Allan Heywood Bright
Encyclopedia
Allan Heywood Bright was a British
Liberal
politician.
JP
of Ashfield, Knotty Ash
, Liverpool
and his wife Mary Elizabeth née Thompson of nearby Thingwall Hall
. Following education at Malvern and Harrow School
s, he became a member of the Liverpool firm of Rogers & Bright, tinplate merchants and ship agents, and in 1885 he married Edith Turner, a prominent campaigner for women's and workers' rights. They had one daughter. Bright was regarded as the leading member of the Liberal Party in Liverpool.
in November 1899. The by-election took place during the Second Boer War
, and the candidate of the incumbent Conservative Party
, Sir Edgar Vincent
, was elected with a large majority. Bright, who opposed the war, felt that "in ordinary circumstances" he would have won, and signalled his willingness to stand again. In January 1900 he became a member of the South Africa Conciliation Committee
, which was formed for the "dissemination of accurate information" on the war, and to seek an early "peaceable settlement between this country and the Boer Republics". A "khaki
" general election
was held later the same year, and Bright was again the Liberal candidate at Exeter. His identification as "anti war" meant that he was again heavily defeated.
In May 1901 the Conservative MP
for the Oswestry
division of Shropshire
, Stanley Leighton
, died. Bright was selected to fight the seat in the Liberal interest. By this time he had a residence at Weston Rhyn
near Oswestry. Bright was again unsuccessful, attributing his defeat "to landlordism and to shortness of time". The victor was the Hon. George Ralph Ormsby-Gore.
in 1904, making the Oswestry seat vacant once more. Bright was again chosen as the Liberal candidate, and The Times
noted that he had "nursed the constituency assidiously of late". His opponent was Clive Bridgeman, a prominent Conservative and member of the London County Council
. The poll was held on 27 July, and Bright was elected which was "a great surprise for both Conservatives and Liberals alike". He believed that the electorate had rejected the government, and that "the whole of Shropshire politics had been simply a policy of Tory bluff and the people seemed to have got tired of it".
Bright was only to be a member of the Commons for a short period. A general election
was held at the beginning of 1906, and once again he stood against Clive Bridgeman. Following a bitter campaign where allegations of intimidation were made against the Conservatives, Bright was unseated.
, Liberal MP for Stalybridge
announced he would be retiring at the next general election due to ill health. Bright was selected as the party's candidate to replace Cheetham. The election was held in January 1910, but Bright failed to hold the seat for the Liberals, losing by 57 votes in spite of a large swing to the party in much of the country. A further general election was held at the end of the year
, and Bright consented to be the Liberal candidate at Stalybridge again, but failed to regain the seat.
He was director and later deputy chairman of the Union Bank of Manchester. He retired to Barton Court, Colwall
, Herefordshire
, where his first wife died in January 1929. He was married again in the same year to Kelburn Milroy Ramsay, with whom he had a second daughter. By this time Bright had become an author, writing books on Middle English
literature. In 1930 he donated 28 acres (113,312.1 m²) of land on the Worcestershire Beacon
to the Malvern Hills Conservators
.
He died at Barton Court in August 1941, aged 80. He bequeathed his collection of 1,951 volumes on psychical research to the University of London
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Liberal
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.
Early life
He was the son of Henry Arthur BrightHenry Arthur Bright
Henry Arthur Bright was an English merchant and author.-Early life:Bright was born at Liverpool on 9 February 1830, the eldest son of Samuel Bright, J.P. , by Elizabeth Anne, eldest daughter of Hugh Jones, a Liverpool banker...
JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
of Ashfield, Knotty Ash
Knotty Ash
Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Historically within Lancashire, at the 2001 Census, the population was 13,200.-Description:...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and his wife Mary Elizabeth née Thompson of nearby Thingwall Hall
Thingwall Hall
Thingwall Hall is a former stately home situated in the Knotty Ash district of Liverpool, England. The grade II listed building was built early in the 19th century and was originally set in of grounds. It can upon occasion be mistaken for the nearby Thingwall House.-History:A Liverpool merchant...
. Following education at Malvern and Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
s, he became a member of the Liverpool firm of Rogers & Bright, tinplate merchants and ship agents, and in 1885 he married Edith Turner, a prominent campaigner for women's and workers' rights. They had one daughter. Bright was regarded as the leading member of the Liberal Party in Liverpool.
Electoral contests and opposition to the Boer War
Bright's prominence in the party led to his being adopted as the Liberal candidate when a by-election was called at ExeterExeter (UK Parliament constituency)
Exeter is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in November 1899. The by-election took place during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, and the candidate of the incumbent Conservative Party
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...
, Sir Edgar Vincent
Edgar Vincent
Edgar Vincent was an American publicist and actor of German birth. He began his career appearing in small roles in Hollywood films during the 1940s but his German accent prevented him from moving further with his career. In 1949 he joined a New York publishing firm with his first client being the...
, was elected with a large majority. Bright, who opposed the war, felt that "in ordinary circumstances" he would have won, and signalled his willingness to stand again. In January 1900 he became a member of the South Africa Conciliation Committee
South Africa Conciliation Committee
The South Africa Conciliation Committee was a British anti-war organisation that opposed the Second Boer War.It was formed in 1899 in response to the outbreak of the war, for the "dissemination of accurate information" on the war, and to seek an early "peaceable settlement between this country and...
, which was formed for the "dissemination of accurate information" on the war, and to seek an early "peaceable settlement between this country and the Boer Republics". A "khaki
Khaki Election
In British political history, a khaki election is any national election which is heavily influenced by wartime or postwar sentiment. In the British general election of 1900, the Conservative Party government of Lord Salisbury was returned to office with an increased majority over the Liberal Party...
" general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
was held later the same year, and Bright was again the Liberal candidate at Exeter. His identification as "anti war" meant that he was again heavily defeated.
In May 1901 the Conservative MP
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 the Oswestry
Oswestry (UK Parliament constituency)
Oswestry is a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983, when it was renamed North Shropshire...
division of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, Stanley Leighton
Stanley Leighton
Stanley Leighton was an English barrister, landowner, artist and Conservative politician. Leighton was the son of Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet of Loton Park and his wife Mary Parker. He was educated at Harrow School and Balliol College, Oxford. He then attended Inner Temple and was called to...
, died. Bright was selected to fight the seat in the Liberal interest. By this time he had a residence at Weston Rhyn
Weston Rhyn
Weston Rhyn is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies between the towns of Chirk, in Wales, and Oswestry, in England....
near Oswestry. Bright was again unsuccessful, attributing his defeat "to landlordism and to shortness of time". The victor was the Hon. George Ralph Ormsby-Gore.
Member of parliament for Oswestry
Ormsby-Gore succeeded his father as Baron HarlechBaron Harlech
Baron Harlech, of Harlech in the County of Merioneth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1876 for the Conservative politician John Ormsby-Gore, with remainder to his younger brother William. He had previously represented Carnarvon and North Shropshire in the House of...
in 1904, making the Oswestry seat vacant once more. Bright was again chosen as the Liberal candidate, and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
noted that he had "nursed the constituency assidiously of late". His opponent was Clive Bridgeman, a prominent Conservative and member of the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
. The poll was held on 27 July, and Bright was elected which was "a great surprise for both Conservatives and Liberals alike". He believed that the electorate had rejected the government, and that "the whole of Shropshire politics had been simply a policy of Tory bluff and the people seemed to have got tired of it".
Bright was only to be a member of the Commons for a short period. A general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
was held at the beginning of 1906, and once again he stood against Clive Bridgeman. Following a bitter campaign where allegations of intimidation were made against the Conservatives, Bright was unseated.
Later life
Bright continued to be active in the Liberal Party. In 1909 John CheethamJohn Frederick Cheetham
John Frederick Cheetham PC was a cotton mill-owner in Cheshire and a Liberal Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons for two five-year periods, in the 1880s and the 1900s....
, Liberal MP for Stalybridge
Stalybridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Stalybridge was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1918. It was based around the borough of Stalybridge, partly situated in Lancashire and partly in Cheshire....
announced he would be retiring at the next general election due to ill health. Bright was selected as the party's candidate to replace Cheetham. The election was held in January 1910, but Bright failed to hold the seat for the Liberals, losing by 57 votes in spite of a large swing to the party in much of the country. A further general election was held at the end of the year
United Kingdom general election, 1910 (December)
The United Kingdom general election of December 1910 was held from 3 to 19 December. It was the last British election to be held over several days and the last to be held prior to the First World War ....
, and Bright consented to be the Liberal candidate at Stalybridge again, but failed to regain the seat.
He was director and later deputy chairman of the Union Bank of Manchester. He retired to Barton Court, Colwall
Colwall
Colwall is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England on the border with Worcestershire, nestling into the side of the Malvern Hills. Areas of the village are known as Colwall Stone, Upper Colwall and Colwall Green along over a mile of the B4218 road...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, where his first wife died in January 1929. He was married again in the same year to Kelburn Milroy Ramsay, with whom he had a second daughter. By this time Bright had become an author, writing books on Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
literature. In 1930 he donated 28 acres (113,312.1 m²) of land on the Worcestershire Beacon
Worcestershire Beacon
Worcestershire Beacon, also popularly known as Worcester Beacon, or locally simply as The Beacon, is a hill whose summit at 425 m is the highest point of the range of Malvern Hills that runs approximately north-south along the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, although Worcestershire Beacon...
to the Malvern Hills Conservators
Malvern Hills Conservators
The Malvern Hills Conservators are a body corporate responsible for the care and management of the Malvern Hills and Commons. They were established in 1884 and are governed by five Acts of Parliament, the Malvern Hills Acts 1884, 1909, 1924, 1930 and 1995. They became a registered charity in...
.
He died at Barton Court in August 1941, aged 80. He bequeathed his collection of 1,951 volumes on psychical research to the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.