MP for Blackburn until the 1847 general election
, when he did not stand. He did nothing to distinguish himself in the House of Commons in his fourteen years as a M.P. He never spoke once and never took an active part in any parliamentary measures. In 1846, Feilden was created Baronet
of Feniscowles.
Feilden died at the age of 78.
Feilden married Mary Haughton Jackson, daughter of Edmund Jackson, at St Martin in the Fields on 30 March 1797. They had three sons and three daughters. His son William succeeded to the baronetcy. Another son Montague Feilden also became MP for Blackburn.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and later 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 who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1847.
Feilden was the third son of Joseph Feilden and Margaret Leyland of Witton. He was educated at Blackburn Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
. He became a cotton mill owner and lived at Witton Hall. In 1798 he purchased the hamlet of Feniscowles
Feniscowles
Feniscowles is a village in the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately west of Blackburn...
south west of Blackburn, from Thomas Ainsworth.
At the 1832 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....
, Feilden was elected as Liberal 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) for Blackburn
Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)
Blackburn is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The town currently elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its re-creation in 1955.-Boundaries:The constituency...
.
Feilden built the house of Feniscowles in Pleasington
Pleasington
Pleasington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It had a population of 467 in the 2001 census.It is a rural village set on a hillside above the River Darwen...
in a romantic valley on the banks of the River Darwen
River Darwen
The River Darwen is a river running through Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire.The river was seriously polluted with human and industrial effluent during the Industrial Revolution, up to the early 1970s. The river often changed colour dramatically as a result of paper and paint mills routinely...
. He also gave a site for a church at Feniscowles in 1840, and provided the stone for its construction.
At the 1841 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
, Feilden changed his allegiance to the Conservatives but was re-elected and remained MP for Blackburn until the 1847 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1847
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, when he did not stand. He did nothing to distinguish himself in the House of Commons in his fourteen years as a M.P. He never spoke once and never took an active part in any parliamentary measures. In 1846, Feilden was created Baronet
Feilden Baronets
The Feilden Baronetcy, of Feniscowles in the County of Lancaster, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 21 July 1846 for William Feilden, Member of Parliament for Blackburn between 1832 and 1847...
of Feniscowles.
Feilden died at the age of 78.
Feilden married Mary Haughton Jackson, daughter of Edmund Jackson, at St Martin in the Fields on 30 March 1797. They had three sons and three daughters. His son William succeeded to the baronetcy. Another son Montague Feilden also became MP for Blackburn.