Sir Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet

From Wikipedia - Sir Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet

Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet (19 August 1813 – 11 January 1890), who was known as Sir Edward Colebrooke, was a British politician.

Early life and education

Edward was born in Calcutta, the second son of Henry Thomas Colebrooke and Elizabeth (née Wilkinson) Colebrooke. He and his elder brother George Vernon Colebrooke went to Eton College, Eton, Berkshire SL4 6DW 51.492, -0.608. He then attended the East India Company College at Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire in preparation for appointment to a post in India with the East India Company.

India

Colebrooke arrived in India in June 1832 and worked in Allahabad, leaving India on 9 October 1835 and arriving home in London in January 1836 to comfort his father following the unexpected death of his elder brother.

Colebrooke baronetcy

Edward's brother George died on 9 February 1835 and his father in January 1837, leaving Edward heir to the Colebrooke baronetcy which he inherited in 1838 on the death of his uncle, Sir James Edward Colebrooke.

Career

Colebrooke was Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Taunton 1842–1852, Lanarkshire 1857–1868 and North Lanarkshire 1868–1885. He stood unsuccessfully as a liberal Unionist of North East Lanarkshire in 1886.

He was Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire 1869–1890.

Colebrooke went to live in The Mansion, Ottershaw Park, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0QG 51.3571, -0.5468 in 1859. He provided sufficient land from his estate for a church, churchyard and vicarage, paid all the construction costs and endowed the church with £100 per year.

He was Dean of Faculties at the University of Glasgow from 1869 to 1872 and was awarded an honorary LLD in 1873. (University of Glasgow Old College, now 140 High Street, Glasgow G1 1QF 55.85917, -4.24028 and from 1870 University of Glasgow Gilmorehill campus, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ 55.8721138, -4.2844102)

He was President of the Royal Asiatic Society from 1864 to 1866, from 1875 to 1877 and in 1881.

Marriage and family

He married Elizabeth Margaret Richardson, second daughter of John Richardson, at St Paul's Knightsbridge, London on 15 January 1857.

They had six children, of whom five survived into adulthood:

• Margaret Ginevra Richardson, born on 19 November 1857. She married the Marchese Di Camugliano-Nichollini on 17 November 1890; they had no children
• Henry Richardson, born on 3 November 1858; died on 1 May 1859, to whom Christ Church, Ottershaw is believed to have been built as a memorial
• Helen Emma Richardson (known as Nelly), born in 1860; died on 21 January 1916.
• Edward Arthur Richardson (known as Ned), born on 12 October 1861, who after his father's death in 1890 inherited the baronetcy
• Mary Elizabeth Richardson (known as Molly), born on 21 May 1863; died on 2 October 1951. She married Edmund Henry Byng on 17 December 1894 and they had two children
• Roland Richardson, born on 22 July 1864; died on 19 January 1910.

Death

Sir Edward Colebrooke died on 11 January 1890 at his London home, aged 76. His wife, Lady Elizabeth Colebrooke, died on 26 October 1896.

From Debrett's House of Commons, and the judicial bench Published 1872 Page 53

Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, Bart. (Lanarkshire, North) only son of the late Henry Thomas Colebrooke, Esq., F.R.S. [Fellow of the Royal Society], — member of the Council at Calcutta, — by Elizabeth, daughter of the late Johnson Wilkinson, Esq. He was born 1813, was educated at Eton, and married, in 1857, Elizabeth Margaret, daughter of John Richardson, Esq., of Kirklands, Roxburghshire. Is a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace of Roxburghshire, and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and late President of the Royal Asiatic Society. Succeeded his uncle, the 3rd baronet, 1838. A Liberal. Sat for Taunton from February 1842 till July 1852, and for Lanarkshire from 1857 till November 1868, when he was returned for North Lanarkshire.

• Issue — Edward Arthur, born 1861;
• Rowland John, born 1864;
• Margaret Ginevra;
• Helen Emma;
• Mary Elizabeth.
• Club — Athenaeum.
• Town Residence — 37, South Street, Grosvenor Square, London W.
• Seats — Ottershaw Park, Chertsey; Abingdon House, Lanarkshire.

From PDF FORMAT: Book of the Bishops Castle Page 114 International Exhibition in Glasgow 1888

532 Diamond Ring of William, last Earl of Kilmarnock, beheaded 1746.

Immediately before his execution Lord Kilmarnock gifted this diamond ring, along with another in emeralds, to the Reverend Laurence Hill, then Minister of Kilmarnock, afterwards Minister of Barony Parish, Glasgow, from 1750 till 1774. The Reverend Mr. Hill had espoused the only daughter, by a second marriage, of Letitia Boyd, cousin and widow of the second Earl of Kilmarnock. The ring has belonged successively to the reverend gentleman's descendants ever since. The emerald ring is also extant, and belongs to the present Member of Parliament for Lanarkshire (Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, Bart.), who is connected with another branch of the Reverend Mr. Hill's family.' John Buchanan, LL.D., in Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society, 1868. Lent by William Henry Hill, LL.D.

From Legacies of British Slave ownership - Sir James Edward Colebrooke

Sir James Edward Colebrooke married 1820 Mrs Louisa Ann Stewart but died [1838] without issue and was succeeded by his nephew Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke to his 'title and large fortune (£15,000 p.a.)' [worth £1,633,529 in 2018].

From British Newspaper Archive: Morning Post Saturday, 17 November 1838 Page 3 Fashionable World

The remains of Sir James Edward Colebrooke were removed on Monday last, 12 November 1838, from Tunbridge Wells to the family mausoleum at Chilham Castle, near Canterbury, attended by Sir J. Scott Lillie (as chief mourner), and several other relations and friends. The late Baronet is succeeded by his nephew, Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, who is at present in Rome, and who also inherits the lordship of the Manor of Stepney, the family estates in Scotland, &c.; and is shortly expected to arrive in this country.

Editor of Papers respecting the succession of sovereign princes in India

Author of Journal of two visits to the Crimea : in the autumns of 1854 & 1855. For private circulation. Published 1856

Editor of The rise of the British power in the east, by the late Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone; being a continuation of his "History of India in the Hindu and Mahometan periods" Published 1887

Author of The Life Of Mountstuart Elphinstone Volume II by Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke Published 1884

Contributor to Miscellaneous essays by Henry Thomas Colebrooke with life of the author by his son, Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke Volume 1 Published 1873, Volume 2, Volume 3

Property owned Ordnance Survey Name Books Lanarkshire, 1858-1861 volume 17 OS1/21/17/21

Book about Sir Edward Colebrooke of Abington and Ottershaw Baronet and Member of Parliament: The Four Lives of an Extraordinary Victorian by Sheila Binns Published 2014 on amazon

Sir Edward Colebrooke was a well-known and influential MP in the mid nineteenth century. He is remembered in the areas of his two seats: Ottershaw in Surrey and Abington in Lanarkshire but little is known of the extraordinary man he turned out to be. His life's path changed dramatically when he was in his early twenties and he used his unexpected position in society, for the rest of his life, to work indefatigably to improve the lives of his fellow men. This book draws on much new research in piecing together the life of Sir Edward Colebrooke. It shows that this sincere aristocrat and parliamentarian played a significant role in nineteenth century politics both in London and, most particularly, around 400 miles away in Lanarkshire and Glasgow. It is also full of much contemporary colour and detail that gives a rich insight into Victorian life.

From Electric Scotland - Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland

1872-1873: Sir T. E. Colebrooke, Bart., M.P., Abington House, has 29,604 acres at a rental of £2282 a year [worth £249,988 in 2019], or nearly 7 shillings an acre.

From The University of Glasgow Story

Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet (1813-1890) was Dean of Faculties at the University from 1869 to 1872. He was awarded an honorary LLD in 1873.

From FreeBMD - Registration of marriage of Elizabeth Margaret Richardson in 1857 and FreeBMD - Registration of marriage of Thomas Edward Colebrooke in 1857

• January to March 1857: Registration of marriage of Thomas Edward Colebrooke; in St George Hanover Square, London (Volume 1a, Page 320)
• January to March 1857: Registration of marriage of Elizabeth Margaret Richardson; in St George Hanover Square, London (Volume 1a, Page 320)

From Newspapers: The Morning Post Saturday, 17 January 1857 Page 8 Married and British Newspaper Archive: Morning Post Saturday, 17 January 1857 Page 8 Married

Married. Colebrooke — Richardson. — On Thursday, 15 January 1857 [inst.], at St Paul's Church, 32a Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 8SH 51.5015, -0.1557, by the Hon. and Rev. R. Liddell, and the Rev. Sir J. Seymour, Bart., Sir Edward Colebrooke, Bart., to Elizabeth Margaret Richardson, second daughter of J. Richardson, Esq., of The Kirklands, Roxburghshire.

From MyHeritage: Thomas E Colebrook: 1861 England & Wales Census

7 April 1861 Census for residents of 37 South Street, St George Hanover Square, Middlesex, England

• Thomas E Colebrook, head, married, male, aged 47 [born about 1814], in East Indies; Baronet, M.P.
• Margaret G Colebrook, daughter, single, female, aged 3 [born about 1858], in Scotland; Daughter of M.P.
• Helen E Colebrook, daughter, single, female, aged 1 [born about 1860], in St George's Hanover Square, Middlesex; Daughter of M.P.
• Henry Young, servant, married, male, aged 37 [born about 1824], in Farrington, Somerset; Butler Domestic Servant
• John Barnett, servant, single, male, aged 19 [born about 1842], in Oakham, Surrey; Under Butler
• Joseph Hammond, servant, single, male, aged 18 [born about 1843], in P.N. K., [Oxon? Avon?]; Groom
• Mary Roberts, servant, single, female, aged 31 [born about 1830], in Llansanffraid, Denbighshire; Housekeeper
• Jane Roydhouse, servant, single, female, aged 25 [born about 1836], in Marylebone, Middlesex; Cook
• Eliza Marshall, servant, single, female, aged 18 [born about 1843], in Lambeth, Surrey; Housemaid
• Lucy Southern, servant, single, female, aged 21 [born about 1840], in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire; Housemaid
• Jane Coombs, servant, single, female, aged 33 [born about 1828], in Quidhampton, Wiltshire; Nurse
• Mary A Williams, servant, single, female, aged 18 [born about 1843], in Great Saxham, Suffolk; Nurse
• Margaret Mackey, servant, single, female, aged 29 [born about 1832], in Scotland; Kitchenmaid

From MyHeritage: Thomas Colebrooke: 1871 England & Wales Census

2 April 1871 Census for residents of [37 South Street, Mayfair, London 51.5086385, -0.1507485], England

• Thomas Colebrooke, head, married, male, aged 57 [born about 1814], in East Indies; Baronet, Landlaird[?], M.P.
• Elizth Colebrooke, wife, married, female, aged 47 [born about 1824], in London
• Margaret Colebrooke, daughter, single, female, aged 13 [born about 1858], in Edinburgh, Scotland
• Helen Colebrooke, daughter, single, female, aged 11 [born about 1860], in London; Scholar
• Edward Colebrooke, son, single, male, aged 9 [born about 1862], in Chertsey, Surrey; Scholar
• Mary Colebrooke, daughter, single, female, aged 7 [born about 1864], in London; Scholar
• Roland Colebrooke, son, single, male, aged 6 [born about 1865], in London; Scholar
• Mary A Stubbs, servant, single, female, aged 50 [born about 1821], in France; Instructress
• W Rawnsley, servant, single, male, aged 26 [born about 1845], in Little Hadham, Hertfordshire; Tutor, B.A. Oxford
• Harriet Gill, servant, married, female, aged 58 [born about 1813], in Birmingham, Warwickshire; Nurse
• Martha Flower, servant, single, female, aged 41 [born about 1830], in Bath, Somerset; House Keeper
• Eleanor Buchan, servant, single, female, aged 39 [born about 1832], in Newton, Staffordshire; Lady's maid
• Sarah Angel, servant, single, female, aged 24 [born about 1847], in Chippenham, Wiltshire; Housemaid
• Emily Lawrence, servant, single, female, aged 33 [born about 1838], in Finchley, Middlesex; Housemaid
• Jane Aird, servant, single, female, aged 23 [born about 1848], in London; Kitchenmaid
• Helen Stewart, servant, single, female, aged 17 [born about 1854], in Scotland; Kitchenmaid
• Alice Fricker, servant, single, female, aged 22 [born about 1849], in Wargrave, Berkshire; Nursemaid
• Ellen J Knight, servant, single, female, aged 18 [born about 1853], in Cheriton, Hampshire; Nursemaid
• Henry Young, servant, married, male, aged 48 [born about 1823], in Farringdon, Somerset; Butler
• William Chandler, servant, single, male, aged 22 [born about 1849], in Paddington, Middlesex; Footman
• William J Godfrey, servant, single, male, aged 21 [born about 1850], in Ware, Hertfordshire; Footman
• Henry Whiting, servant, single, male, aged 21 [born about 1850], in Claydon, Buckinghamshire; Groom

From FreeBMD - Registration of death of Thomas E. Colebrooke in 1890

January to March 1890: Registration of death of Thomas E. Colebrooke; aged 76 [born about 1814]; in St George Hanover Square, London (Volume 1a, Page 343)

From British Newspaper Archive: Illustrated London News Saturday, 25 January 1890 Page 14 Sir Edward Colebrooke, Baronet

Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, fourth Baronet of Crawford, in the county of Lanark, died on Saturday, 11 January 1890 at his town residence in South Street, Park Lane.

He was born Thursday, 19 August 1813, the only surviving son of the late Mr. Henry Thomas Colebrooke, F.R.S., a distinguished Oriental scholar and a member of the Supreme Council at Bengal; and nephew of Sir James Edward Colebrooke, whom he succeeded as fourth Baronet in 1838.

The deceased gentleman was educated at Eton, and in 1873 was made an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Glasgow. He was Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, and sat in the House of Commons, as a Liberal, for Taunton from 1842 to 1852, and for Lanarkshire from 1857 to 1885. In 1886 he was defeated, as a Conservative, for North-East Lanarkshire. From 1864 to 1867 he was president of the Royal Asiatic Society.

He married, Thursday, 15 January 1857, Elizabeth Margaret Richardson, second daughter of Mr. John Richardson of Kirklands, in the county of Roxburgh, and leaves two sons and three daughters.

He is succeeded in the baronetcy by his older son, now Sir Edward Arthur Colebrooke, fifth Baronet, who was born in 1861, and who married, in 1889, Alexandra Harriet Paget, seventh daughter of the late Lord Alfred Paget, C.B.

From British Newspaper Archive: Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser Wednesday, 22 January 1890 Page 4 Death of a former member for Taunton.

Sir Edward Colebrooke, of Crawford, died on Saturday, 11 January 1890 at his residence, South Street, Park Lane. Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke was born 1813, and succeeded his uncle as fourth baronet in 1838.

For nearly 40 years he sat in the House of Commons as a Liberal, for Taunton from 1842 to 1852. In 1842 Sir Edward was opposed to Mr Hall, a barrister, whom he defeated by 394 votes to 337. In 1847 Sir Edward was engaged in a political contest in Taunton, which was attended with exciting incidents. It was the time of a general election, and Arthur Mills, a barrister, of Barwick, county Warwick, who was a moderate Conservative in politics and a son-in-law of Sir Thomas Acland, opposed the sitting members. The result of the poll was as follows: — Labouchere (Liberal), 543: Colebrooke (Liberal), 388; Mills (Conservative), 1376. 284 of Mr Mills' votes were plumpers.

As soon the result of this election was known immense excitement was manifested. Some of the lower classes, being much exasperated by the jokes of the winning party, seized various portions of the timbers of which the hustings and polling-booths were constructed, and attacked their opponents. Serious injury was done to the "chair in which Sir Edward Colebrooke was "carried," and the honourable baronet did not escape uninjured. The mob followed the Colebrooke party to the London hotel, their headquarters, and made an attack with stones upon the windows, much injury being done.

In 1852 the Right Honourable Henry Labouchere, being again nominated for the office of President of the Board of Trade, an election occurred, but no opposition being offered it passed off very quietly. At this time the Earl of Derby, having been appointed Minister, was constantly questioned by the Opposition to the intentions the Government respecting the continuation of Free Trade, which was then the great topic of the day. This, he said, could only be solved by the voice of the people. Accordingly, on Friday, 9 July 1852, a general election took place. The Right Honourable Henry Labouchere and Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke (the late members) offered themselves. They were opposed by Mr A. Mills, their opponents in 1847. After a severe contest the result was as follows: — Labouchere (Liberal), 430; Mills (Conservative), 361; Colebrooke (Liberal), 358.

Sir Edward Colebrooke then transferred his attention to Lanarkshire, where he sat from 1857 to 1868, and from the latter year, when the county was divided, till 1885 for the Northern Division of the county. In 1886 he was defeated, as a Conservative, for North-East Lanarkshire.

He was President of the Royal Asiatic Society from 1864 to 1867, and was Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire. He married in 1857 the second daughter of the late Mr John Richardson, of Kirklands, Roxburghshire, and is succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son Edward Arthur Colebrooke, who was born in 1861.

From British Newspaper Archive: Lanarkshire Upper Ward Examiner Saturday, 18 January 1890 Page 4 The Late Sir Edward Colebrooke, Baronet

The death is announced of Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke of Crawford, Bart., which took place on Saturday, 11 January 1890 at his town residence, [14 South Street, Mayfair, London W1K 1DF 51.5080885, -0.1527804].

The deceased Baronet, a son of the late Henry Thomas Colebrooke, F.R.S., was born in 1813, and succeeded his uncle in the Baronetcy in 1838. Educated at Eton, Sir Edward Colebrooke was from 1864 to 1867 president of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 1873 the University of Glasgow conferred upon him its honorary degree of LL.D.

Sir Edward was Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, in the affairs of which he took a very active interest, and a Justice of the Peace for Middlesex and Surrey. A consistent Liberal all his life, and a member of Parliament for thirty-eight years, Sir Edward Colebrooke was one of the most highly respected Scottish members. His acquaintance with national affairs was great: he was a man of an excellent judicious temperament, and his opinions and his speeches on current politics were always of a thoughtful, well-considered, and suggestive character.

On educational matters the late Baronet was a great authority. In 1872 he was appointed by the Government Chairman of the Endowed Schools and Hospitals (Scotland) Commission, which inquired very exhaustively into the nature and amount of all the endowments in the country, the funds of which were applicable to educational purposes, and which had not been reported on by the Commissioners under the Universities (Scotland) Act, 1858. The Commission over which Sir Edward Colebrooke presided was an important one, the members including the Earl of Rosebery, Sir William Stirling Maxwell, Mr C. S. Parker, M.P., and Mr John Ramsay, of Kildalton. The sittings were continued over two or three years, and as the result of the labours of the Commissioners valuable statistics were obtained in connection with the education endowments of Scotland's, alike as regarded hospitals, elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities.

Sir Edward represented Taunton from 1842 to 1832, Lanarkshire from 1857 to 1868, and North Lanarkshire from 1868 to 1886. In 1886 Sir Edward, who was opposed to Mr Gladstone's Home Rule policy in Ireland, and who was afterwards regarded as one of the most staunch Liberal Unionists in the west of Scotland, was opposed by Mr Donald Crawford in the North-East Division of the county he had represented so long, and was defeated. ln the autumn of 1885, he issued an address to the whole constituency of Lanarkshire, in which he indicated his intention of retiring at the close of the then session of Parliament. In this communication he stated that for eleven years he remained member for the whole country, and neither during that period nor during the following seventeen years had the honourable position which he won in 1857 been contested.

The immense change that had taken place in the material progress of the county during that period was scarcely greater than that which had marked the advance in the social and moral welfare of the gnat body of the community, and to this the Legislature had largely contributed by removing restraints on industry and trade, and by carrying out great administrative reforms, more especially in promoting the education of the people. He claimed for the Liberal party, whose cause he had been predominant during a large portion of the period referred to, the principal share in these results.

The late Baronet is succeeded by his son, Edward Arthur, who was born in 1861, The country seat of the family is Abington, Lanarkshire

The Funeral.

The remains of the deceased were interred yesterday Friday, 17 January 1890 with the strictest privacy at Ottershaw, Woking, Surrey. The cortège left the deceased baronet's residence, 14 South Street, Park Lane, W., at 12 o'clock, only the near relations of the family in London and a few friends accompanying the remains. Amongst those present were Lady Colebrooke and three daughters, Mr Roland Colebrooke, Lord Hamilton, Mr Hozier, M.P., Captain Paget, Mr George Paget, Sir Henry Le Merchant, Mr Francis Le Merchant, and Mr Mackenzie of Dolphinton, Commissioner on the Scotch estates.

Sir Arthur Edward Colebrooke, who has succeeded to the baronetcy, was strictly forbidden by his doctor at Monte Carlo to travel to London for the funeral. We learn that Sir Edward has had a severe attack of congestion of the lungs, but information received at South Street, Park Lane, on Wednesday night, 8 January 1890, happily informed his friends that he is now convalescent.

[For the above illustration of the deceased, we are indebted to the proprietors of the Evening Times.]

From findagrave: Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke (1813-1890)

• Name: Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke
• Born: Thursday, 19 August 1813
• Died: Saturday, 11 January 1890 (aged 76), England
• Buried Christ Church, Guildford Road, Ottershaw, Surrey KT16 0PB 51.360972, -0.535194
• About: Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet, was was the son of Henry Thomas Colebrooke and Elizabeth Wilkinson. He married Elizabeth Margaret Richardson, daughter of J. Richardson, on Thursday, 15 January 1857.

From Ancestry 19001113 probate Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke Abington House Lanarkshire d 18900111 14 South Street Park Lane London pr Sir Edward Arthur C son eik £2036

7 April 1890 confirmation of Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke of Crawford, Baronet, residing at Abington House, Lanarkshire, who died 11 January 1890, at 14 South Street, Park Lane, London, testate, granted at Lanark on 7 April 1890 to Sir Edward Arthur Colebrook of Crawford, Baronet, his eldest son, executor nominated in Will or Deed, dated 9 June 1887, and Codicils dated 10 April 1888 and 3 May 1889, and recorded in Court Books of Commissariot of Lanark, 26 March 1890. Value of Estate: £69026 10s. 9d. 13 November 1900 Value of additional estate £2036 3s.3d.