| Sewallis Shirley DL, JP |
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|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Monaghan |
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| In office 1868–1880 |
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| Preceded by | Viscount Cremorne |
| Succeeded by | John Givan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sewallis Evelyn Shirley 15 July 1844 |
| Died | 7 March 1904 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Emily Jean Macdonald |
Sewallis Evelyn Shirley DL, JP (15 July 1844-7 March 1904), was a British politician. He is best known as the founder of the Kennel Club in Britain in 1873.
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A member of the Shirley family headed by the Earl Ferrers, Shirley was the son of Evelyn Shirley and Mary Clara Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edmund Lechmere, 2nd Baronet. His paternal grandfather was Evelyn Philip Shirley.[1] Shirley was born at the family's English estate of Ettington Park at Stratford-upon-Avon. He was educated at Eton before matriculating to Christ Church, Oxford in 1864, though he did not take a degree.
Shirley's family had a long connection with County Monaghan in Ireland, and they owned a large estate at Lough Fea at Carrickmacross. Shirley entered Parliament for Monaghan (a seat previously held by both his father and grandfather) in 1868, and won election through a promise to defend the protestant constitution. He continued to represent the constituency until 1880, but rarely spoke in Parliament, and is thought to have lost his seat when opposition Liberal supporters ran a successful campaign based on tenants' rights. He attempted to return to politics in 1885, standing against an Irish nationalist candidate for the newly created seat of South Monaghan, but was heavily deafeated.
Shirley was also a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace for County Monaghan and served as High Sheriff of Monaghan in 1884. Although heavily involved in local affairs, relations with the tenant farmers on his estates, which he inherited in 1882, was poor. This, combined with forced evictions following the agricultural depression of the 1880s, led to his estate being targeted by the Irish nationalists' Plan of Campaign.
Throughout his life Shirley had a keen interest in dogs, both working dogs and pure breeds. In 1873 he brought together a group of similar minded people with the aim of creating an establishment of a governing body which would allow the definition of dog breeds to protect pedigrees and to improve the standards of hygiene at dog shows.[2] Later that year, the Kennel Club was formed, with Shirley sitting as secretary from 1873 to 1899.[3]
Shirley married Emily Jean, daughter of Colonel William Macdonald, in 1884. They had several children. He died in March 1904, aged 59. Emily Jean died in July 1918.[1]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Powell Leslie Viscount Cremorne |
Member of Parliament for Monaghan 1868–1880 With: Charles Powell Leslie 1868–1871 John Leslie 1871–1880 |
Succeeded by John Givan William Findlater |