William Feilden
Sir William Feilden, 1st Baronet (13 March 1772 – 21 May 1850)[1] was an English cotton manufacturer and a Liberal and later Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1847.
Feilden was the third son of Joseph Feilden and Margaret Leyland[2] of Witton. He was educated at Blackburn Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford.[3] He became a cotton mill owner and lived at Witton Hall. In 1798 he purchased the hamlet of Feniscowles south west of Blackburn, from Thomas Ainsworth.[4]
At the 1832 general election, Feilden was elected as Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackburn.
Feilden built the house of Feniscowles in Pleasington in a romantic valley on the banks of the River Darwen. He also gave a site for a church at Feniscowles in 1840, and provided the stone for its construction.[5]
At the 1841 general election, Feilden changed his allegiance to the Conservatives[6] but was re-elected and remained MP for Blackburn until the 1847 general election,[1] when he did not stand.[6] He did nothing to distinguish himself in the House of Commons in his fourteen years as a M.P. In 1846, Feilden was created a baronet, of Feniscowles.[7]
Feilden died at the age of 78.
Feilden married Mary Haughton Jackson, daughter of Edmund Jackson, at St Martin in the Fields on 30 March 1797. They had three sons and three daughters. His son William succeeded to the baronetcy. Another son Montague Feilden also became MP for Blackburn.[2] His youngest son, John Leyland Feilden was an author.
References
- 1 2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)
- 1 2 the Peerage.com
- ↑ Cotton Town - The Blackburn Elections of 1832
- ↑ Ribblesdale Cricket League - Feniscowles
- ↑ Pleaseley - Plumpton, Wood, A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 576-578 Date accessed: 02 August 2010
- 1 2 Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 49. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's list of baronets – Baronetcies beginning with "F" (part 1)
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Feilden
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Blackburn 1832 – 1847 With: William Turner to 1841 John Hornby from 1841 |
Succeeded by James Pilkington John Hornby |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Feniscowles)' 1846–1850 |
Succeeded by William Henry Feilden |