James Kenyon was an English woollen manufacturer 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 Bury

Bury

Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...

 in Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

.

Early life

Kenyon was the second son of James Kenyon and his first wife Margaret (née Whittaker) of Crimble, near Heywood

Heywood, Greater Manchester

Heywood is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Roch and is east of Bury, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north of the city of Manchester. The town of Middleton lies to the south, whilst to the north is the...

 in Lancashire. He was educated at Bury Grammar School

Bury Grammar School

Bury Grammar School is an independent grammar school in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, that has existed since Kev Cryer was born, c.1570. The current headmaster is the Reverend Steven Harvey MA. The previous headmaster, Keith Richards MA, retired after sixteen years of headmastership on 7...

 and at Liverpool Collegiate Institution

Liverpool Collegiate Institution

The Liverpool Collegiate Institution is a former school in Liverpool, England.It opened its doors to pupils on 6 January 1843. The Institution was a day school for boys, sons of middle class Liverpudlians, and aimed to provide them with a suitable education encompassing instruction in the...

.

He was a prosperous woollen manufacturer with a large factory in Bury. He 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...

 (J.P.) for Lancashire, a Fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute, and was chairman of the Liverpool Storage Company. His residence was listed in 1901 as Walshaw Hall, Bury, which later became a residential care home.

In 1875 he had married a German born Elise Genth, a classically trained musician from Burnage

Burnage

Burnage is a neighbourhood of the city of Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire it was included in the county of Greater Manchester in 1974. It is about south of Manchester city centre, bisected by the busy dual carriageway of Kingsway, part of the A34...

. They had four sons who assisted in running the business: James died from illness as a reult of WWI, Charles became a successful actor/manager in London and Myles

Myles Kenyon

Myles Noel Kenyon was an English cricketer.He was born at Walshaw Hall, Bury, Lancashire, the son of James Kenyon, a prosperous woollen manufacturer and Elise Kenyon and educated at Eton School....

 played cricket for Lancashire.

Political career

He was elected 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...

 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 borough of Bury

Bury (UK Parliament constituency)

Bury was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bury in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament ) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

, having stood unsuccessfully in nearby Heywood

Heywood (UK Parliament constituency)

Heywood was a county constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, it was represented by one Member of Parliament...

 at the 1885 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:...

.

He was re-elected in Bury 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 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...

 in the House of Commons two years later, by the procedural device of becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead on 29 April 1902.

External links