Frederick William Verney
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Verney (26 February 1846 – 26 April 1913) was a younger son of the long-established Verney family in Buckinghamshire
. He became a Church of England
clergyman, a barrister, a Siamese diplomat, and a Liberal Party
politician, serving as a member of both the Buckinghamshire
and London County Council
s, and from 1906 to 1910 as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Buckingham
.
Verney was the youngest of four sons of Sir Harry Verney, 2nd Baronet
and his first wife Eliza Hope-Vere, daughter of Admiral Sir George Hope-Vere. His father had been born Harry Calvert, inheriting the baronetcy from his father General Sir Harry Calvert, 1st Baronet, and had changed his surname to Verney in 1827 when he inherited the Verney family's estate in Aylesbury Vale
, Buckinghamshire, including the John Adam
-designed Claydon House
. Sir Harry was a Liberal MP for a total of over 35 years.
Frederick was educated at Harrow
and then at Christ Church, Oxford
. He first became a Church of England
clergyman for three years, serving as secretary and chaplain to the Archbishop of York
, William Thomson, but gave up the church in 1873, and after training as a barrister he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple
in 1875.
In 1883 he took up the post of English Secretary and Counsellor to the legation
in London of Siam, which was at that time a buffer state
between the parts of South of Asia controlled by France and those under British rule. The Kingdom of Siam honoured him for his diplomatic services by appointing him as a Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
.
created County Council
s in England, and Verney became a councillor in the first elections, in 1889. He Buckinghamshire County Council
lor for 18 years (from 1889 to 1907) and a Progressive Party
member of the London County Council
(LCC) from 1898 to 1907, for Peckham. He had unsuccessfully contested the 1895 LCC elections in Norwood.
He stood for Parliament four times before winning a seat. He was unsuccessful in Tunbridge
at the 1885 general election
, in Bath
at the 1886 general election
, in Norwich
at the 1895 general election
, and in Liverpool Exchange
at the 1900 general election
.
He was elected at the 1906 general election
as MP for Buckingham (or Northern) division
of Buckinghamshire. The seat had been held from 1885 to 1886 and from 1889 to 1891 by his older brother Sir Edmund Hope Verney
, who was expelled from the House of Commons in 1891, and at various times between 1832 and 1885 by their father Sir Harry
.
Frederick's main interest in Parliament was agriculture, and in particular supporting the creation of smallholdings. He was appointed in November 1909 as a member of a Royal Commission
on the selection of Justices of the Peace
(magistrates), which reported in July 1910. The Commission's recommendations included the appointment of local committees which would monitor the effectiveness of magistrates and report of whether more magistrates were needed, and proposals to remove political bias from the selection process. However, Verney signed the report with a note dissociating himself from the proposal that "the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Lieutenants should refuse to receive any unasked-for recommendations from Members of Parliament or candidates for such membership in their own constituencies, or from political agents or representatives of political associations"; he claimed that this was outside the scope of the commission.
Verney was re-elected in Buckingham in January 1910, but at the December 1910 general election he stood aside from Buckingham to allow his nephew Sir Harry Verney, 4th Baronet
to contest the seat. Sir Harry held the Buckingham seat, but Frederick was unsuccessful in Christchurch
.
On 26 April 1913, Verney died aged 67 at his London residence of 12 Connaught Place
, after a short illness.
, and corresponded copiously with her. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2Lvo9XhNIGMC&pg=PA211&dq=%22florence+nightingale+%22%22yorkshire%22&hl=en&ei=wbPXTNHoE4aXhQfu_J2wBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=fred%20verney&f=false
In 1870 he married Maude Sarah Williams (died 1937), the daughter of Sir John Hay Williams, 2nd Baronet, whose sister Margaret
had married Fred's older brother Edmund
two years previously. They had three children: Ralph (1879–1959), and two daughters: Gwendolen Verney (1881–1932) and Kathleen (1883–1966).
Ralph fought in the Second Boer War
and in World War I
, became secretary to the Viceroy of India and to the Speaker of the House of Commons; he was knight
ed in 1928 and made a baronet in 1946.
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. He became a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman, a barrister, a Siamese diplomat, and a Liberal Party
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, serving as a member of both the Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
and 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...
s, and from 1906 to 1910 as 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 Buckingham
Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)
Buckingham is a parliamentary 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.-Boundaries:...
.
Early life
Sir Harry Verney, 2nd Baronet
Sir Harry Verney, 2nd Baronet PC, DL, JP was an English soldier and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1832 and 1885.-Background and education:...
and his first wife Eliza Hope-Vere, daughter of Admiral Sir George Hope-Vere. His father had been born Harry Calvert, inheriting the baronetcy from his father General Sir Harry Calvert, 1st Baronet, and had changed his surname to Verney in 1827 when he inherited the Verney family's estate in Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
, Buckinghamshire, including the John Adam
John Adam (architect)
John Adam was a Scottish architect. Born in Linktown of Abbotshall, now part of Kirkcaldy, Fife, he was the eldest son of architect and entrepreneur William Adam. His younger brothers Robert and James Adam also became architects.The Adam family moved to Edinburgh in 1728, as William Adam's career...
-designed Claydon House
Claydon House
Claydon House is a country house in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England, close to the village of Middle Claydon. It was built between 1757 and 1771 and is now owned by the National Trust....
. Sir Harry was a Liberal MP for a total of over 35 years.
Frederick was educated at Harrow
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...
and then at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. He first became a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman for three years, serving as secretary and chaplain to the Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, William Thomson, but gave up the church in 1873, and after training as a barrister he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1875.
In 1883 he took up the post of English Secretary and Counsellor to the legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
in London of Siam, which was at that time a buffer state
Buffer state
A buffer state is a country lying between two rival or potentially hostile greater powers, which by its sheer existence is thought to prevent conflict between them. Buffer states, when authentically independent, typically pursue a neutralist foreign policy, which distinguishes them from satellite...
between the parts of South of Asia controlled by France and those under British rule. The Kingdom of Siam honoured him for his diplomatic services by appointing him as a Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
Order of the White Elephant
The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:...
.
Political career
The Local Government Act 1888Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...
created County Council
County 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:...
s in England, and Verney became a councillor in the first elections, in 1889. He Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
lor for 18 years (from 1889 to 1907) and a Progressive Party
Progressive Party (London)
The Progressive Party was a political party based around the Liberal Party that contested municipal elections in the County of London.It was founded in 1888 by a group of Liberals and leaders of the labour movement. It was also supported by the Fabian Society, and Sidney Webb was one of its...
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...
(LCC) from 1898 to 1907, for Peckham. He had unsuccessfully contested the 1895 LCC elections in Norwood.
He stood for Parliament four times before winning a seat. He was unsuccessful in Tunbridge
Tunbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Tunbridge was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, centred on the town of Tonbridge. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, in Bath
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
at the 1886 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1886
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, in Norwich
Norwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Norwich was a borough constituency which was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1298 to 1707, in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election...
at the 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
, and in Liverpool Exchange
Liverpool Exchange (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Exchange was a borough constituency within the city of Liverpool in England, centred around Liverpool Exchange railway station. 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.The...
at the 1900 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**...
.
He was elected at the 1906 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**...
as MP for Buckingham (or Northern) division
Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)
Buckingham is a parliamentary 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.-Boundaries:...
of Buckinghamshire. The seat had been held from 1885 to 1886 and from 1889 to 1891 by his older brother Sir Edmund Hope Verney
Sir Edmund Verney, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edmund Hope Verney, 3rd Baronet FRGS, DL, JP was a British naval officer, author and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1885 and 1891.-Background and education:...
, who was expelled from the House of Commons in 1891, and at various times between 1832 and 1885 by their father Sir Harry
Sir Harry Verney, 2nd Baronet
Sir Harry Verney, 2nd Baronet PC, DL, JP was an English soldier and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1832 and 1885.-Background and education:...
.
Frederick's main interest in Parliament was agriculture, and in particular supporting the creation of smallholdings. He was appointed in November 1909 as a member of a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on the selection of Justices of the Peace
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...
(magistrates), which reported in July 1910. The Commission's recommendations included the appointment of local committees which would monitor the effectiveness of magistrates and report of whether more magistrates were needed, and proposals to remove political bias from the selection process. However, Verney signed the report with a note dissociating himself from the proposal that "the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Lieutenants should refuse to receive any unasked-for recommendations from Members of Parliament or candidates for such membership in their own constituencies, or from political agents or representatives of political associations"; he claimed that this was outside the scope of the commission.
Verney was re-elected in Buckingham in January 1910, but at the December 1910 general election he stood aside from Buckingham to allow his nephew Sir Harry Verney, 4th Baronet
Sir Harry Verney, 4th Baronet
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Harry Calvert Williams Verney, 4th Baronet , was a British Liberal politician.Verney succeeded in the baronetcy in May 1910. In the December general election of the same year he was returned to Parliament for Buckingham, a seat he held until 1918. He served under H. H...
to contest the seat. Sir Harry held the Buckingham seat, but Frederick was unsuccessful in Christchurch
Christchurch (UK Parliament constituency)
Christchurch is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Centred on the town of Christchurch in Dorset, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
.
On 26 April 1913, Verney died aged 67 at his London residence of 12 Connaught Place
Connaught Place, London
Connaught Place is an area in the Bayswater area of the City of Westminster . The nearest underground station to Connaught Place is Marble Arch tube station which is a few minutes to the East near Marble Arch walking past the site of the Tyburn Tree.Located at the edge of Hyde Park, Connaught...
, after a short illness.
Family
Through his father's second wife, Parthenope Nightingale, Fred Verney was related to Florence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
, and corresponded copiously with her. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2Lvo9XhNIGMC&pg=PA211&dq=%22florence+nightingale+%22%22yorkshire%22&hl=en&ei=wbPXTNHoE4aXhQfu_J2wBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=fred%20verney&f=false
In 1870 he married Maude Sarah Williams (died 1937), the daughter of Sir John Hay Williams, 2nd Baronet, whose sister Margaret
Margaret Verney
Margaret Maria Verney , was an English-born educationist....
had married Fred's older brother Edmund
Sir Edmund Verney, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edmund Hope Verney, 3rd Baronet FRGS, DL, JP was a British naval officer, author and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1885 and 1891.-Background and education:...
two years previously. They had three children: Ralph (1879–1959), and two daughters: Gwendolen Verney (1881–1932) and Kathleen (1883–1966).
Ralph fought in 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 in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, became secretary to the Viceroy of India and to the Speaker of the House of Commons; he was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1928 and made a baronet in 1946.