Thomas Owen Wethered
Encyclopedia
Thomas Owen Wethered was an English Conservative
politician and brewer who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1880.
and his wife Anne Peel, a daughter of the Rev. Giles Haworth Peel, of the Grotto, Basildon
, Berkshire
. His grandfather, who died in 1854, had been vicar
of Ince
in Cheshire
and was the son of Jonathan Peel, of Accrington
, a younger brother of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet
, so was a first cousin of the British Prime Minister
Sir Robert Peel
. His father was said to be "descended from the well-known family of that name, so long in residence at Ashlyns, Great Berkhamsted," and first recorded there in 1431. They had been brewers and maltsters at Marlow since the middle of the 18th century. The young Wethered was educated at Eton College
and Christ Church, Oxford
, where he was a contemporary of Lewis Carroll
. In the author's diaries a note reading "Harvey sang too, and Wethered" refers either to him or to his younger brother Owen Peel Wethered (1837-1908).
In 1849, his grandfather Thomas Wethered died at the age of 88, leaving a fortune of £100,000 and a brewery producing 24,500 barrels of beer
a year which owned a hundred public house
s in Buckinghamshire
. One Marlow pub called The Two Brewers had a portrait on one side of its sign of an 18th century Thomas Wethered, founder of the firm, with the member of parliament and brewer Samuel Whitbread on the other side.
in the 1st Bucks Rifle Volunteers, a unit of the Volunteer Force
, resigning his commission in 1865 in favour of his younger brother Owen Peel Wethered.
In 1862, Wethered's father died, leaving his business to his sons. Wethered was already living at Seymour Court, Great Marlow. He later enlarged the house, which was on a low hill one mile north of the town.
At the 1868 general election
Wethered was elected Member of Parliament
for Great Marlow
. He held the seat until 1880, but did not stand in that year's election
and was succeeded by another Conservative, Major-General O. L. C. Williams
.
With his two brothers, Wethered owned the family brewery in Marlow, known as Thomas Wethered and Sons, and he was often described as a brewer. Most of his contributions in parliament were to do with the licensed trade.
, Manchester
. Their eldest daughter, Edith Ethelston, married John Danvers Power, MVO, a barrister
; their second daughter, Constance Anne Ellen, married William George Steuart-Menzies of Culdares, DL JP, of Arndilly House, Craigellachie
, Banffshire
. Another daughter, Laura Sophia, married Francis William Grubbe. Wethered died on 22 February 1921 at the age of 88, his widow on 1 September 1924.
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 and brewer who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1880.
Family background and early life
Wethered was the eldest son of Owen Wethered of Great MarlowGreat Marlow
Great Marlow is a civil parish within Wycombe district in the English county of Buckinghamshire located north of the town of Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the hamlets of Bovingdon Green, Burroughs Grove, Chisbridge Cross and Marlow Common, and Danesfield Base, a housing...
and his wife Anne Peel, a daughter of the Rev. Giles Haworth Peel, of the Grotto, Basildon
Basildon
Basildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of Central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. His grandfather, who died in 1854, had been vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Ince
Ince
Ince is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated immediately to the east of the Stanlow Oil Refinery. It shares Ince and Elton railway station with the village of Elton, which it runs into...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and was the son of Jonathan Peel, of Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
, a younger brother of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet , was a British politician and industrialist and one of early textile manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution...
, so was a first cousin of the British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Sir Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
. His father was said to be "descended from the well-known family of that name, so long in residence at Ashlyns, Great Berkhamsted," and first recorded there in 1431. They had been brewers and maltsters at Marlow since the middle of the 18th century. The young Wethered was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he was a contemporary of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
. In the author's diaries a note reading "Harvey sang too, and Wethered" refers either to him or to his younger brother Owen Peel Wethered (1837-1908).
In 1849, his grandfather Thomas Wethered died at the age of 88, leaving a fortune of £100,000 and a brewery producing 24,500 barrels of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
a year which owned a hundred public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. One Marlow pub called The Two Brewers had a portrait on one side of its sign of an 18th century Thomas Wethered, founder of the firm, with the member of parliament and brewer Samuel Whitbread on the other side.
Life
Wethered became an ensignEnsign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in the 1st Bucks Rifle Volunteers, a unit of the Volunteer Force
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
, resigning his commission in 1865 in favour of his younger brother Owen Peel Wethered.
In 1862, Wethered's father died, leaving his business to his sons. Wethered was already living at Seymour Court, Great Marlow. He later enlarged the house, which was on a low hill one mile north of the town.
At the 1868 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
Wethered 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 Great Marlow
Great Marlow (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Marlow, sometimes simply called Marlow, was a parliamentary borough in Buckinghamshire. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons between 1301 and 1307, and again from 1624 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:In the...
. He held the seat until 1880, but did not stand in that year's election
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-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 *...
and was succeeded by another Conservative, Major-General O. L. C. Williams
Owen Lewis Cope Williams
Owen Lewis Cope Williams was a British army officer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885....
.
With his two brothers, Wethered owned the family brewery in Marlow, known as Thomas Wethered and Sons, and he was often described as a brewer. Most of his contributions in parliament were to do with the licensed trade.
Wife and children
On 9 September 1856, Wethered married Edith Grace, a daughter of the Rev. Hart Ethelston, Rector of St Mark's, Cheetham HillCheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill is an inner city area of Manchester, England. As an electoral ward it is known as Cheetham and has a population of 12,846. It lies on the west bank of the River Irk, north-northeast of Manchester city centre and close to the boundary with the City of Salford...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Their eldest daughter, Edith Ethelston, married John Danvers Power, MVO, a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
; their second daughter, Constance Anne Ellen, married William George Steuart-Menzies of Culdares, DL JP, of Arndilly House, Craigellachie
Craigellachie
Craigellachie may refer to:* Craigellachie, British Columbia, Canada* Craigellachie, Moray, Scotland* Craigellachie, New Zealand* Craigellachie, a National Nature Reserve near Aviemore, Scotland* Craigellachie Bridge* Craigellachie Whisky...
, Banffshire
Banffshire
The County of Banff is a registration county for property, and Banffshire is a Lieutenancy area of Scotland.The County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own county council between 1890 and 1975. The county town was Banff although the largest...
. Another daughter, Laura Sophia, married Francis William Grubbe. Wethered died on 22 February 1921 at the age of 88, his widow on 1 September 1924.
Publications
- Thomas O. Wethered, Teetotalism and the beer trade: a reprint of letters, correspondence, etc., relating thereto (W. H. Allen, 1885)
- Thomas O. Wethered, Memorial to the Prime Minister (Plumbly Bros., 1885)
- Thomas O. Wethered, The Church of England Temperance Society and moderate drinkers (W. H. Allen & Co., 1889)