Charles Edward Breese
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward Breese was a Welsh
solicitor
, antiquarian
and Liberal
politician.
, Caernarvonshire , and Merionethshire
. Edward Breese was David Lloyd George
’s first employer when Lloyd George became a solicitor in Portmadoc. Edward Breese was Liberal Party agent for Merioneth and South Caernarvonshire and involved Lloyd George in campaigning and canvassing for the Liberal Party in elections after 1880. In 1894 Charles Breese married Janet, daughter of the Reverend Paul Methuen Stedman. Breese was a devout Anglican by religion, even though he went on to represent a strongly nonconformist seat in Parliament. He was also a prominent Freemason.
, Liberal MP for Merioneth
from 1868-69. Breese’s cousin Osmond Williams
was also Liberal MP for Merioneth from 1900-1910. Breese served in the Volunteers and during the First World War, he fought in the European theatre, reaching the rank of Major. Like his father, he was deeply interested in antiquarianism, archaeology and heraldry. He was chairman of the executive committee of the Cambrian Archaeological Association and was one of its vice-presidents in 1930.
and was made an Alderman
of the county. He was also sometime secretary of the Welsh National Liberal Council.
for the 1918 general election
. Caernarvonshire was a new constituency being made up from the merger between two pre-war seats Arfon
and Eifion
. The former MP for Eifion, Ellis William Davies
was a supporter of H H Asquith and strongly opposed to Lloyd George. He tried to manoeuvre his succession to the new Caernarvonshire seat by quickly setting up a combined Arfon and Eifion Liberal Association and packing it with his own supporters to secure the nomination. Many of the local Liberal Clubs refused to acknowledge Ellis' nomination by this route however and chose their own delegates who convened a new adoption process. The three candidates for the nomination were Breese, Ellis Davies and R. T. Jones
, the general secretary of the North Wales Quarrymen's Union
who was actually the Labour candidate. Breese won the contest and went on to face both men in the general election itself, Jones standing as an Independent Labour candidate and Ellis Davies as a Liberal but in support of the Asquithian party. Breese no doubt received the Coalition Coupon
as he stood as a Coalition Liberal and he faced no Conservative Party
opposition. He won the election gaining 10,488 votes to Jones’ 8,145 with Davies third on 4,937.
to HAL Fisher
the President of the Board of Education.
At the 1922 general election
Breese stood in Caernarvonshire as a Lloyd George National Liberal
. He again faced no Tory
opponent and this time the Independent Liberals did not put up a candidate. However in a straight fight with R T Jones for Labour he lost by 14,016 votes to 12,407. He did not stand for Parliament again.
shooting on Arenig Mountain
near Bala
on 15 August 1932, aged 65 years.
in Aberystwyth
. The collection consists of his own papers and others acquired by him covering the period 1771-1932, including rentals and accounts for the Brithdir area, Merionethshire, 1802–1848; papers relating to the War Agricultural Committee, 1916; materials relating to Kalendars of Gwynedd, 1872–1873, which was written by his father Edward Breese; papers relating to Crown and Common lands in Wales, 1909–1920; correspondence and notes addressed to Charles E. Breese in his capacity as MP for Caernarvonshire, and correspondence submitted to him for reference, 1912–1923; miscellaneous letters, mostly addressed to Charles E. Breese, 1887–1932; correspondence from G. Rutter Fletcher to R. I. Jones ('Alltud Eifion'), 1835–1905, relating to the pedigree of the Rutter family, with a copy of the pedigree; newspaper cuttings, containing articles of Welsh interest, such as Disestablishment of the Church in Wales, Crown lands in Wales etc., 1909–1920; and miscellaneous papers, 1858–1932; together with maps and prints, etc., 1771-1932.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
, antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and 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.
Family
Breese was the son of Edward Breese (1835–1881), lawyer and antiquary, who published Kalendars of Gwynedd, a complete record of the high officers (sheriffs, MPs etc.) of the counties of AngleseyAnglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, Caernarvonshire , and 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...
. Edward Breese was David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
’s first employer when Lloyd George became a solicitor in Portmadoc. Edward Breese was Liberal Party agent for Merioneth and South Caernarvonshire and involved Lloyd George in campaigning and canvassing for the Liberal Party in elections after 1880. In 1894 Charles Breese married Janet, daughter of the Reverend Paul Methuen Stedman. Breese was a devout Anglican by religion, even though he went on to represent a strongly nonconformist seat in Parliament. He was also a prominent Freemason.
Career
Charles Breese was admitted as a solicitor in 1889 and, like Lloyd George, worked in the firm of Breese, Jones and Casson in Portmadoc, the practice founded by his father’s uncle David WilliamsDavid Williams (Merioneth)
David Williams was a Welsh Liberal Party politician who served for a short time as the Member of Parliament for the Merioneth constituency...
, Liberal MP for Merioneth
Merioneth (UK Parliament constituency)
Merioneth, sometimes called Merionethshire, was a constituency in North Wales established in 1542, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament, and later to the Parliament of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom...
from 1868-69. Breese’s cousin Osmond Williams
Sir Osmond Williams, 1st Baronet
Sir Arthur Osmond Williams was a Welsh Liberal Party politician.- Background :He was born at Llanfihangel-y-Traethau, Merionethshire, Wales. He was the son of David Williams, M.P. for Merioneth 1868-1869, and Anne Louisa Loveday Williams. Arthur was educated at Eton...
was also Liberal MP for Merioneth from 1900-1910. Breese served in the Volunteers and during the First World War, he fought in the European theatre, reaching the rank of Major. Like his father, he was deeply interested in antiquarianism, archaeology and heraldry. He was chairman of the executive committee of the Cambrian Archaeological Association and was one of its vice-presidents in 1930.
Liberal politics
Breese was drawn into Liberal politics through his strong family association with Liberalism in North Wales. In addition to the Williams connection, there was Breese’s father’s involvement in Merioneth and South Caernarvonshire. Breese served on the Caernarvonshire County CouncilCounty council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
and was made an Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the county. He was also sometime secretary of the Welsh National Liberal Council.
Caernarvonshire, 1918
Given the connection between the Breese family and David Lloyd George it is not surprising that Breese was selected as Coalition Liberal Parliamentary candidate for the constituency of CaernarvonshireCaernarvonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Caernarvonshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885 and from 1918 until 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post...
for 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...
. Caernarvonshire was a new constituency being made up from the merger between two pre-war seats Arfon
Arfon (UK Parliament constituency)
Arfon is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Although the constituency is relatively large by geographical area, it is a predominantly urban rather than rural seat, with the majority of the population living in the two towns on which the constituency is...
and Eifion
Eifion (UK Parliament constituency)
Eifion was a parliamentary constituency in Caernarfonshire, Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:...
. The former MP for Eifion, Ellis William Davies
Ellis William Davies
Ellis William Davies was a Welsh Liberal Party and later, briefly, Labour Party and Liberal National politician and lawyer.-Early life and work:...
was a supporter of H H Asquith and strongly opposed to Lloyd George. He tried to manoeuvre his succession to the new Caernarvonshire seat by quickly setting up a combined Arfon and Eifion Liberal Association and packing it with his own supporters to secure the nomination. Many of the local Liberal Clubs refused to acknowledge Ellis' nomination by this route however and chose their own delegates who convened a new adoption process. The three candidates for the nomination were Breese, Ellis Davies and R. T. Jones
Robert Thomas Jones
Robert Thomas Jones was a Welsh quarryman, trade unionist and Labour Party politician.He was elected at the 1922 general election as the Member of Parliament for Caernarvonshire, having unsuccessfully contested the seat in 1918...
, the general secretary of the North Wales Quarrymen's Union
North Wales Quarrymen's Union
The North Wales Quarrymen's Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom.It was founded on 27 April 1864 at the Queen's Hotel, Caenarfon after a month of discussions between quarrymen from Dinorwic and other supporters...
who was actually the Labour candidate. Breese won the contest and went on to face both men in the general election itself, Jones standing as an Independent Labour candidate and Ellis Davies as a Liberal but in support of the Asquithian party. Breese no doubt received the Coalition Coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
as he stood as a Coalition Liberal and he faced no 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...
opposition. He won the election gaining 10,488 votes to Jones’ 8,145 with Davies third on 4,937.
1918-1922
In 1921 Breese was appointed by the Minister of Pensions, Ian Macpherson to serve on the Pensions Advisory Committee set up to decide on the final awards to be made to applicants under the War Pensions Act, 1921 The following year, he was appointed PPSParliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to HAL Fisher
Herbert Fisher
Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher OM, FRS, PC was an English historian, educator, and Liberal politician. He served as President of the Board of Education in David Lloyd George's 1916 to 1922 coalition government....
the President of the Board of Education.
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...
Breese stood in Caernarvonshire as a Lloyd George National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
. He again faced no Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
opponent and this time the Independent Liberals did not put up a candidate. However in a straight fight with R T Jones for Labour he lost by 14,016 votes to 12,407. He did not stand for Parliament again.
Death
Breese died from heart failure while grouseGrouse
Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a family Tetraonidae, though the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae...
shooting on Arenig Mountain
Arenig Fawr
Arenig Fawr is a mountain located in Snowdonia, North Wales. The mountain, which is the largest in the area, lies close to Llyn Celyn reservoir alongside the A4212 between Trawsfynydd and Bala.-Location:...
near Bala
Bala, Gwynedd
Bala is a market town and community in Gwynedd, Wales, and formerly an urban district of the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies at the north end of Bala Lake , 17 miles north-east of Dolgellau, with a population of 1,980...
on 15 August 1932, aged 65 years.
Works
Breese wrote two books on Welsh political subjects.- Welsh Religious Equality: being arguments in favour of disestablishment and disendowment of the Church of England in Wales, D Lloyd, Portmadoc , 1892
- Welsh Nationality; Welsh National Press, Caernarfon, 1895
Papers
Breese’s papers are deposited in the National Library of WalesNational Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
. The collection consists of his own papers and others acquired by him covering the period 1771-1932, including rentals and accounts for the Brithdir area, Merionethshire, 1802–1848; papers relating to the War Agricultural Committee, 1916; materials relating to Kalendars of Gwynedd, 1872–1873, which was written by his father Edward Breese; papers relating to Crown and Common lands in Wales, 1909–1920; correspondence and notes addressed to Charles E. Breese in his capacity as MP for Caernarvonshire, and correspondence submitted to him for reference, 1912–1923; miscellaneous letters, mostly addressed to Charles E. Breese, 1887–1932; correspondence from G. Rutter Fletcher to R. I. Jones ('Alltud Eifion'), 1835–1905, relating to the pedigree of the Rutter family, with a copy of the pedigree; newspaper cuttings, containing articles of Welsh interest, such as Disestablishment of the Church in Wales, Crown lands in Wales etc., 1909–1920; and miscellaneous papers, 1858–1932; together with maps and prints, etc., 1771-1932.