Thomas Duckham
Encyclopedia
Thomas Duckham was an English farmer, cattle breeder and Liberal
politician.
Duckham was the second son of John Duckham of Shirehampton
, Bristol and was educated at private schools at Bristol
and Hereford
. He was a tenant farmer at Baysham Court, near Ross and was a stock breeder of pedigree of Hereford cattle. In partnership with Thomas Treherne, he built St Nicholas Church and the city gaol, in Gaol Street, Hereford. He founded the Central and Associated Chambers of Agriculture of which he became chairman in 1883. He was also a member of the Councils of Central Chamber of Agriculture at Bath and west of England and of the Herefordshire Agricultural Society. For twenty years he edited the Hereford Herd Book. He became JP for Herefordshire.
In 1880 Duckham was elected Member of Parliament
for Herefordshire
. The seat was replaced under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
and in 1885 he was elected MP for Leominster
which he held until 1886. He was an alderman of Herefordshire County Council from 1888 and a member of the Ross Board of guardians. He was also chairman of the Ross Highway Board for 15 years.
Duckham died at the age of 85.
Duckham married a widow, Mrs. Anne Yeomans, in 1845. Anne Yeomans (née Morgan) had first been married to John Yeomans (1803–1842) of Moreton, another noted breeder of Hereford cattle, and whose family features strongly in the history of the Hereford breed. He was the son of Richard Yeomans (1767–1833) and grandson of John Yeomans (1736–1798) of Howton Court. Anne Duckham, late Yeomans née Morgan, died in 1894. She was the mother of Thomas Duckham's daughter, Ellen.
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...
politician.
Duckham was the second son of John Duckham of Shirehampton
Shirehampton
Shirehampton, near Avonmouth, at the north-western edge of the city of Bristol, England, is a district of Bristol which originated as a separate village. It retains something of its village feel, having a short identifiable High Street with the parish church situated among shops, and is still...
, Bristol and was educated at private schools at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
. He was a tenant farmer at Baysham Court, near Ross and was a stock breeder of pedigree of Hereford cattle. In partnership with Thomas Treherne, he built St Nicholas Church and the city gaol, in Gaol Street, Hereford. He founded the Central and Associated Chambers of Agriculture of which he became chairman in 1883. He was also a member of the Councils of Central Chamber of Agriculture at Bath and west of England and of the Herefordshire Agricultural Society. For twenty years he edited the Hereford Herd Book. He became JP for Herefordshire.
In 1880 Duckham was elected 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,...
for Herefordshire
Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
The county constituency of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England bordering on Wales, was abolished when the county was divided for parliamentary purposes in 1885...
. The seat was replaced 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 in 1885 he was elected MP for Leominster
Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)
Leominster was, until 2010, a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.From 1295 to 1868, it was a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election. Under the Reform Act 1867 its...
which he held until 1886. He was an alderman of Herefordshire County Council from 1888 and a member of the Ross Board of guardians. He was also chairman of the Ross Highway Board for 15 years.
Duckham died at the age of 85.
Duckham married a widow, Mrs. Anne Yeomans, in 1845. Anne Yeomans (née Morgan) had first been married to John Yeomans (1803–1842) of Moreton, another noted breeder of Hereford cattle, and whose family features strongly in the history of the Hereford breed. He was the son of Richard Yeomans (1767–1833) and grandson of John Yeomans (1736–1798) of Howton Court. Anne Duckham, late Yeomans née Morgan, died in 1894. She was the mother of Thomas Duckham's daughter, Ellen.