Edward Corbett (MP)
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Edward Corbett (30 Dec 1817 – 6 Jan 1895) was a British land-owner and Conservative Party
politician from an old Norman
family in Shropshire
. He held a seat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1877.
of Longnor Hall in Shropshire and Leighton Hall
in Montgomeryshire
. His mother was Louisa Favoretta Jones, from Lichfield
in Staffordshire, and his father had been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Shrewsbury
from 1820 to 1830. The family was a branch of the Norman
Corbet family of Caus, who came to England with William the Conqueror and were granted extensive lands in Shropshire and the Welsh Marches
.
Corbett was educated at Eton
. He joined the British Army
in November 1837 as an ensign
in the 51st regiment, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant
. He switched to the 72nd Highlanders in 1841, and retired from the army in October 1844. By 1874 he was living in Longnor Hall and held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in in the Shropshire militia,
and the honorary rank of Colonel
(which was bestowed in 1883). He resigned his commission in the militia In October 1884, but was permitted to retain his rank.
(J.P.) for Shropshire, and a Deputy Lieutenant
of Shropshire.
He was elected at the 1868 general election
as an MP for South Shropshire
, having expressed comfidence in Disraeli and promised voters "to resist to the utmost of his power Mr. Gladstone
's attempt to uproot and destroy the Protestant Church". Corbett was re-elected in 1874
. When he resigned his seat
on 7 August 1877, by taking the post of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, the announcement was described by The Times
newspaper as "sudden".
In April 1881 he unsuccessfully contested a by-election in Northampton
after the Liberal
MP Charles Bradlaugh
was unseated when he voted in the Commons before taking the Oath of Allegiance (he insisted on the right to affirm
instead). Bradlaugh was again expelled from the Commons the following year, and Corbett again stood in the resulting by-election. Addressing a public meeting from the balcony of the Angel Hotel in Northampton on 23 February, he told the crowd that this was not an ordinary electoral contest, but a battle of principles. He hoped that the result would be to spare the House of Commons from the "disgreceful scenes" which had taken place over Bradluagh's refusal to take the oath. Bradlaugh was re-elected on 4 March 1882.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Edward Corbett (30 Dec 1817 – 6 Jan 1895) was a British land-owner and 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...
politician from an old Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
family in 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...
. He held a seat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1877.
Early life
Corbett was the oldest surviving son of Panton CorbettPanton Corbett
Panton Corbett was an English Tory politician from Shropshire.His family was a branch of the Norman Corbet family of Caus, who came to England with William the Conqueror and were granted extensive lands in Shropshire and the Welsh Marches...
of Longnor Hall in Shropshire and Leighton Hall
Leighton Hall, Powys
Leighton Hall is an estate and farming complex, located outside Welshpool in Powys, Wales. A grade 1 listed building and estate farming complex, located on the opposite side of the valley to Powis Castle...
in Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
. His mother was Louisa Favoretta Jones, from Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
in Staffordshire, and his father had been the Member of Parliament
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,...
(MP) for Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Shrewsbury was a parliamentary constituency in England, centred on the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.It was founded in 1290 as parliamentary borough, returning two members to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the...
from 1820 to 1830. The family was a branch of the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Corbet family of Caus, who came to England with William the Conqueror and were granted extensive lands in Shropshire and the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
.
Corbett was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. He joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in November 1837 as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 51st regiment, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He switched to the 72nd Highlanders in 1841, and retired from the army in October 1844. By 1874 he was living in Longnor Hall and held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in in the Shropshire militia,
and the honorary rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(which was bestowed in 1883). He resigned his commission in the militia In October 1884, but was permitted to retain his rank.
Political career
By 1868 Corbett was a Justice of the PeaceJustice 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...
(J.P.) for Shropshire, and a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Shropshire.
He was elected at the 1868 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
as an MP for South Shropshire
South Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)
South Shropshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire....
, having expressed comfidence in Disraeli and promised voters "to resist to the utmost of his power Mr. Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
's attempt to uproot and destroy the Protestant Church". Corbett was re-elected in 1874
United Kingdom general election, 1874
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
. When he resigned his seat
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
on 7 August 1877, by taking the post of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, the announcement was described by 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 as "sudden".
In April 1881 he unsuccessfully contested a by-election in Northampton
Northampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Northampton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Northampton which existed until 1974.It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until its representation was reduced to one member for the 1918 general election...
after the 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...
MP Charles Bradlaugh
Charles Bradlaugh
Charles Bradlaugh was a political activist and one of the most famous English atheists of the 19th century. He founded the National Secular Society in 1866.-Early life:...
was unseated when he voted in the Commons before taking the Oath of Allegiance (he insisted on the right to affirm
Affirmation in law
In law, an affirmation is a solemn declaration allowed to those who conscientiously object to taking an oath. An affirmation has exactly the same legal effect as an oath, but is usually taken to avoid the religious implications of an oath...
instead). Bradlaugh was again expelled from the Commons the following year, and Corbett again stood in the resulting by-election. Addressing a public meeting from the balcony of the Angel Hotel in Northampton on 23 February, he told the crowd that this was not an ordinary electoral contest, but a battle of principles. He hoped that the result would be to spare the House of Commons from the "disgreceful scenes" which had taken place over Bradluagh's refusal to take the oath. Bradlaugh was re-elected on 4 March 1882.