James Bailey (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir James Bailey JP, DL, MP, was a British Conservative Party
politician who served from 1895 to 1906 as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Walworth in South London
. He was also a successful hotel developer, most notably for establishing the Bailey's Hotel
in Kensington
, and the founder of a London gentlemen's club
, the Constitutional Club
.
, England. His father, William Bailey, was keeper of the Anchor Inn in Ropley
. He also made time to find horses for the hunts of the Hampshire Hunt. William Bailey was also known to be a farmer of Mill Road (which became Kensington House), Mattishall
, Norfolk
. Bailey's mother was Sarah (née Dunthron). He had at least one sibling, a brother, John, an 1855 Whippers-In
for the Hampshire Hunt.
He received his education at Dereham
Grammar School.
Moving to London in 1860 at the age of twenty, he was initially employed as a butler.
and Pond
Limited, he became Managing Director, a position he retained until 1898.He served on the boards of Harrods
and D. H. Evans
, as a Kensington vestryman from 1878 to 1894, as Deputy Lieutenant
for Norfolk, and in 1895, Bailey became a Justice of the peace
in Essex.
He won his seat in the House of Commons at his first attempt, in a by-election in June 1895 following the death of the Liberal
MP William Saunders
. One of his two opponents was the Social Democratic Federation
candidate George Lansbury
, who later became leader of the Labour Party
. Bailey was re-elected at the general election in July 1895
, and again in 1900
, but lost his seat to a Liberal candidate, Charles James O'Donnell
, at the 1906 general election
and did not stand for Parliament
again.
; and secondly, in 1896, Lily Fass of Queen's Gate Gardens
. He had three sons, Percy James Bailey (Lieut. 12th Royal Lancers
), Frederick George Glyn Bailey, Sidney Robert Bailey, and three daughters, Alice, Augusta, and Marie Elizabeth. He had a home in Harrington Gardens, South Kensington, S.W.; and he purchased the 700 acre Shortgrove estate, Newport, Essex in 1894 from Lord Cardross
.
Bailey was one of the 1883 founders of the Constitutional Club, a club closely aligned to the Conservative party. He was also a member of two other gentlemen's clubs in London, the Carlton Club
, a venue for political discussions between Conservative MPs, and the Junior Carlton Club
which was also closely aligned to the Conservative party. Bailey made time for several interests aside from his hotelier and political career. His hobbies included hunting and shooting; from 1879, he was a huntsman of the Essex Foxhounds. Between 1878 to 1894, Bailey was active as a Kensington vestryman
and People's Churchwarden
. Bailey retained an affinity for his childhood home town, Mattishall, as, in 1894, he donated a church organ to All Saints' Church Mattishall in memory of his mother.
He was knight
ed on 18 December 1905, and died five years later at his London home, 58 Rutland Gate, leaving an estate valued at £245,000.
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 served from 1895 to 1906 as 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 Walworth in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
. He was also a successful hotel developer, most notably for establishing the Bailey's Hotel
Millennium Bailey's Hotel
Millennium Bailey's Hotel, formerly Bailey's Hotel, is a historic hotel in the Kensington district of London. The postal address is 140 Gloucester Road, but the main entrance is on Courtfield Road, opposite Gloucester Road tube station...
in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, and the founder of a London gentlemen's club
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
, the Constitutional Club
Constitutional Club
The Constitutional Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1883 and was disbanded in 1979. Between 1886 and 1959 it had a distinctive red and yellow Victorian Neo-Gothic terracotta building at 28 Northumberland Avenue, off Trafalgar Square.The Club was closely...
.
Early years
Bailey was born in 1840 (on November 10 or November 15) in HampshireHampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England. His father, William Bailey, was keeper of the Anchor Inn in Ropley
Ropley
Ropley is a village and large civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of , situated east from New Alresford, with a station 1½ miles from the village. It is southwest of Alton, just off the A31 road...
. He also made time to find horses for the hunts of the Hampshire Hunt. William Bailey was also known to be a farmer of Mill Road (which became Kensington House), Mattishall
Mattishall
Mattishall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated in the heart of Norfolk 13 miles from the centre of Norwich and four miles from Dereham, at the geographical centre of Norfolk....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Bailey's mother was Sarah (née Dunthron). He had at least one sibling, a brother, John, an 1855 Whippers-In
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
for the Hampshire Hunt.
He received his education at Dereham
Dereham
Dereham, also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles east of King's Lynn. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of...
Grammar School.
Moving to London in 1860 at the age of twenty, he was initially employed as a butler.
Career
Bailey's early years in business involved taking a small hotel in Gloucester Road, London, probably the Harrington Hotel although Bailey's name is not on record. He established the Bailey's Hotel in Kensington in 1876, one of the earliest privately funded hotels in London at the time and several others hotels in London. The Bailey's Hotel was a very modern hotel for this period, with an elevator and bathrooms on every floor. In 1886, he purchased the South Kensington Hotel, located in Queen's Gate Terrace. In 1894, after Bailey sold his hotels to SpiersFelix William Spiers
Felix William Spiers was a British restaurateur and hotelier.Spiers' family originated in Glasgow, Scotland in the very early 18th century. One of the family moved to France, where he dealt in tobacco. Later family members were born in Calais, Dunkerque, Boulogne, France and in England...
and Pond
Christopher Pond
Christopher Pond was a British caterer and hotelier.Christopher Pond was born in Essex in 1826. While looking to seek his fortune in Australia he met Felix William Spiers, and the pair rented a room at the Melbourne National Hotel in which they created their first restaurant called "The...
Limited, he became Managing Director, a position he retained until 1898.He served on the boards of Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
and D. H. Evans
House of Fraser
House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
, as a Kensington vestryman from 1878 to 1894, as 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....
for Norfolk, and in 1895, Bailey became a Justice 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...
in Essex.
He won his seat in the House of Commons at his first attempt, in a by-election in June 1895 following the death of 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 William Saunders
William Saunders (politician)
William Saunders was a British newspaper publisher and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1885 and 1895....
. One of his two opponents was the Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
candidate George Lansbury
George Lansbury
George Lansbury was a British politician, socialist, Christian pacifist and newspaper editor. He was a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1912 and from 1922 to 1940, and leader of the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935....
, who later became leader 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...
. Bailey was re-elected at the general election in July 1895
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 again in 1900
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**...
, but lost his seat to a Liberal candidate, Charles James O'Donnell
Charles James O'Donnell
Charles James O'Cahan O'Donnell was an Irish colonial administrator, politician and a member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, 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**...
and did not stand for Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
again.
Personal life
Bailey married firstly, in 1869, Catherine Smith (d. 1892) of Benson, OxfordshireBenson, Oxfordshire
Benson is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It is about north of Wallingford at the foot of the Chiltern Hills at the confluence of a chalk stream and the River Thames, next to Benson Lock...
; and secondly, in 1896, Lily Fass of Queen's Gate Gardens
Queen's Gate
Queen's Gate is a major street in South Kensington, London, England. It runs from Kensington Road south, intersecting with Cromwell Road, and then on to Old Brompton Road....
. He had three sons, Percy James Bailey (Lieut. 12th Royal Lancers
12th Royal Lancers
The 12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. In 1960, it was amalgamated with 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, to form 9th/12th Royal Lancers .-History:...
), Frederick George Glyn Bailey, Sidney Robert Bailey, and three daughters, Alice, Augusta, and Marie Elizabeth. He had a home in Harrington Gardens, South Kensington, S.W.; and he purchased the 700 acre Shortgrove estate, Newport, Essex in 1894 from Lord Cardross
Lord Cardross
Lord Cardross is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, since 1695 a subsidiary title of the earldom of Buchan. It was created in 1606 for John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar, with remainder to his heirs male and assignees whatsoever and with the power to nominate his successor...
.
Bailey was one of the 1883 founders of the Constitutional Club, a club closely aligned to the Conservative party. He was also a member of two other gentlemen's clubs in London, 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:...
, a venue for political discussions between Conservative MPs, and the Junior Carlton Club
Junior Carlton Club
The Junior Carlton Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1866 and was disbanded in 1977.-History:Anticipating the forthcoming Second Reform Act under Benjamin Disraeli, numerous prospective electors decided to form a club closely aligned to the Conservative...
which was also closely aligned to the Conservative party. Bailey made time for several interests aside from his hotelier and political career. His hobbies included hunting and shooting; from 1879, he was a huntsman of the Essex Foxhounds. Between 1878 to 1894, Bailey was active as a Kensington vestryman
Vestryman
A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body. He is not a member of the clergy.In England especially, but also in other parts of The United Kingdom, Parish Councils have long been a level of local government rather than being solely ecclesiastical in nature...
and People's Churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
. Bailey retained an affinity for his childhood home town, Mattishall, as, in 1894, he donated a church organ to All Saints' Church Mattishall in memory of his mother.
He was knight
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
ed on 18 December 1905, and died five years later at his London home, 58 Rutland Gate, leaving an estate valued at £245,000.