Charles Seely Vanity Fair 21 December 1878

Charles Seely (3 October 1803 – 21 October 1887) was a 19th-century industrialist and British

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, who served as a

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 o ...

(MP) for

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

from 1847 to 1848 and again from 1861 to 1885. He was one of the wealthiest industrialists of the Victorian era. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Lincoln Mechanics' Institute.

Personal life

Seely was born and educated in

. His parents were Charles Seely (1768–1809) and Ann Wilkinson of Lincoln. He married Mary Hilton in 1831.

Hosting Garibaldi

In 1864, Seely was the Deputy Lieutenant for

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, when he played host to the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi, when Garibaldi visited 26 Prince's Gate Hyde Park, his house in London and Seely's estate at Brook House on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

. Garibaldi stayed at Brook House from 3 to 11 April, during which time he was also joined by

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...

, the Italian writer and politician whose efforts helped bring about the modern Italian state. During this time Garibaldi raised funds for his Italian campaigns. On 11 April Garibaldi left Brook House with Seely and travelled from

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

to London, where he was greeted by crowds estimated at half a million people, according to the ''

Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication i ...

''. Garibaldi stayed several days at Seely's house in London where a reception was hosted for him on 19 April. The next day he travelled to the

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

where he was given the Freedom of the City of London.

Wealth

Seely made his fortune in the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

through milling, agricultural machinery and coal mining. On his death in 1887, "his personal estate was valued at almost £500,000, and real estate worth £2 million", equivalent to 322 million UK Pounds in 2018 or 2 billion UK pounds as a proportion of UK GDP. He was chairman of the House of Commons Committee on Admiralty Reform in 1868. In a '' Vanity Fair'' "

Spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

" cartoon of 1878, on notable people of the day, he was caricatured as "Pigs". He later diversified his fortune into acquiring coal mines and property: in 1883 he owned 9,264 acres on the Isle of Wight,John Bateman, ''The Great Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland'', London, 1876, page 400. 2,929 in Worcestershire and 394 in Bedfordshire. By 1900 the family estates in the Isle of Wight comprised almost the entire west side of the island. In the 1870s he commissioned

Myles Birket Foster Myles Birket Foster (4 February 1825 – 27 March 1899) was a British illustrator, watercolourist and engraver in the Victorian period. His name is also to be found as Myles Birkett Foster. Life and work Foster was born in North Shiel ...

to paint 50 watercolours of Venice.

Descendants

Five other members of his family became Members of Parliament during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries: * His grandson, the Secretary of State for War (1912–1914), Major General John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone. * His eldest son

Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet Colonel Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet KGStJ, DL (11 August 1833 – 16 April 1915) was a British industrialist and politician. Seely was Liberal Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottingham from 1869 to 1874 and 1880 to 1885, and for Nott ...

. * His grandson Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet. * His great-grandson the Joint Under- Secretary of State for Air (1941–1945) Sir Hugh Seely 3rd Baronet, and 1st Baron Sherwood. * His great-great grandson Peter John Philip Seely, 5th Baron Mottistone (1949–2013) was a godson of Queen Elizabeth II's husband

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

. * His great-great-great-grandson

Bob Seely Robert William Henry Seely (born 1 June 1966) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Isle of Wight since June 2017. He was re-elected at the general election in December 2019 with an ...

was elected in 2017 as Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight. Additionally, his great-grandson David Peter Seely, 4th Baron Mottistone, who was baptised with

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

and the then Prince of Wales (subsequently Edward VIII) as his godparents, was the Deputy Lieutenant for Lincolnshire, Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight and its last Governor. His youngest sister Jane Anne Seely married (1882) Henry George Gore-Browne who received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. Henry was a great-great grandson of the 1st

Earl of Altamont Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

MP, whose heir is the

Marquess of Sligo Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles of Baron Mount Eagle, of Westport in the County of Mayo (created 10 September 1760), ...

References

Sources

* Mark Acton and Stephen Roberts (2019), ''Charles Seely of Lincoln. Liberalism and Making Money in Victorian England'' Kindle Publishing. *Burke's Peerage and Baronetage 107th Edition Volume II

*Seely Baronetcy family cres

* Seely Baronets
The Peerage
*The London Illustrated News 1864 *Istituto Internazionale di Studi, Rome, Italy. Chronology of life of GIUSEPPE GARIBALD

*John Edward Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, Dictionary of National Biography, 1941–1950 *Vanity Fair, 1878, Spy Cartoon of Charles Seely *Galloper Jack by Brough Scott, published by Macmillan in 2004 (). *Wight Life April/May 1975 article on The Seely Family and their Island Home

*University of London & History of Parliament Trus

*Garibaldi e le donne, con documenti inediti By Giacomo Emilio Curàtul

External links

*
Seely family estates
at the UK National Registry of Archives *The Isle of Wight Record Office hold

*The Times Newspaper article in 2008 on Garibaldi's stay with Charles Seely and letters to Mary Seel

* Portrait of Garibaldi commissioned by Charles Seely, and story behind the painting, during his stay at Brooke House in 186

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seely, Charles 1803 births 1887 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People from Lincoln, England UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 Deputy Lieutenants of Lincolnshire Politics of Lincoln, England Charles