Martineau family
The Martineau Family was a political dynasty from Birmingham, England. Several of them were prominent Unitarians, to the extent that a room in Essex Hall, the headquarters building of the British Unitarians, was named after them.
Mayors of Birmingham
Members included five generations, father to son, of Birmingham (Lord) Mayors:[1][2]
- Robert Martineau (1798–1870), Mayor of Birmingham, 1846-7
- Thomas Martineau (1828–1893), Mayor of Birmingham, 1884–85
- Ernest Martineau (1861–1952), Lord Mayor of Birmingham, 1912–1914
- Wilfrid Martineau (1889–1964), Lord Mayor of Birmingham, 1940–41
- Denis Martineau (1920–1999), Lord Mayor of Birmingham, 1986–87
A blue plaque, erected in 2008 by the Birmingham Civic Society, in Birmingham Council House commemorates all five.
Family
- Thomas Martineau, a manufacturer of staples, married Elizabeth Rankin (8 October 1772 - 26 August 1848). Living in Norwich they had eight children. The first Martineau had settled in Norwich in 1688.[3] One of his descendents is The Duchess of Cambridge.[4]
- Their son, Robert Martineau, became a magistrate, town councillor and then Mayor of Birmingham in 1846. He is buried in the family grave in Key Hill Cemetery, Birmingham.[5]
- His son, Thomas Martineau (4 November 1828 - 28 July 1893), was Mayor of Birmingham 1884-7. He was knighted after receiving Queen Victoria to lay the foundation stone for the Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham. He is buried in a separate grave in Key Hill Cemetery, Birmingham.[5]
- His son, Robert Francis Martineau (16 May 1831 - 15 December 1909) was a town councillor in Birmingham, secretary of the Birmingham and Midland Institute, chairman of the Technical School committee, trustee to Mason Science College, and then a member of the council of the University of Birmingham when it evolved from Mason College. He is buried in the family grave in Key Hill Cemetery, Birmingham.[5]
- Their sixth child, Harriet Martineau (12 June 1802 - 27 June 1876), a political author and a pioneer sociologist, born in Norwich, lived in Ambleside and is buried in the family grave in Key Hill Cemetery, Birmingham.[5]
- Their seventh child, James Martineau (21 April 1805 – 11 January 1900), was a religious philosopher.
The family name continues within the Birmingham and London law firm by the name of Martineau, which was founded by, and whose partners over the last nearly two hundred years have included many, members of the Martineau family.
References
- ^ Birmingham City Council, List of Birmingham Mayors et seq
- ^ The Blue Plaque itself
- ^ Autobiography, Harriet Martineau, ed. Linda H. Peterson.
- ^ Telegraph
- ^ a b c d Official Guide to the Birmingham General Cemetery, E. H. Manning, Hudson & Son, Livery Street, Birmingham, 1915. Birmingham Public Libraries (Reference, Local Studies, B.Coll 45.5)
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