Sir William Miles, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir William Miles, 1st Baronet (13 May 1797 – 17 June 1878) was an English
politician, agriculturalist and landowner. He was educated at Eton College
and Christ Church, Oxford
and was created Baronet on April 19, 1859, of Leigh Court, Somerset.
(MP) for Chippenham
from 1818
to 1820
, for New Romney
from 1830
to 1832
, and sat for East Somerset
from 1834 to 1865 as a Conservative. He voluntarily retired his seat in 1865 and it was subsequently held from 1878 by Sir William's son, Sir Philip Miles.
Sir William was a staunch Conservative, opposed to the Reform Act
and was a protectionist
who favoured the Corn Law and supported the Duke of Richmond's
Central Agricultural Protection Society (known as the "Anti-League").
He supported amendments to the Poor Law
to ensure that the responsibility for a bastard
was not left solely upon the mother, as originally proposed, but would "place some portion of the responsibility on the head of the father".
Miles supported Enclosure, maintaining that "Allotments of land under enclosures were much more beneficial to the poor than a common right of pasture. Not one inhabitent in ten of a parish made use of a common for purposes of pasturage; but when Allotments were made, every inhabitent participated in the benefit."
He was deeply religious, at one stage putting forward an amendment in Parliament to prevent trains running on the then newly proposed Great Western Railway
on Sundays.
for 35 years, partner in the family's bank, Miles & Co (which later became part of NatWest)
from 1845 to his death in 1878 and commanded the North Somerset Yeomanry Cavalry
as its Colonel.
When the parish church at Abbots Leigh burned down in 1847, he paid for its rebuilding from his own pocket.
, he was chairman of the local committee who "contributed to the excellence of the arrangements" for the Bristol Country Meeting. He took a practical interest in experiments on his farms.
He regularly hosted the Society and served on its Management Committee as well as being Chairman of the Local Committee at Bristol in 1842 when he judged the trials at Pusey. He lent his own steam engines at Leigh Court for experiments following an anti-modernisation protest in 1847. He was the Royal Agricultural Society's Steward of Implements from 1841–1847 and during his Stewardship, the Exhibition of Implements grew from "a couple of sheds to an extend which even then gave promise of the vast proportions which the Shows have attained in recent years".
He was then a member of the Council and, from 1852 until his death in 1878, one of the 12 Vice Presidents. Upon his death, his place as Vice President was taken by Lord Skelmersdale
and the President was HRH The Prince of Wales, a shooting companion of Sir William's son.
Sir William served also as President in 1854-5 when he headed the Society's deputation to the Universal Exhibition in Paris
when he was "received, both by the Emperor
, the Ministers, and the learned Societies of that Capital with marked courtesy."
In his obituary, it was said that
"A keen sportsman, he was a hard rider with Sir Richard Sutton, Bt, at Lincoln in his youth (see Burton Hunt), an earnest politician, an able magistrate , and enlightened agriculturalist and a warm-hearted friend."
(1825–1888), who was later an MP for East Somerset. He was uncle of Philip Napier Miles
.
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...
politician, agriculturalist and landowner. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
and was created Baronet on April 19, 1859, of Leigh Court, Somerset.
Family
Miles was the son of Philip John Miles (1773–1845) by his first marriage to Maria Whetham (1776–1811). He married Catherine (1798–1869), daughter of John Gordon, on September 12, 1823, with whom he had the following children:-- Sir Philip John William Miles, 2nd Baronet
- Maria Catherine Miles (1826–1909) who married Robert Charles Tudway, MP for Wells (UK Parliament constituency)Wells (UK Parliament constituency)Wells is a county constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
and had issue. - Agatha Miles (1827–1912) who married General Edward Arthur SomersetEdward Arthur SomersetLieutenant-General Edward Arthur Somerset CB was a British soldier and politician, the son of Lord Edward Somerset....
, CB; they had eight daughters and one son. - Catherine Miles (1828–1911) who married General Sir Robert Onesiphorus Bright, GCB and had three sons and five daughters.
- Captain William Henry Miles, JP (1830–1888) who married Mary Frances Kynaston Charlton, daughter of Rev John Kynaston Charleton, they had a son, Eustace MilesEustace MilesEustace Hamilton Miles was a British real tennis player who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics. He was the grandson of Sir William Miles, 1st Baronet by his son Captain William Henry Miles, J.P. and Mary Frances Miles, née Charleton...
and two daughters. - Emma Clara Miles (1830–1911) who married Reverend Hon James Walter Lascelles, son of Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of HarewoodHenry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of HarewoodHenry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood DL , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1839 to 1841, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
and had nine children. - Captain Charles John William Miles (1832–1874) who served in the 5th Regiment of Foot and married Elizabeth Maria Lloyd, daughter of Rev Henry Lloyd, but had no children.
- Frances Harriett Miles (1835–1923) who married Sir William Augustus Ferguson Davie, 3rd Baronet, Senior Clerk to the House of Commons and grandson of General Sir Henry Ferguson Davie, 1st Baronet, they had five children.
- Florence Louisa Miles (1840–1862) who married The Reverend Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of StraffordFrancis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of StraffordRev. Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of Strafford was an English Anglican minister and member of the peerage.- Background :Byng was born 15 January 1835, third son of George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford...
, Chaplain to Queen Victoria and had two children. She died after giving birth to their second child Edmund Byng, 6th Earl of StraffordEdmund Byng, 6th Earl of StraffordEdmund Henry Byng, 6th Earl of Strafford was an English peer. He was the second son of The Reverend Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of Strafford and Florence Louisa Miles , daughter of Sir William Miles, 1st Baronet who died giving birth to him...
. - Arthur John William Whetham Miles (1841–1853).
- Harriott Ellin Miles (1841–1864) who married Robert Gurdon, 1st Baron CranworthRobert Gurdon, 1st Baron CranworthRobert Thornhagh Gurdon, 1st Baron Cranworth was a British Member of Parliament.Cranworth was the eldest son of Brampton Gurdon of Letton Hall in Norfolk and of Grundisbugh Hall in Suffolk. He was elected to the House of Commons for South Norfolk as a Liberal in 1880, a seat he held until 1885,...
, MP for South Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)South Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)South Norfolk is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1868 until 1885 it returned two members but thereafter elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and Mid Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency), JP, she died after giving birth to their only child, a daughter. - Sir Henry Robert William Miles, 4th Baronet (1843–1915) who succeeded his nephew Sir Cecil Miles to the Baronetcy.
Political career
He was Tory Member of ParliamentMember 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 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...
from 1818
United Kingdom general election, 1818
The 1818 general election of the United Kingdom saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool retained a majority of around 90 seats...
to 1820
United Kingdom general election, 1820
The 1820 UK general election, held shortly after the Radical War in Scotland and the Cato Street Conspiracy. In this atmosphere, the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool were able to win a substantial majority over the Whigs....
, for New Romney
New Romney (UK Parliament constituency)
New Romney was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1371 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act....
from 1830
United Kingdom general election, 1830
The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...
to 1832
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....
, and sat for East Somerset
East Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
East Somerset was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1832 and 1918....
from 1834 to 1865 as a Conservative. He voluntarily retired his seat in 1865 and it was subsequently held from 1878 by Sir William's son, Sir Philip Miles.
Sir William was a staunch Conservative, opposed to the Reform Act
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
and was a protectionist
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
who favoured the Corn Law and supported the Duke of Richmond's
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and 5th Duke of Lennox KG, PC , styled Earl of March until in 1819, was a British soldier, politician and a prominent Conservative.-Background and education:...
Central Agricultural Protection Society (known as the "Anti-League").
He supported amendments to the Poor Law
Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, sometimes abbreviated to PLAA, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Lord Melbourne that reformed the country's poverty relief system . It was an Amendment Act that completely replaced earlier legislation based on the...
to ensure that the responsibility for a bastard
Bastard
Bastard may refer to:* A child whose birth lacks legal legitimacy—that is, one born to a woman and a man who are not legally married* Bastard , illegitimacy in English law* Bastard , a blackletter typeface...
was not left solely upon the mother, as originally proposed, but would "place some portion of the responsibility on the head of the father".
Miles supported Enclosure, maintaining that "Allotments of land under enclosures were much more beneficial to the poor than a common right of pasture. Not one inhabitent in ten of a parish made use of a common for purposes of pasturage; but when Allotments were made, every inhabitent participated in the benefit."
He was deeply religious, at one stage putting forward an amendment in Parliament to prevent trains running on the then newly proposed 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...
on Sundays.
Other Roles
Sir William was chairman of Somerset Quarter SessionsQuarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
for 35 years, partner in the family's bank, Miles & Co (which later became part of NatWest)
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank Plc, commonly known as NatWest, is the largest retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom and has been part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc since 2000. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is ranked as the second largest bank in the world by assets...
from 1845 to his death in 1878 and commanded the North Somerset Yeomanry Cavalry
North Somerset Yeomanry
The North Somerset Yeomanry was first raised in Frome in 1798. A condition of service was that it should not be required to march more than 10 miles from the town and it was soon disbanded in 1802...
as its Colonel.
When the parish church at Abbots Leigh burned down in 1847, he paid for its rebuilding from his own pocket.
This afternoon while the bells were chiming for divine service, a fire broke out in the rafters of the roof on the north side of the Church, it was ascertained the next day that the fire was caused by a crack in the chimney of the Store which was most negligently & stupidly built of only one brick thick and placed in immediate contact with the wall plate upon which the feet of the rafters rested. The fire, not withstanding the most active exertions of all the male inhabitants headed by William Miles Esq., whose exertions were almost incredible; the aid of the powerful engine from Leigh Court and after an interval of an hour and a half the assistance of three engines from Bristol, consumed the whole of the roof of the nave and south Aisle, the gallery, pulpit, reading desk and nearly all the pews leaving the tower and chancel uninjured.
Royal Agricultural Society
A prominent agriculturalist and one of the founding fathers of the Royal Agricultural SocietyRoyal Agricultural Society
The Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in the United Kingdom in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science". The RASE aim is to promote the scientific development of agriculture. The society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840.From its early days the society...
, he was chairman of the local committee who "contributed to the excellence of the arrangements" for the Bristol Country Meeting. He took a practical interest in experiments on his farms.
He regularly hosted the Society and served on its Management Committee as well as being Chairman of the Local Committee at Bristol in 1842 when he judged the trials at Pusey. He lent his own steam engines at Leigh Court for experiments following an anti-modernisation protest in 1847. He was the Royal Agricultural Society's Steward of Implements from 1841–1847 and during his Stewardship, the Exhibition of Implements grew from "a couple of sheds to an extend which even then gave promise of the vast proportions which the Shows have attained in recent years".
He was then a member of the Council and, from 1852 until his death in 1878, one of the 12 Vice Presidents. Upon his death, his place as Vice President was taken by Lord Skelmersdale
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom GCB, PC , known as The Lord Skelmersdale between 1853 and 1880, was a British Conservative politician. He was a member of every Conservative administration between 1866 and 1898, and notably served three times as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under...
and the President was HRH The Prince of Wales, a shooting companion of Sir William's son.
Sir William served also as President in 1854-5 when he headed the Society's deputation to the Universal Exhibition in Paris
Exposition Universelle (1855)
The Exposition Universelle of 1855 was an International Exhibition held on the Champs-Elysées in Paris from May 15 to November 15, 1855. Its full official title was the Exposition Universelle des produits de l'Agriculture, de l'Industrie et des Beaux-Arts de Paris 1855.The exposition was a major...
when he was "received, both by the Emperor
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
, the Ministers, and the learned Societies of that Capital with marked courtesy."
In his obituary, it was said that
"...ample testimony should be borne to the unwearied energy which Sir William Miles displayed in everything he undertook. No day was too long for him and no obstacle too great to be surmounted... He was endowed with great promptitude of decision and although he required his decisions to be carried out to the very letter, and enforced them where necessary, there always predominated a frankness and manliness of character which won the confidence of all with whom he came in contact and endeared him to those who had the advantage of being associated with him as colleagues."
"A keen sportsman, he was a hard rider with Sir Richard Sutton, Bt, at Lincoln in his youth (see Burton Hunt), an earnest politician, an able magistrate , and enlightened agriculturalist and a warm-hearted friend."
Death and succession
Sir William was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, PhilipSir Philip Miles, 2nd Baronet
Sir Philip John William Miles, 2nd Baronet was an English politician. Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, he then served in the 17th Lancers. He was a sheriff of Bristol in 1853 and partner in the family's bank, Miles & Co from 1852 - 1854...
(1825–1888), who was later an MP for East Somerset. He was uncle of Philip Napier Miles
Philip Napier Miles
Philip Napier Miles JP DLitt h.c. was a prominent and wealthy citizen of Bristol, UK, who left his mark on the city, especially on what are now its western suburbs, through his musical and organizational abilities and through good works of various kinds...
.