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William Scholefield (August 1809 – 9 July 1867) was a British businessman and Liberal politician.^[1] He was a leading figure in the politics of the rapidly growing industrial town of Birmingham in the mid-nineteenth century,^[2] serving as the first mayor in 1838–39, and one of the constituency's two Members of Parliament from 1847 to 1867.

Early life and family

Scholefield was born in Birmingham, and was the second son of Joshua Scholefield and his wife Mary née Cotterill. His father was an iron manufacturer, merchant and banker who became one of the town's first members of parliament in 1832.^[1] Following a number of years in Canada and the United States, where he had married Jane Matilda Miller of New York, Scholefield returned to Birmingham in 1837 to work in his father's business.^[1]^[2]

First Mayor of Birmingham

In 1837 a campaign was launched to secure a charter of incorporation under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to create Birmingham a municipal borough with an elected town council.^[3] The government of the town was in hands of a manorial court leet, presided over by a high bailiff.^[1]^[2] Scholefield became high bailiff in 1837 and was highly supportive of the campaign to incorporate Birmingham. In October 1838 the newly granted charter arrived in Birmingham, and Scholefield was given the task of reciting the text of the charter to the townspeople. He duly acted as returning officer for the inaugural borough elections in December 1838, and at the meeting of the new town council was unanimously chosen as first mayor of Birmingham. His term of office was a difficult one, as Chartist riots in the Bull Ring led to doubts about the future of the new municipality, with the town's policing taken over by a force controlled by the Home Office. At the end of his term, he was elected as an alderman, remaining a member of the town council until he entered parliament.^[1]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Parliamentary politics

In July 1844 William Scholefield's father died, causing a vacancy in the parliamentary representation of the borough. Scholefield contested the resulting by-election, but was defeated by the Conservative candidate Richard Spooner.^[1] Three years later a general election was called, and Scholefield was returned along with the sitting Radical MP, George Frederick Muntz. He retained the seat until his death, alongside Muntz (who died in 1857) and then John Bright.^[1]

In parliament Scholefield championed the expansion of popular democracy, free trade, and freedom of religion. He was one of only 12 MPs who voted in favour of the People's Charter. On occasion he found himself outside the mainstream of Liberal politics, in particular opposing the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, and by supporting the Union States during the American Civil War.^[1]

Scholefield had a large family including his youngest son, Rev. Clement Cotterill Scholefield (1839–1904), vicar of Holy Trinity, Knightsbridge, and composer of hymns.^[1]

He died at his London residence from heart failure in August 1867. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, next to his wife who had died in 1843.^[1]^[2]^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Miller, Henry; Lee (2020) [2004]. "Scholefield, William (1809–1867)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24815. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "The Late Mr William Scholefield Esq., M.P.". Birmingham Daily Post. 10 July 1867.
^ ^a ^b "A Birmingham Jubilee". Birmingham Daily Post. 1 March 1887.
^ Stephens, W. B., ed. (1964). "Political and Administrative History: Political History from 1832". A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham. British History Online. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
^ "Birmingham Corporation". The Era. 30 December 1838.
^ "The Late Mr Scholefield". Birmingham Daily Post. 11 July 1867.

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Scholefield
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Richard Spooner and George Muntz	Member of Parliament for Birmingham 1847–1867 With: George Muntz John Bright from 1857	Succeeded by John Bright and George Dixon

[odnb-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Miller, Henry; Lee (2020) [2004]. "Scholefield, William (1809–1867)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24815. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

[obit-2] "The Late Mr William Scholefield Esq., M.P.". Birmingham Daily Post. 10 July 1867.

[jubilee-3] "A Birmingham Jubilee". Birmingham Daily Post. 1 March 1887.

[4] Stephens, W. B., ed. (1964). "Political and Administrative History: Political History from 1832". A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham. British History Online. Retrieved 25 January 2010.

[5] "Birmingham Corporation". The Era. 30 December 1838.

[6] "The Late Mr Scholefield". Birmingham Daily Post. 11 July 1867.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

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[6]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|British businessman and politician}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
 {{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
+[[File:William Scholefield 3.png|thumb|right|William Scholefield, 1859–1860]]
-'''William Scholefield''' (August 1809 &ndash; 9 July 1867) was a British businessman and [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] politician.<ref name=odnb>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24815 |title=Scholefield, William (1809–1867) |author=Samuel Timmins, rev. Matthew Lee |year=2004 |work=[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |accessdate=26 January 2010}}</ref> He was a leading figure in the politics of the rapidly growing industrial town of [[Birmingham]] in the mid-nineteenth century.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=The Late Mr William Scholefield Esq., M.P. |author= |newspaper=[[Birmingham Daily Post]] |date=10 July 1867 }}</ref>
+'''William Scholefield''' (August 1809 – 9 July 1867) was a British businessman and [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] politician.<ref name=odnb>{{cite odnb |id=24815 |title=Scholefield, William (1809–1867) |first=Henry |last=Miller |last2=Lee |origyear=2004 |year=2020 }}</ref> He was a leading figure in the politics of the rapidly growing industrial town of [[Birmingham]] in the mid-nineteenth century,<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=The Late Mr William Scholefield Esq., M.P. |newspaper=[[Birmingham Daily Post]] |date=10 July 1867 }}</ref> serving as the [[List of mayors of Birmingham|first mayor]] in 1838–39, and one of the constituency's [[Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)|two Members of Parliament]] from 1847 to 1867.
 ==Early life and family==
-William was born in Birmingham, and was the second son of [[Joshua Scholefield]] and his wife Mary née Cotterill. His father was an iron manufacturer, merchant and banker who became one of the [[Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)|town]]'s first [[member of parliament|members of parliament]] in 1832.<ref name=odnb/> Following a number of years in Canada and the United States, where he had married Jane Matilda Miller of New York, Scholefield returned to Birmingham in 1837 to work in his father's business.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=obit/>
+Scholefield was born in Birmingham, and was the second son of [[Joshua Scholefield]] and his wife Mary née Cotterill. His father was an iron manufacturer, merchant and banker who became one of the [[Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)|town]]'s first [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|members of parliament]] in 1832.<ref name=odnb/> Following a number of years in Canada and the United States, where he had married Jane Matilda Miller of New York, Scholefield returned to Birmingham in 1837 to work in his father's business.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=obit/>
 ==First Mayor of Birmingham==
-In 1837 a campaign was launched to secure a [[royal charter|charter of incorporation]] under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]] to create Birmingham a [[municipal borough]] with an elected town council.<ref name=jubilee>{{cite news |title=A Birmingham Jubilee |author= |newspaper=[[Birmingham Daily Post]] |date=1 March 1887 }}</ref> The government of the town was in hands of a [[manorialism|manorial]] [[court leet]], presided over by a [[bailiff|high bailiff]].<ref name=odnb/><ref name=obit/> Scholefield became high bailiff in 1837 and was highly supportive of the campaign to incorporate Birmingham. In October 1838 the newly granted charter arrived in Birmingham, and Scholefield was given the task of reciting the text of the charter to the townspeople. He duly acted as [[returning officer]] for the inaugural borough elections in December 1838, and at the meeting of the new town council was unanimiously chosen as first mayor of Birmingham. His term of office was a difficult one, as [[Chartism|Chartist]] riots in the [[Bull Ring, Birmingham|Bull Ring]] led to doubts about the future of the new municipality, with the town's policing taken over by a force controlled by the [[Home Office]]. At the end of his term, he was elected as an [[alderman]], remaining a member of the town council until he entered parliament.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=jubilee/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22972 |title=Political and Administrative History: Political History from 1832 |author=W B Stephens (editor) |year=1964 |work=A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham |publisher=British History Online |accessdate=25 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Birmingham Corporation |author= |newspaper=The Era |date=30 December 1838 }}</ref>
+In 1837 a campaign was launched to secure a [[royal charter|charter of incorporation]] under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]] to create Birmingham a [[municipal borough]] with an elected town council.<ref name=jubilee>{{cite news |title=A Birmingham Jubilee |newspaper=[[Birmingham Daily Post]] |date=1 March 1887 }}</ref> The government of the town was in hands of a [[manorialism|manorial]] [[court leet]], presided over by a [[bailiff|high bailiff]].<ref name=odnb/><ref name=obit/> Scholefield became high bailiff in 1837 and was highly supportive of the campaign to incorporate Birmingham. In October 1838 the newly granted charter arrived in Birmingham, and Scholefield was given the task of reciting the text of the charter to the townspeople. He duly acted as [[returning officer]] for the inaugural borough elections in December 1838, and at the meeting of the new town council was unanimously chosen as first mayor of Birmingham. His term of office was a difficult one, as [[Chartism|Chartist]] riots in the [[Bull Ring, Birmingham|Bull Ring]] led to doubts about the future of the new municipality, with the town's policing taken over by a force controlled by the [[Home Office]]. At the end of his term, he was elected as an [[alderman]], remaining a member of the town council until he entered parliament.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=jubilee/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22972 |title=Political and Administrative History: Political History from 1832 |editor-first=W. B. |editor-last=Stephens |year=1964 |work=A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham |publisher=British History Online |access-date=25 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Birmingham Corporation |newspaper=The Era |date=30 December 1838 }}</ref>
 ==Parliamentary politics==
-In July 1844 William Scholefield's father died, causing a vacancy in the parliamentary representation of the borough. William contested the resulting [[Birmingham by-election, 1844|by-election]], but was defeated by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate [[Richard Spooner (MP)|Richard Spooner]].<ref name=odnb/> Three years later a [[United Kingdom general election, 1847|general election]] was called, and Scholefield was returned along with the sitting Radical MP, [[George Frederick Muntz]]. He retained the seat until his death, alongside Muntz (who died in 1857) and then [[John Bright]].<ref name=odnb/>
+In July 1844 William Scholefield's father died, causing a vacancy in the parliamentary representation of the borough. Scholefield contested the resulting [[by-election]], but was defeated by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate [[Richard Spooner (MP)|Richard Spooner]].<ref name=odnb/> Three years later a [[1847 United Kingdom general election|general election]] was called, and Scholefield was returned along with the sitting Radical MP, [[George Frederick Muntz]]. He retained the seat until his death, alongside Muntz (who died in 1857) and then [[John Bright]].<ref name=odnb/>
 In parliament Scholefield championed the expansion of popular democracy, free trade, and freedom of religion. He was one of only 12 MPs who voted in favour of the [[People's Charter of 1838|People's Charter]]. On occasion he found himself outside the mainstream of Liberal politics, in particular opposing the [[Ecclesiastical Titles Act|Ecclesiastical Titles Bill]], and by supporting the Union States during the [[American Civil War]].<ref name=odnb/>
-Scholefield had a large family including [[Clement Cotterill Scholefield]], vicar of Holy Trinity, [[Knightsbridge]], and composer of [[hymn]]s.<ref name=odnb/>
+Scholefield had a large family including his youngest son, Rev. [[Clement Cotterill Scholefield]] (1839&ndash;1904), vicar of Holy Trinity, [[Knightsbridge]], and composer of [[hymn]]s.<ref name=odnb/>
-He died at his London residence from heart failure in August 1867. He was buried at [[Kensal Green Cemetery]], next to his wife who had died in 1843.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=obit/><ref>{{cite news |title=The Late Mr Scholefield |author= |newspaper=[[Birmingham Daily Post]] |date=11 July 1867 }}</ref>
+He died at his London residence from heart failure in August 1867. He was buried at [[Kensal Green Cemetery]], next to his wife who had died in 1843.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=obit/><ref>{{cite news |title=The Late Mr Scholefield |newspaper=[[Birmingham Daily Post]] |date=11 July 1867 }}</ref>
 ==References==
-*{{Rayment-hc|date=March 2012}}
 {{Reflist}}
 == External links ==
+{{Commons category|William Scholefield}}
 * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-william-scholefield | William Scholefield }}
+*{{Rayment-hc|date=March 2012}}
 {{S-start}}
 {{s-par|uk}}
 {{s-bef | before = [[Richard Spooner (MP)|Richard Spooner]] and <br />[[George Muntz]]}}
 {{s-ttl
- | title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)|Birmingham]]
+ | title = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)|Birmingham]]
- | years = [[United Kingdom general election, 1847|1847]]–1867
+ | years = [[1847 United Kingdom general election|1847]]–1867
  | with  = [[George Muntz]]
  | with2 = [[John Bright]] from 1857
@@ Line 35: / Line 38: @@
 {{s-aft| | after= [[John Bright]] and <br />[[George Dixon (MP)|George Dixon]]}}
 {{S-end}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Scholefield, William}}
@@ Line 40: / Line 44: @@
 [[Category:1867 deaths]]
 [[Category:Mayors of Birmingham, West Midlands]]
-[[Category:English businesspeople]]
 [[Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
-[[Category:UK MPs 1847–52]]
+[[Category:UK MPs 1847–1852]]
-[[Category:UK MPs 1852–57]]
+[[Category:UK MPs 1852–1857]]
-[[Category:UK MPs 1857–59]]
+[[Category:UK MPs 1857–1859]]
-[[Category:UK MPs 1859–65]]
+[[Category:UK MPs 1859–1865]]
-[[Category:UK MPs 1865–68]]
+[[Category:UK MPs 1865–1868]]
+[[Category:19th-century English businesspeople]]

Authority control databases
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