John Ellis (businessman)
Encyclopedia
John Ellis of Beaumont Leys
in Leicester
, was instrumental in interesting George Stephenson
in the proposed Leicester and Swannington Railway
.
Ellis was at the 1840 World's Anti-slavery convention in London and he was included in the painting which is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
He became director of the Midland Counties Railway
and, on its amalgamation into the Midland Railway
, became its deputy chairman, and later its second chairman, following the resignation of George Hudson
in 1849.
In 1845 he eavesdropped on a conversation between two directors of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
discussing the Great Western Railway
's possible acquisition of the line. He took it upon himself to make an offer on behalf of the Midland. The Midland agreed to lease the line (along with the Bristol and Gloucester
) and pay off its debts. The Midland thus had control of the lines (though not at that time a through route at Birmingham or Gloucester) from Yorkshire
to the South West.
John Ellis was a Quaker and a noted liberal reformer. He became a Leicester
town councillor in 1836 and a Member of Parliament
for Leicester
between 1848 and 1852.
Beaumont Leys
Beaumont Leys is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England, comprising the north-western Leicester suburb of Beaumont Leys.-Geography:...
in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, was instrumental in interesting George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
in the proposed Leicester and Swannington Railway
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway was one of England's first railways, being opened on 17 July 1832 to bring coal from collieries in west Leicestershire to Leicester.-Overview:...
.
Ellis was at the 1840 World's Anti-slavery convention in London and he was included in the painting which is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
He became director of the Midland Counties Railway
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the...
and, on its amalgamation into the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
, became its deputy chairman, and later its second chairman, following the resignation of George Hudson
George Hudson
George Hudson , English railway financier, known as "The Railway King", was born, the fifth son of a farmer, in Howsham, in the parish of Scrayingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire, north of Stamford Bridge, east of York. He is buried in Scrayingham...
in 1849.
In 1845 he eavesdropped on a conversation between two directors of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway is a railway route linking Birmingham to Gloucester in England.It is one of the world's oldest main line railways and includes the famous Lickey Incline, a dead-straight stretch of track running up the 1-in-37 gradient of the Lickey Ridge...
discussing the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
's possible acquisition of the line. He took it upon himself to make an offer on behalf of the Midland. The Midland agreed to lease the line (along with the Bristol and Gloucester
Bristol and Gloucester Railway
The Bristol and Gloucester Railway opened in 1844 between Bristol and Gloucester, meeting the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. It is now part of the main line from the North-East of England through Derby and Birmingham to the South-West.-History:...
) and pay off its debts. The Midland thus had control of the lines (though not at that time a through route at Birmingham or Gloucester) from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to the South West.
John Ellis was a Quaker and a noted liberal reformer. He became a Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
town councillor in 1836 and a 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 Leicester
Leicester (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester was a parliamentary borough in Leicestershire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1918, when it was split into three single-member divisions.-History:...
between 1848 and 1852.