Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet of Beechfield, Corsham
and Bradenstoke Abbey
, both Wiltshire
(25 July 1813 – 8 May 1900) was a Conservative
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885. He was created baronet
in May 1880.
, became clothiers in Chippenham in the sixteenth century and were long afterwards associated with Wiltshire, and particularly the town. An ancestor, Henry Goldney, had also been a Member of Parliament for Chippenham and was in 1553 appointed the first "Bayliff" of Chippenham. A 17th century ancestor, also named Gabriel, left bequests in his will
to provide "greatcoats for six poor inhabitants".
Goldney was born on 25 July and baptised at Chippenham
on 3 December, 1813. His father was Harry Goldney (1774 - 1852) and his mother Elizabeth (née Reade, c. 1789 - 1863).
He was educated at Christ's Hospital
(of which he later became a Governor) from 1820 to 1828.
Goldney married Mary Anne Alexander in Corsham
on 16 September 1839, and they had four children: Mary Catherine Goldney (14 October 1841 - 4 August 1854), Gabriel Prior Goldney (b. 4 August 1843), Frederick Hastings Goldney (b. 26 May 1845), and John Tankerville Goldney (b. 15 June 1846).
and banker. In 1854 he bought Sheldon Manor
and in 1856, land in Hilmarton
.
His investments extended outside Wiltshire to Camberley
in Surrey
, as in 1860 he advanced money to develop a silk farm
at Heatherside; however, the venture failed, Goldney foreclosed on his investment and took possession of the land, part of which later became Prior Park, Camberley, the residence of his two elder sons.
In 1863 he bought land at Bradenstoke Abbey
from Frederick Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen
, and the following year, bought Stanley Abbey
from John Bayntun Starkey. By 1888 he also owned land at Monks Park, Corsham
, which he leased for quarry
ing.
He was first elected to parliament as Conservative Member of Parliament
for Chippenham
, Wiltshire, England
on 11 July 1865 and made his maiden speech
on 20 April 1866. By this time, he was also a Director of the North Wilts Bank. In this capacity, he was persuaded by railway engineer Roland Brotherhood
to relax the bank's conditions on his overdraft
in return for help in getting Goldney re-elected in the forthcoming election; Goldney, having been successfully re-elected, then advised the bank that the conditions could be relaxed. However, shortly after this, in 1869, the bank changed its mind, and Brotherhood's enterprise failed; Brotherhood blamed Goldney for this. Goldney was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
of Wiltshire on 22 February 1869.
The position of Bailiff of Chippenham passed down to Goldney; he was also a freemason, holding the office of Grand Warden of England. He was created Baronet Goldney of Beechfield in the parish of Corsham
, and Bradenstoke Abbey
in the parish of Lyneham
on 30 April 1880.. He was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire
in 1906 .
He died at Eaton Place, Belgravia
, London
on 8 May 1900, and the baronetcy passed to his first son Gabriel Prior Goldney.
, London and in the name of Goldney Avenue, Chippenham.
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
and Bradenstoke Abbey
Bradenstoke Abbey
Bradenstoke Priory is a medieval priory in the village of Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, England. It is noted today for its structures having been used by William Randolph Hearst for the renovation of St Donat's Castle, near Llantwit Major, Wales, in the 1930s....
, both Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
(25 July 1813 – 8 May 1900) was a Conservative
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 who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885. He was created baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in May 1880.
Ancestry and early life
The Goldney family, from 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...
, became clothiers in Chippenham in the sixteenth century and were long afterwards associated with Wiltshire, and particularly the town. An ancestor, Henry Goldney, had also been a Member of Parliament for Chippenham and was in 1553 appointed the first "Bayliff" of Chippenham. A 17th century ancestor, also named Gabriel, left bequests in his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
to provide "greatcoats for six poor inhabitants".
Goldney was born on 25 July and baptised at Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
on 3 December, 1813. His father was Harry Goldney (1774 - 1852) and his mother Elizabeth (née Reade, c. 1789 - 1863).
He was educated at Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
(of which he later became a Governor) from 1820 to 1828.
Goldney married Mary Anne Alexander in Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
on 16 September 1839, and they had four children: Mary Catherine Goldney (14 October 1841 - 4 August 1854), Gabriel Prior Goldney (b. 4 August 1843), Frederick Hastings Goldney (b. 26 May 1845), and John Tankerville Goldney (b. 15 June 1846).
Career
Goldney became a landowner, financierFinancier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
and banker. In 1854 he bought Sheldon Manor
Sheldon Manor
Sheldon Manor near Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, is Wiltshire's oldest inhabited manor house and dates back to Saxon times. Its structure is mostly 17th century and it is a Grade I listed building.- History :...
and in 1856, land in Hilmarton
Hilmarton
Hilmarton is a small village in North Wiltshire, in the West of England.The village is situated on the A3102 between the towns of Calne and Wootton Bassett, and south of Lyneham. The Anglican village church of St. Laurence dates from the 12th century and has Grade 1 listed building status...
.
His investments extended outside Wiltshire to Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, as in 1860 he advanced money to develop a silk farm
Sericulture
Sericulture, or silk farming, is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk.Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, Bombyx mori is the most widely used and intensively studied. According to Confucian texts, the discovery of silk production by B...
at Heatherside; however, the venture failed, Goldney foreclosed on his investment and took possession of the land, part of which later became Prior Park, Camberley, the residence of his two elder sons.
In 1863 he bought land at Bradenstoke Abbey
Bradenstoke Abbey
Bradenstoke Priory is a medieval priory in the village of Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, England. It is noted today for its structures having been used by William Randolph Hearst for the renovation of St Donat's Castle, near Llantwit Major, Wales, in the 1930s....
from Frederick Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen
Frederick Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen
Frederick Henry Paul Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen , was a British peer and Liberal politician.Methuen was the son of Paul Methuen, 1st Baron Methuen, and his wife Jane Dorothea...
, and the following year, bought Stanley Abbey
Stanley Abbey
Stanley Abbey was a medieval abbey near Chippenham, Wiltshire in England which flourished between 1151 and 1536.- Foundation :The abbey was given by Empress Matilda in 1151 to monks from Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight. Originally at Loxwell, to the east of Chippenham, it moved to nearby Stanley...
from John Bayntun Starkey. By 1888 he also owned land at Monks Park, Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
, which he leased for quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing.
He was first elected to parliament as Conservative 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,...
for Chippenham
Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chippenham is a parliamentary constituency, abolished in 1983 but recreated in 2010, and 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...
, Wiltshire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 11 July 1865 and made 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...
on 20 April 1866. By this time, he was also a Director of the North Wilts Bank. In this capacity, he was persuaded by railway engineer Roland Brotherhood
Roland Brotherhood
Rowland Brotherhood was a British engineer. He was born in Middlesex in 1812 and died in Bristol in 1883. He married Priscilla Penton in 1835 and they had 14 children, one also called Rowland who played cricket for Gloucestershire, another called Peter...
to relax the bank's conditions on his overdraft
Overdraft
An overdraft occurs when money is withdrawn from a bank account and the available balance goes below zero. In this situation the account is said to be "overdrawn". If there is a prior agreement with the account provider for an overdraft, and the amount overdrawn is within the authorized overdraft...
in return for help in getting Goldney re-elected in the forthcoming election; Goldney, having been successfully re-elected, then advised the bank that the conditions could be relaxed. However, shortly after this, in 1869, the bank changed its mind, and Brotherhood's enterprise failed; Brotherhood blamed Goldney for this. Goldney was appointed 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 Wiltshire on 22 February 1869.
The position of Bailiff of Chippenham passed down to Goldney; he was also a freemason, holding the office of Grand Warden of England. He was created Baronet Goldney of Beechfield in the parish of Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
, and Bradenstoke Abbey
Bradenstoke Abbey
Bradenstoke Priory is a medieval priory in the village of Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, England. It is noted today for its structures having been used by William Randolph Hearst for the renovation of St Donat's Castle, near Llantwit Major, Wales, in the 1930s....
in the parish of Lyneham
Lyneham
-Village:* Lyneham, Wiltshire is a village located in Wiltshire* RAF Lyneham is a Royal Air Force based in Wiltshire, England-Suburb:* Lyneham, Australian Capital Territory is a suburb of Canberra, Australia...
on 30 April 1880.. He was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
in 1906 .
He died at Eaton Place, Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 8 May 1900, and the baronetcy passed to his first son Gabriel Prior Goldney.
Legacy
Goldney is commemorated in stained-glass windows of Chippenham parish church, The Foundling HospitalFoundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
, London and in the name of Goldney Avenue, Chippenham.
See also
- Goldney papers University of Bristol Library Special Collections