Sir Alfred Billson (18 April 1839 – 9 July 1907) was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician in the

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. Born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, he was fifth son of William Billson. He was admitted a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

in 1860, and moved to Liverpool, where he became partner in the law firm of Oliver Jones, Billson, and Company. He became a J.P. for the city, and was active in local Liberal politics as secretary of South West Lancashire Liberal Association from 1866 to 1884, and of Liverpool's Liberal Association. Billson was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for three different constituencies: from 1892 to 1895 for

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, from a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in 1897 to the 1900 General Election for Halifax in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, and from the 'Liberal landslide' 1906 General Election, until his death in 1907, for North West Staffordshire, after defeating a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member. He had also unsuccessfully contested Conservative-held Bradford East in 1896, being defeated by the Honourable

Ronald Greville Hon. Ronald Henry Fulke Greville MVO (14 October 1864 – 5 April 1908) was an English Conservative Party politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Bradford East from 1896 to 1906. Early life Greville was born 14 October 1864 the elde ...

. Billson married in 1862 Lilla, daughter of John Baines of Leicester, and had one son and three daughters. Later in his life he began to live in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

at Rowton Castle as tenant of its then landlord, Baron Rowton, with whom he enjoyed friendship despite political differences, Rowton having been a close Conservative associate of

Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a centr ...

. He was an active supporter of Liberal associations in the mainly Conservative-voting county, and served as member of the Atcham Rural District Council and

Alberbury Alberbury is a village in Shropshire, England, west of Shrewsbury on the B4393 road which travels from Ford to Lake Vyrnwy. It is on to the England-Wales border, marked by Prince's Oak. The River Severn runs just north of the village, and most o ...

Parish Council. In June 1907 he was knighted in King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

Birthday Honours List The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dynastic ...

although he did not live to receive the accolade. He died suddenly, on 9 July 1907, in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

when he collapsed in the 'Aye' lobby to cast his vote on sugar duty legislation, aged 68. After cremation at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

, his ashes were buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

. A future Liberal MP, Congregationalist minister

Silvester Horne Charles Silvester Horne (1865–1914) was a Congregationalist, Congregational minister, who additionally served as Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Member of parliament, MP for Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency), Ipswich, and was a noted orator. He ...

, officiated. A plaque was placed in his memory in St Michael's Parish Church,

, near his Rowton Castle home.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Billson, Alfred 1839 births Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1906–1910 1907 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Barnstaple