Beddoe Rees
Encyclopedia
Sir William Beddoe Rees, usually known simply as Beddoe Rees (1877 - 12 May 1931) was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal
politician.
, Glamorganshire, the son of the late Isaac Rees, also of Maesteg. He was educated privately and at the University of Wales
. Rees was trained as an architect and published one of the few manuals on chapel architecture: 'Chapel building: hints and suggestions'. In 1925, he married Elizabeth, daughter of the late Robert Jones-Griffith, of Dolgellau
in Merionethshire
. They had one daughter, Rosemary, in May 1927 (died, Bath 15 Sept 2009). In religion, Rees was a nonconformist eventually becoming Joint Treasurer of the National Free Church Council of England and sometime President of the National Free Church Council of Wales. The National Free Church Council has been described as the ‘political arm’ of nonconformity.
on 24 July 1930, the debt involving many thousands of pounds. After two adjournments for illness Rees finally appeared for examination on 9 December 1930. He lodged accounts showing total liabilities of £415,951 against assets of £528. However, in March 1931 his debts were discharged, despite the objection of the Official Receiver
that he had engaged in rash and hazardous speculation and unjustifiable extravagance in living. The Registrar of the Bankruptcy Court accepted that the depression in the Welsh coal industry had been out of Rees’ control and that the state of the stock market meant other share dealings financed on borrowed monies provided no income in dividend. He also seemed to accept that Rees had been punished personally, in business and socially by the fact of his bankruptcy. Beddoe Rees died soon after these proceedings in May 1931.
in the north of Cardiff.
as a Liberal at the 1918 general election
in Cannock
, Staffordshire
. His opponent was the sitting MP
and former Chief Whip
of the Labour Party
in the wartime coalition government, James Parker. Despite Labour having withdrawn from the Coalition to fight the election as an independent party, Parker announced that he was to remain at his post and would fight the election as Coalition candidate. Parker was the only Labour man to support the Coalition in the election and in some reports was described as a Liberal, although it is not completely clear if received the government Coupon. After the election however he retained his job as a government whip being appointed one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury.
. Despite being opposed by a coalition candidate in Cannock, Rees was a natural supporter of the Lloyd George
coalition. He was typical of the backbench Coalition Liberals of the period, many of whom were wealthy industrialists. On the backbenches the party was strongest in terms of bank balances rather than political expertise. His wealth, his position in industry, his fierce anti-socialism, all commended him to Conservatives
as his nonconformity, his interest in Welsh national movements and his support for free trade made him attractive to Liberals. Bristol was a coalition stronghold, all five seats in the city being represented at the 1918 general election by parties and candidates supporting the coalition. The sitting Liberal MP for Bristol South, Sir William Howell Davies, who had represented the constituency since 1906
, was retiring and Rees was selected to replace him. Despite the fall of the Lloyd George coalition following the vote of the Conservative Party at the Carlton Club
, the Tories were reluctant to break the electoral arrangements in Bristol which ensured straight fights in all the seats against Labour to the benefit of their candidates and the Conservatives did not oppose Rees in his contest with D J Vaughan, the Labour man. Thus Rees was elected to Parliament at the 1922 general election
with a majority of 3,459 votes.
Rees waited some months before making his maiden speech
and chose a debate about miners’ wages in which to make his first contribution. According to The Times
newspaper it was an ‘excellent maiden speech’. In the speech Rees opposed the Bill designed to establish a minimum wage for coal miners, arguing that its real outcome would be to create a great combine of mineworkers with an organisation capable of holding the country to ransom.
, presumably to enable him to benefit from the Liberal campaign nationally in support of free trade following Stanley Baldwin’s
calling of the election to gain a mandate for imposing tariffs. This approach allowed the Liberals to gain the votes of free-trade Conservatives while retaining their traditional support in rural seats. In Bristol South, Rees again had the full support of the local Conservative Association as well as the Liberals in his fight against the Labour candidate D J Vaughan on an avowedly anti-socialist ticket. It was a noisy and unpleasant campaign with meetings descending into violence. However Rees beat Vaughan by 15,235 to 13,701 - a majority of 1,534.
Nevertheless, Rees’ association with the Conservatives brought him into conflict with his own party over the issue of support for the formation of a Labour government after the 1923 election. He was unable to support Asquith
’s position of allowing Labour to take office, although he told his electors in Bristol that there was no Liberal principle involved it was merely a matter of being true to the position on which he had fought the last election. He was one of ten Liberals to support Baldwin’s attempt to remain in office. He then voted with the Conservatives on numerous occasions during the rest of the Parliament although he was rarely the only Liberal MP to defy the party line. The party was embarrassed by these divisions in their Parliamentary ranks but they were reaping the harvest of the Asquith–Lloyd George split and the problems which developed during Lloyd George’s coalition with the Conservatives. Liberal unity did not really improve until after Asquith’s death in 1928 and the need for the Liberal Party to reunify in the face of the 1929 general election
. Rees’ position was not always appreciated by the local Liberals either. At the end of July 1927 a deputation from the Western Liberal Federation went to see the Chief Whip at Liberal Party headquarters. They complained about the political conduct of Freddie Guest, the member for Bristol North
and Beddoe Rees, because of the number of occasions they had voted with the Government against the rest of the members of the party. They requested that the whip should be withdrawn from them.
, Labour had become much more optimistic about doing well in Bristol and thought they would win against Rees. Rees against faced his usual Labour opponent D J Vaughan and the continuing local “pact” with the Unionists meant another straight fight. Despite Labour hopes, Rees held the seat by 16,722 votes to Vaughan’s 15,702 - a reduced majority of 1,020.
The local arrangement with the Conservatives survived for the 1929 general election
and again Rees had no Tory opponent. Again the result was expected to be close but in the end it was a comfortable win for the new Labour candidate Alexander Walkden
who had a majority of 5,397. Vaughan had finally abandoned Bristol South and had accepted the offer to stand in the Labour seat of Forest of Dean
where he was also elected.
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.
Family and education
Rees was born in MaestegMaesteg
Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2001, Maesteg had a population of 17,859, but it is now at an estimate of 20,000....
, Glamorganshire, the son of the late Isaac Rees, also of Maesteg. He was educated privately and at the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
. Rees was trained as an architect and published one of the few manuals on chapel architecture: 'Chapel building: hints and suggestions'. In 1925, he married Elizabeth, daughter of the late Robert Jones-Griffith, of Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
in Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
. They had one daughter, Rosemary, in May 1927 (died, Bath 15 Sept 2009). In religion, Rees was a nonconformist eventually becoming Joint Treasurer of the National Free Church Council of England and sometime President of the National Free Church Council of Wales. The National Free Church Council has been described as the ‘political arm’ of nonconformity.
Business
As an architect Rees designed many Welsh chapels before giving up his practice about the beginning of the 1st World War to become managing director of Welsh Garden Cities Ltd, the organisation which built garden villages in several of industrial valleys in South Wales. Rees built up extensive business interests becoming the chairman of a number of companies, mostly in the coal mining and related industries. These included Ashburnham Collieries, Ltd, Ashburnham Steamship and Coal Co. Ltd and North Amman Collieries. He was also a Director of Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries and Welsh Anthracite Collieries, Ltd. At the end of his life however, Rees suffered a complete reversal of financial fortune with the failure of his financial affairs, and he was adjudged bankruptBankruptcy in the United Kingdom
Bankruptcy in the United Kingdom does not have a singular law. There is one system for England and Wales, one for Northern Ireland and one for Scotland.Across the United Kingdom, bankruptcy refers only to insolvency of individuals and partnerships...
on 24 July 1930, the debt involving many thousands of pounds. After two adjournments for illness Rees finally appeared for examination on 9 December 1930. He lodged accounts showing total liabilities of £415,951 against assets of £528. However, in March 1931 his debts were discharged, despite the objection of the Official Receiver
Official Receiver
An officer of the Insolvency Service of the United Kingdom, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court to which he is attached. The OR is therefore answerable to the courts for carrying out the courts' orders and for fulfilling his duties under law...
that he had engaged in rash and hazardous speculation and unjustifiable extravagance in living. The Registrar of the Bankruptcy Court accepted that the depression in the Welsh coal industry had been out of Rees’ control and that the state of the stock market meant other share dealings financed on borrowed monies provided no income in dividend. He also seemed to accept that Rees had been punished personally, in business and socially by the fact of his bankruptcy. Beddoe Rees died soon after these proceedings in May 1931.
Knighthood
Rees was knighted in June 1917 for his work as chairman of Welsh Garden Cities Ltd, a commercial body, the most striking legacy of which in cooperation with other housing and town planning organisations, was the suburb of RhiwbinaRhiwbina
Rhiwbina is a prosperous northern suburb of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It used to be a separate village: its core is still locally called "the village" and is given a Welsh village appearance by Beulah United Reformed Church at the village crossroads.Capel Beulah/Beulah URC was a daughter chapel...
in the north of Cardiff.
Liberal candidate in Cannock
Rees first stood for ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
as a Liberal at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
in Cannock
Cannock (UK Parliament constituency)
Cannock was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.- Members of Parliament :...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked 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. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. His opponent was the sitting 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,...
and former Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in the wartime coalition government, James Parker. Despite Labour having withdrawn from the Coalition to fight the election as an independent party, Parker announced that he was to remain at his post and would fight the election as Coalition candidate. Parker was the only Labour man to support the Coalition in the election and in some reports was described as a Liberal, although it is not completely clear if received the government Coupon. After the election however he retained his job as a government whip being appointed one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury.
MP for Bristol South
After the disappointment of Cannock, Rees found a political home in BristolBristol
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...
. Despite being opposed by a coalition candidate in Cannock, Rees was a natural supporter of the Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
coalition. He was typical of the backbench Coalition Liberals of the period, many of whom were wealthy industrialists. On the backbenches the party was strongest in terms of bank balances rather than political expertise. His wealth, his position in industry, his fierce anti-socialism, all commended him to Conservatives
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...
as his nonconformity, his interest in Welsh national movements and his support for free trade made him attractive to Liberals. Bristol was a coalition stronghold, all five seats in the city being represented at the 1918 general election by parties and candidates supporting the coalition. The sitting Liberal MP for Bristol South, Sir William Howell Davies, who had represented the constituency since 1906
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 retiring and Rees was selected to replace him. Despite the fall of the Lloyd George coalition following the vote of the Conservative Party at the Carlton Club
Carlton Club
The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London which describes itself as the "oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs." Membership of the club is by nomination and election only.-History:...
, the Tories were reluctant to break the electoral arrangements in Bristol which ensured straight fights in all the seats against Labour to the benefit of their candidates and the Conservatives did not oppose Rees in his contest with D J Vaughan, the Labour man. Thus Rees was elected to Parliament at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
with a majority of 3,459 votes.
Rees waited some months before making his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
and chose a debate about miners’ wages in which to make his first contribution. According to 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...
newspaper it was an ‘excellent maiden speech’. In the speech Rees opposed the Bill designed to establish a minimum wage for coal miners, arguing that its real outcome would be to create a great combine of mineworkers with an organisation capable of holding the country to ransom.
The 1923 General Election
Rees, despite his public support for the traditional Liberal policy of Free Trade was not an ideological free-trader. He voted in Parliament for the Safeguarding of Industries Act and was in favour of some measure of protection for home markets, an attitude typical of the Bristol merchant class. Despite this, Rees took his stand as a free-trader again at the 1923 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, presumably to enable him to benefit from the Liberal campaign nationally in support of free trade following Stanley Baldwin’s
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
calling of the election to gain a mandate for imposing tariffs. This approach allowed the Liberals to gain the votes of free-trade Conservatives while retaining their traditional support in rural seats. In Bristol South, Rees again had the full support of the local Conservative Association as well as the Liberals in his fight against the Labour candidate D J Vaughan on an avowedly anti-socialist ticket. It was a noisy and unpleasant campaign with meetings descending into violence. However Rees beat Vaughan by 15,235 to 13,701 - a majority of 1,534.
Liberal divisions
As a Coalition Liberal, Rees was associated with support for Lloyd George. However, according to the historian Michael Bentley, by 1924 Rees was part of ‘a small group of Liberal Imperialists’ numbering about 12 MPs who were presumably beginning to be wary of some of Lloyd George’s policy positions and his place on the political spectrum in relation to the emerging force of the Labour Party. Rees did later back Lloyd George however. His name was on a list of MPs sent to Lloyd George by Freddie Guest on 1 June 1926 with a promise of support for his leadership, as long as he would give an assurance that he would not enter into an alliance with Labour or support nationalisation of industry. Lloyd George’s carefully worded reply was successful in ensuring the support of enough MPs for his continued leadership of the party. In the end Rees did not actually vote for Lloyd George as he was absent from the critical meeting of Parliamentary Liberal Party on 1 February 1926.Nevertheless, Rees’ association with the Conservatives brought him into conflict with his own party over the issue of support for the formation of a Labour government after the 1923 election. He was unable to support Asquith
Asquith
Asquith refers to:Persons of the Asquith family, descended from or related to H.H. Asquith, a British prime minister, later a peer:*Herbert Henry Asquith , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
’s position of allowing Labour to take office, although he told his electors in Bristol that there was no Liberal principle involved it was merely a matter of being true to the position on which he had fought the last election. He was one of ten Liberals to support Baldwin’s attempt to remain in office. He then voted with the Conservatives on numerous occasions during the rest of the Parliament although he was rarely the only Liberal MP to defy the party line. The party was embarrassed by these divisions in their Parliamentary ranks but they were reaping the harvest of the Asquith–Lloyd George split and the problems which developed during Lloyd George’s coalition with the Conservatives. Liberal unity did not really improve until after Asquith’s death in 1928 and the need for the Liberal Party to reunify in the face of the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. Rees’ position was not always appreciated by the local Liberals either. At the end of July 1927 a deputation from the Western Liberal Federation went to see the Chief Whip at Liberal Party headquarters. They complained about the political conduct of Freddie Guest, the member for Bristol North
Bristol North (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol North was a borough constituency which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election.- Members of Parliament :...
and Beddoe Rees, because of the number of occasions they had voted with the Government against the rest of the members of the party. They requested that the whip should be withdrawn from them.
1924-1929
By the time of the 1924 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, Labour had become much more optimistic about doing well in Bristol and thought they would win against Rees. Rees against faced his usual Labour opponent D J Vaughan and the continuing local “pact” with the Unionists meant another straight fight. Despite Labour hopes, Rees held the seat by 16,722 votes to Vaughan’s 15,702 - a reduced majority of 1,020.
The local arrangement with the Conservatives survived for the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and again Rees had no Tory opponent. Again the result was expected to be close but in the end it was a comfortable win for the new Labour candidate Alexander Walkden
Alexander Walkden
Alexander George Walkden, 1st Baron Walkden was a British trade union leader and Labour politician.-Trade unionism:...
who had a majority of 5,397. Vaughan had finally abandoned Bristol South and had accepted the offer to stand in the Labour seat of Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:- See also :* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Gloucestershire...
where he was also elected.