Vicary Gibbs (MP)
Encyclopedia
The Hon. Vicary Gibbs was a British barrister, merchant and Conservative Party
politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1892 to 1904.
family.
He was the third son of Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham
(1819–1907), and his wife Louisa Anne, daughter of William Adams.
Alban Gibbs, 2nd Baron Aldenham
, and Herbert Gibbs, 1st Baron Hunsdon, were his brothers, while George Cokayne
was his great-uncle. His great-grandfather was Antony Gibbs, brother of Sir Vicary Gibbs
who became Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
.
He was educated at Eton College
and at Christ Church, Oxford
, where he graduated in 1876 with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Classical Moderations. He was called to the bar at Lincolns Inn in 1880, and became a partner in the merchant and banking firm Anthony Gibbs and Sons.
he was returned to Parliament for St Albans division
of Hertfordshire
.
He was returned unopposed in 1895
and 1900
, but was disqualified in February 1904. He and his brother Alban
were partners in the firm Antony Gibbs and Sons, which had organised the sale to the Admiralty
of two warships which had been built in England for the Chilean Navy
, in order to avoid them being sold to a rival power when Chile did not complete the purchase.
However, in so doing he was disqualified from the House of Commons, under provisions which debarred MPs from accepting contracts from the Crown
. He told his constituents on 18 January that he would resign from the Commons
by taking the Chiltern Hundreds
, and then present himself for re-election. Both Gibbs and the Liberal Party
candidate John Bamford Slack
were by then campaigning in the constituency,
but the The Times
newspaper reported on 20 January that the by-election was unlikely to be contested by the Liberals.
However, since Gibbs was already disqualified, he did not need to take the usual step of disqualifying himself by taking the Chiltern Hundreds, and in a letter of 1 February 1904 he informed the Speaker of the contract that "I am advised that by so doing I have, under an Act of George III
, vacated my seat in Parliament".
His letter was read to the Commons on 2 February, and the writ
was moved the following day.
In the meantime, the Liberals had decided to contest the seat, and at a meeting on 24 January they had adopted Slack as their candidate.
At the resulting by-election on 12 February 1904
, Slack won the seat with a majority of 132 votes (1.4% of the total).
At the 1906 general election
Gibbs stood unsuccessfully in Bradford Central
, campaigning as a tariff reformer,
but never returned to the Commons. He was a member of the Tariff Commission
and of the Council of the Industrial Freedom League, an organisation which opposed the involvement of the state and municipalities in trading companies.
for Hertfordshire, and co-author of the second edition of The Complete Peerage
published in 1911. He was a director of numerous companies, and the chairman of National Provident Institution.
At his country estate of Aldenham
near Elstree
in Hertfordshire, he cultivated a garden which became notable for its flowering trees and shrubs. He won many prizes for the flowers vegetables grown by his head gardener Edwin Beckett FRHS,
including a first prize at the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908.
In January 1932, Gibbs died aged 78 at his London home in Upper Belgrave Street. He never married.
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. He sat in the House of Commons from 1892 to 1904.
Early life and family
Gibbs came from an old DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
family.
He was the third son of Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham
Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham
Henry Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham MA BA FGS FSA was a British banker, businessman and Conservative Party politician.Aldenham the son of George Henry Gibbs,...
(1819–1907), and his wife Louisa Anne, daughter of William Adams.
Alban Gibbs, 2nd Baron Aldenham
Alban Gibbs, 2nd Baron Aldenham
Alban George Henry Gibbs, MA, FSA, MP, 2nd Baron Aldenham was a British Conservative Party politician and peer, the son of Henry Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham....
, and Herbert Gibbs, 1st Baron Hunsdon, were his brothers, while George Cokayne
George Cokayne
George Edward Cokayne FSA was an English genealogist and long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Life:...
was his great-uncle. His great-grandfather was Antony Gibbs, brother of Sir Vicary Gibbs
Vicary Gibbs
Sir Vicary Gibbs, KC was an English judge and politician. He was known for his caustic wit, which won for him the sobriquet of "Vinegar Gibbs".-Early life and education :...
who became Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
The Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was the second highest common law court in the English legal system until 1880, when it was dissolved. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord...
.
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 at 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...
, where he graduated in 1876 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Classical Moderations. He was called to the bar at Lincolns Inn in 1880, and became a partner in the merchant and banking firm Anthony Gibbs and Sons.
Political career
At the 1892 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
he was returned to Parliament for St Albans division
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
He was returned unopposed in 1895
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...
and 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 was disqualified in February 1904. He and his brother Alban
Alban Gibbs, 2nd Baron Aldenham
Alban George Henry Gibbs, MA, FSA, MP, 2nd Baron Aldenham was a British Conservative Party politician and peer, the son of Henry Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham....
were partners in the firm Antony Gibbs and Sons, which had organised the sale to the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
of two warships which had been built in England for the Chilean Navy
Chilean Navy
-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...
, in order to avoid them being sold to a rival power when Chile did not complete the purchase.
However, in so doing he was disqualified from the House of Commons, under provisions which debarred MPs from accepting contracts from the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
. He told his constituents on 18 January that he would resign from the Commons
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...
by taking the Chiltern Hundreds
Chiltern Hundreds
Appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham is a sinecure appointment which is used as a device allowing a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament to resign his or her seat...
, and then present himself for re-election. Both Gibbs and the Liberal Party
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...
candidate John Bamford Slack
John Bamford Slack
Sir John Bamford Slack was a British politician, member of the Liberal Party and Methodist lay preacher.He was elected to the House of Commons for the division of St Albans 27th Parliament at a by-election on 12 February 1904, replacing Vicary Gibbs.In 1905, he introduced a bill for women's...
were by then campaigning in the constituency,
but the The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper reported on 20 January that the by-election was unlikely to be contested by the Liberals.
However, since Gibbs was already disqualified, he did not need to take the usual step of disqualifying himself by taking the Chiltern Hundreds, and in a letter of 1 February 1904 he informed the Speaker of the contract that "I am advised that by so doing I have, under an Act of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, vacated my seat in Parliament".
His letter was read to the Commons on 2 February, and the writ
Writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued by the government ordering the holding of a special election for a political office.In the United Kingdom and in Canada, this is the only way of holding an election for the House of Commons...
was moved the following day.
In the meantime, the Liberals had decided to contest the seat, and at a meeting on 24 January they had adopted Slack as their candidate.
At the resulting by-election on 12 February 1904
St Albans by-election, 1904
The St Albans by-election of 1904 was a parliamentary by-election held in England in February 1904 for the House of Commons. It elected a new Member of Parliament for the constituency of St Albans, a county division of Hertfordshire....
, Slack won the seat with a majority of 132 votes (1.4% of the total).
At the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
Gibbs stood unsuccessfully in Bradford Central
Bradford Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Bradford Central was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, campaigning as a tariff reformer,
but never returned to the Commons. He was a member of the Tariff Commission
and of the Council of the Industrial Freedom League, an organisation which opposed the involvement of the state and municipalities in trading companies.
After politics
Gibbs was also 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...
for Hertfordshire, and co-author of the second edition of The Complete Peerage
The Complete Peerage
The Complete Peerage The Complete Peerage The Complete Peerage (full title: The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revised by the Hon...
published in 1911. He was a director of numerous companies, and the chairman of National Provident Institution.
At his country estate of Aldenham
Aldenham
This article is about the village in Hertfordshire. For the London Transport Bus Overhaul Works, see Aldenham Works.Aldenham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, approx. three miles north-east of Watford and two miles from Radlett. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is one of...
near Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
in Hertfordshire, he cultivated a garden which became notable for its flowering trees and shrubs. He won many prizes for the flowers vegetables grown by his head gardener Edwin Beckett FRHS,
including a first prize at the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908.
In January 1932, Gibbs died aged 78 at his London home in Upper Belgrave Street. He never married.