Thomas Raven Ackroyd
Encyclopedia
Thomas Raven Ackroyd was an English bank manager and Liberal Party
politician.
and the Manchester Mechanics’ Institute. He attended Manchester University as an evening student. Later in life he was awarded the honorary degree
of MA
from Manchester. He married Emily Woffenden in 1893. They had a least one son, Charles Winstanley Ackroyd, born in 1894 who emigrated to Australia in 1916 and served in the armed forces, being killed in action in October 1917. In religion Ackroyd was a prominent member of the Wesleyan
Methodist Church and acted as a lay preacher.
. He retired from banking to devote himself to social and educational work on behalf of neglected children.
Ragged School
Union and Chairman (for 1924) of the Shaftesbury Society, founded by Lord Shaftesbury
and of the London Ragged School Union. Ackroyd also served for a time as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Lancashire
and Cheshire
YMCA
.
of the City Council
. He also acted as representative for Lancashire and for Lancashire and Cheshire on the National Liberal Federation
.
, as Liberal candidate in Manchester Moss Side
. He came second to the sitting Conservative
MP, Gerald Berkeley Hurst in a three-cornered contest with Labour
’s T W Mercer in third.
He was again the candidate in 1923
when Liberal reunion improved his prospects. This time Labour did not intervene and, although there was an Independent candidate (who lost his deposit
), Ackroyd took the seat from Hurst with a majority of 3,113 votes.
By 1924
however the Tory
Party had revived and in a straight fight with Hurst, Ackroyd lost his seat by a majority of 4,009. He tried to regain the seat in 1929
but in a three-cornered contest with Hurst and Labour candidate A A Purcell, he came third. He did not attempt to re-enter the House of Commons
again.
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...
politician.
Family and education
Ackroyd was the son of William and Elizabeth Ackroyd. He attended Chancery Lane, Wesleyan School in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and the Manchester Mechanics’ Institute. He attended Manchester University as an evening student. Later in life he was awarded the honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Manchester. He married Emily Woffenden in 1893. They had a least one son, Charles Winstanley Ackroyd, born in 1894 who emigrated to Australia in 1916 and served in the armed forces, being killed in action in October 1917. In religion Ackroyd was a prominent member of the Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
Methodist Church and acted as a lay preacher.
Career
Ackroyd went into banking. In 1878 he entered service as a junior clerk in the Union Bank of Manchester. He ended up as a bank manager. He also served as a Justice of the PeaceJustice 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...
. He retired from banking to devote himself to social and educational work on behalf of neglected children.
Public life
Ackroyd took an active part in the religious and social life of the city of Manchester. He was Chairman of the Manchester and SalfordCounty Borough of Salford
Salford was, from 1844 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England, coterminate with Salford. It was granted city status in 1926.-Free Borough and Police Commissioners:...
Ragged School
Ragged school
Ragged Schools were charitable schools dedicated to the free education of destitute children in 19th century England. The schools were developed in working class districts of the rapidly expanding industrial towns...
Union and Chairman (for 1924) of the Shaftesbury Society, founded by Lord Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury KG , styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was an English politician and philanthropist, one of the best-known of the Victorian era and one of the main proponents of Christian Zionism.-Youth:He was born in London and known informally as Lord Ashley...
and of the London Ragged School Union. Ackroyd also served for a time as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the 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...
and Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
Local and regional politics
Ackroyd was also involved in Manchester politics, being a member, later an AldermanAlderman
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...
of the City Council
Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
. He also acted as representative for Lancashire and for Lancashire and Cheshire on the National Liberal Federation
National Liberal Federation
The National Liberal Federation was the union of all English and Welsh Liberal Associations. It held an annual conference which was regarded as being representative of the opinion of the party’s rank and file and was broadly the equivalent of a present-day party conference.-Foundation:The...
.
Parliament
He first stood for Parliament at the 1922 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, as Liberal candidate in Manchester Moss Side
Manchester Moss Side (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester Moss Side was a parliamentary constituency in the Moss Side area of the city of Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
. He came second to the sitting Conservative
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...
MP, Gerald Berkeley Hurst in a three-cornered contest with Labour
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...
’s T W Mercer in third.
He was again the candidate in 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
when Liberal reunion improved his prospects. This time Labour did not intervene and, although there was an Independent candidate (who lost his deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
), Ackroyd took the seat from Hurst with a majority of 3,113 votes.
By 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
however the Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
Party had revived and in a straight fight with Hurst, Ackroyd lost his seat by a majority of 4,009. He tried to regain the seat in 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
but in a three-cornered contest with Hurst and Labour candidate A A Purcell, he came third. He did not attempt to re-enter the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
again.