John Davenport Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth
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John Davenport Siddeley (Baron Kenilworth) was a captain of the automobile industry in the United Kingdom. He was born on August 5, 1866 in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport in Cheshire and died on November 3, 1956.
In 1892, the young bicycle racer and designer was hired by the Humber Cycle Company. The next year he went to Dunlop. He married Mary Goodier and lived in Ireland for a short time. In August, 1894, the family was living in Meriden, Coventry where a son, Cyril, was born. In 1918 they moved to Crackley Hall, Kenilworth.
Siddeley founded the Siddeley Autocar Company in 1902, after beginning to import Peugeots from France. The new firm had Peugeot-based demonstration cars at the Crystal Palace in 1903. By 1905, the company had a dozen models for sale, and it was purchased by Wolseley of Coventry. Siddeley became the manager of the newly-independent company, renaming it Wolseley-Siddeley. He resigned in 1909 to manage the Deasy Motor Company, also of Coventry.
By 1912, Deasy had become Siddeley-Deasy. It grew rapidly using Rover chassis and Daimler and Aster engines. During World War II, Siddeley-Deasy grew to have 5,000 workers producing ambulances and aircraft engines.
After the war, Siddley-Deasy was merged with Armstrong-Whitworth to become Armstrong Siddeley who continued producing automobiles until 1960. Siddeley remained in charge until 1935.
His first wife died in 1907 and Siddeley married again to Sarah Hall and had two more sons Ernest and Norman and two daughters Joan and Nancy.
He was knighted in 1932 and was made Baron Kenilworth in 1937 when he purchased Kenilworth Castle. After his retirement he moved to Jersey where he died.
