John Lindow Calderwood
Encyclopedia
John Lindow Calderwood CBE
(22 January 1888 - 7 February 1960) was an English
solicitor
, a British Army
officer and an independent
politician in Wiltshire
, in the west of England, chairman of Wiltshire County Council
from 1949 until his death in 1960.
, Cumberland
, on 22 January 1888, the son of Dr George Calderwood, a surgeon
of Beech House, Egremont, by his marriage to Mary Eleanor Lindow. He was educated at St Bees School
and later at Caius College
, Cambridge
, where he matriculated
on 1 October 1906.
The name Lindow came to him from his mother, one of the Lindow family of Bowness
and Ingwell, Whitehaven
, who had mining and other interests in Egremont. His cousin Jonas Lindow JP
was county councillor for Egremont North, while his father was Medical Officer to Cumberland County Council
.
in November 1912 and joined the law firm of Townsend, Wood & Calderwood, of Cricklade Street, Swindon
, Wiltshire
. Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
into the 15th Battalion, the King's Liverpool Regiment, rising to the rank of Captain in the King's Royal Rifles
and being mentioned in dispatches
. In 1919, he relinquished his commission.
He returned to Swindon as a partner in Townsend, Wood & Calderwood, and during the 1920s he sometimes served as a liquidator
. In 1929, his partnership with John Crewe Wood was dissolved and Calderwood thereafter carried on the firm of Townsend, Wood & Calderwood as a sole partner.
From the 1930s until his death Calderwood lived at The Hermitage, High Street, Swindon. In 1933, he enlarged the house. In 1935, he donated to the Borough of Swindon a chain of office for the mayoress.
Elected to Wiltshire County Council
, he served as chairman of its Standing Orders Committee from 1947 to 1960, as chairman of its Selection Committee from 1946 to 1960, and as chairman of the county council from 1949 until his death in 1960. He was also appointed an alderman
.
Calderwood was for several years a member of the Committee of the Wiltshire Victoria County History
and briefly served as its chairman in 1959-1960. He died at Swindon on 7 February 1960, at the age of 72, and the next volume of A History of the County of Wiltshire to appear noted that
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(22 January 1888 - 7 February 1960) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
, a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
politician in 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...
, in the west of England, chairman of Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
from 1949 until his death in 1960.
Early life
Calderwood was born at 57, Main Street, EgremontEgremont, Cumbria
Egremont is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England, south of Whitehaven and on the River Ehen. The town, which lies at the foot of Uldale Valley and Dent Fell, was historically within Cumberland and has a long industrial heritage including dyeing, weaving and...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, on 22 January 1888, the son of Dr George Calderwood, a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
of Beech House, Egremont, by his marriage to Mary Eleanor Lindow. He was educated at St Bees School
St. Bees School
St. Bees School is a co-educational independent school in the West Cumbrian village of St Bees. Founded in 1583 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Edmund Grindal as a boys' "free grammar school", today it is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference with around 300 pupils aged...
and later at Caius College
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he matriculated
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
on 1 October 1906.
The name Lindow came to him from his mother, one of the Lindow family of Bowness
Bowness
Bowness can refer to:* Rick Bowness, assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks and former Canadian National Hockey League leftwinger*Tim Bowness, English singer with No-Man and other projects...
and Ingwell, Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
, who had mining and other interests in Egremont. His cousin Jonas Lindow JP
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...
was county councillor for Egremont North, while his father was Medical Officer to Cumberland County Council
Cumberland County Council
Cumberland County Council was the county council of Cumberland in the North West of England, an elected local government body responsible for most local services in the county. It was established in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888. Carlisle was initially within its area but became...
.
Career
Calderwood was admitted a solicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in November 1912 and joined the law firm of Townsend, Wood & Calderwood, of Cricklade Street, Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, 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...
. Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
into the 15th Battalion, the King's Liverpool Regiment, rising to the rank of Captain in the King's Royal Rifles
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
and being mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
. In 1919, he relinquished his commission.
Liquidator (law)
In law, a liquidator is the officer appointed when a company goes into winding-up or liquidation who has responsibility for collecting in all of the assets of the company and settling all claims against the company before putting the company into dissolution....
. In 1929, his partnership with John Crewe Wood was dissolved and Calderwood thereafter carried on the firm of Townsend, Wood & Calderwood as a sole partner.
From the 1930s until his death Calderwood lived at The Hermitage, High Street, Swindon. In 1933, he enlarged the house. In 1935, he donated to the Borough of Swindon a chain of office for the mayoress.
Elected to Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
, he served as chairman of its Standing Orders Committee from 1947 to 1960, as chairman of its Selection Committee from 1946 to 1960, and as chairman of the county council from 1949 until his death in 1960. He was also appointed an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
.
Calderwood was for several years a member of the Committee of the Wiltshire Victoria County History
Wiltshire Victoria County History
The Wiltshire Victoria County History is an encyclopaedic history of the county of Wiltshire in England. It forms part of the overall Victoria County History of England founded in 1899 in honour of Queen Victoria...
and briefly served as its chairman in 1959-1960. He died at Swindon on 7 February 1960, at the age of 72, and the next volume of A History of the County of Wiltshire to appear noted that
Honours
In 1957, Calderwood was appointed a Commander of the civil division of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.