John Hungerford Arkwright kept envelopes in his correspondence probably for reference. Here is Sir Ridley's and Lewis Fry's Wikipedia entries:
(This Wikipedia article last reviewed on 29 Jul 2024.)
Matthew White Ridley, 1st Viscount Ridley, PC, DL (25 July 1842 – 28 November 1904), known as Sir Matthew White Ridley, 5th Baronet, from 1877 to 1900, was a British Conservative statesman. He notably served as Home Secretary from 1895 to 1900.[1]
Background and education
Ridley was born in London, the eldest son of Sir Matthew White Ridley, 4th Baronet, and his wife the Hon. Cecilia Anne, daughter of James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale, and his wife Cecilia Arabella Frances Barlow. He was educated at Harrow and Balliol College, Oxford. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1865, he was a Fellow of All Souls for nine years.[2]
Political career
In 1868, he was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Northumberland North, and held this seat until the 1885 general election, when he was defeated in his attempt to stand for the new seat of Hexham. At the 1886 general election he contested Newcastle-upon-Tyne, again unsuccessfully, but returned to Parliament in an 1886 by-election at Blackpool. Having been Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department for two years in Disraeli's administration, Sir Matthew Ridley (as he became when he succeeded his father as fifth baronet in 1877) was Financial Secretary to the Treasury in Lord Salisbury's interim government of 1885 to 1886. In 1895, after the fall of Lord Rosebery's ministry, and having already failed in April of that year to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons, Ridley became Home Secretary, and held this post until his retirement in 1900. He was that same year created Viscount Ridley and Baron Wensleydale, of Blagdon and Blyth in the County of Northumberland.[3]
Family
Lord Ridley married Mary Georgiana Marjoribanks (1850 – 14 March 1909), daughter of The 1st Baron Tweedmouth and his wife, Isabella Weir-Hogg, on 10 December 1873.[1] They were parents to five children:
- Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Viscount Ridley (6 December 1874 – 14 February 1916)
- Cecilia Marjorie Ridley (1879 – 16 August 1896)
- Hon. Stella Ridley (18 December 1884 – 8 June 1973), married Rupert Gwynne
- Hon. Sir Jasper Nicholas Ridley (6 January 1887 – 1 October 1951), married Countess Nathalie Louise von Benckendorff. He was a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.
- Hon. Grace Ridley (16 February 1889 – 22 September 1959), married The 3rd Earl of Selborne.
Lord Ridley died aged 62 at his Blagdon Hall home in Northumberland, and was buried there.[2]
References
- ^ Jump up to:a b Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1895). Armorial Families: A Complete Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage. Jack. p. 1033. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ^ Jump up to:a b "Ridley, Viscount (UK, 1900)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "No. 27257". The London Gazette. 18 December 1900. p. 8538.
- Lucas, Reginald; Ridley, Jane (2004). "Ridley, Matthew White, first Viscount Ridley (1842–1904)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35754. Retrieved 27 June 2009. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
(This Wikipedia article last reviewed on 30 Jul 2024.)
Lewis Fry DL (16 April 1832 – 10 September 1921) was a Quaker, lawyer, philanthropist and a Liberal and later Liberal and Unionist politician who sat in the House of Commons in three spells between 1878 and 1900.
Early life
Fry was the son of Joseph Fry (1795–1879) and his wife Mary Anne Swaine (1797–1886)[1][2] and was a member of the Fry family known for their chocolate business.[3] He was articled to a Quaker Solicitor, Joseph Bevan Braithwaite, who had also trained his elder brother, Edward Fry.[4] He was admitted in 1854 and practiced in Bristol until he entered Parliament.[5]
Parliamentary service
Fry was Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol between 1878 and 1885, and a Liberal and Unionist for Bristol North between 1885–1892 and 1895–1900.[6]
He was sworn a member of the Privy Council after the accession of King Edward VII on 24 January 1901[7] and was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Gloucestershire shortly thereafter.[8]
He was Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Town Holdings, 1886–1892 and author of two reports of same.[9]
Other public service
Fry served on Bristol Town Council from 1866 to 1884.[5]
When School Boards were introduced, Lewis Fry was elected the first Chair of the Bristol School Board.[10] He drew up an influential scheme for religious education in elementary schools.[11]
He supported a number of Bristol public institutions: the School of Science and Art, the Museum and Library and the Evening Classes Association and the local branch of the Charities Organization Society.[5]
He was on the council of Clifton College and was President of the High School for Girls.[5]
He served on the council of the Law Society.[5]
He was also the president of the Anchor Society in Bristol in 1868.
Fry is considered to be an important figure in the creation and early development of the University of Bristol. He was the first chairman of the council of the University of Bristol. An annual public lecture at the university is his memorial.[12]
One of his chief pleasures was his interest in art, and was himself an amateur painter.[5][13]
Marriage and family
On 29 September 1858, he married Elizabeth Pease Gibson, the only daughter of the banker Francis Gibson of Saffron Walden, Essex.[5] They had two sons and three daughters.[14] She died in 1870. Their children are:[15]
- Lewis George (b.3 July 1860)
- Elizabeth Wyatt (b.31 July 1861), married in 1902 to Eugene Hugo Mallett, youngest son of Sir Louis Mallet.[16]
- Francis Gibson (b.25 May 1863)
- Millicent Mary (b. 20 August 1866)
- Anna Theodora (b.24 August 1870)
Death
He lived at Goldney Hall in Clifton. It is now a Hall of Residence of the university. He died shortly after celebrating his 89th birthday.[17]
The Lewis Fry Memorial Lecture was established in 1924 by his surviving children. The endowment provides for an annual lecture to be given by a scholar of distinction on subjects connected with the Fine Arts, History, Literature, Music, Drama, Philosophy, Theology or Education.[18]
See also
References
- ^ Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1881, page 88
- ^ Ancestry.co.uk
- ^ The Biographical dictionary of British Quakers in commerce and industry, 1775-1920, by Edward H. Milligan, Sessions of York (2007) ISBN 978-1-85072-367-7. p.191: article on Joseph Fry (1795-1879).
- ^ The Times 18 November 1905 pg.9 Col B: Obituary of J.B. Braithwaite.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g The Times, 12 September 1921, pg.10, Col. A: "Death of Mr. Lewis Fry".
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 6)
- ^ "No. 27272". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 January 1901. p. 551.
- ^ "No. 27282". The London Gazette. 8 February 1901. p. 998.
- ^ L.Fry entry in Who was Who
- ^ The Times, Tuesday, 31 January 1871; pg. 4; Issue 26974; col C: "The Education Act". – Lewis Fry elected to the Bristol School Board.
- ^ DQB: 'Dictionary of Quaker Biography': Huge typescript resource at the Library of the Religious Society of Friends, Euston, London UK, known as "DQB".
- ^ http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cms/go/statutes/general/publiclectures.html
Lewis Fry Memorial Lecture: This Lectureship was established in 1924 by the surviving children of the late The Right Hon. Lewis Fry, P.C., first Chairman of the University Council. The endowment provides for an annual lecture to be given by a scholar of distinction on subjects connected with the Fine Arts, History, Literature, Music, Drama, Philosophy, Theology or Education.
- ^ One of Lewis Fry's landscapes, at the Royal West of England Academy.
- ^ The Times, Friday, 6 July 1860; pg. 1; Issue 23665; col A: "Births": Son born 3 July 1860 and The Times, Wednesday, 31 October 1888; pg. 1; Issue 32531; col A: Eldest Son, Lewis George marries.
- ^ According to DQB
- ^ "Marriages". The Times. No. 36836. London. 2 August 1902. p. 1.
- ^ The Times, Tuesday, 13 September 1921; pg. 1; Issue 42824; col A "Deaths" and Monday, 12 September 1921; pg. 10; Issue 42823; col A: "Death of Mr. Lewis Fry. A Veteran Bristolian" and Monday, 9 January 1922; pg. 13; Issue 42924; col F: "Wills and bequests".
- ^ University of Bristol information on Public Lectures: Lewis Fry Memorial Lecture.
Submitted by Richard Hungerford at 8:01 PM on July 30, 2024.