George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the
railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a title conferred on him by
Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric.
Early life and education
Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...
in 1844.
Hudson played a significant role in linking London to Edinburgh by rail, carrying out the first major merging of railway companies (the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
) and developing his home city of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
into a major railway junction. He also represented
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
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. ...
. Hudson's success was built on dubious financial practices and he frequently paid shareholders out of capital rather than money the company had earned.
Eventually in 1849, a series of enquiries, launched by the railways he was chairman of, exposed his methods, although many leading the enquiries had benefited from and approved of Hudson's methods when it suited them. Hudson fell a long way, becoming bankrupt, and after losing his Sunderland seat he was forced to live abroad to avoid arrest for debt, returning only when imprisonment for debt was abolished in 1870.
Hudson's name is associated with financial wrongdoing, although others were at least partially guilty of similar practices. He never named any of his co-conspirators, although many of them turned their backs on him when the bubble burst.
Early life
George Hudson was born in
Howsham, a small village about 12 miles from
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, to John and Elizabeth Hudson on 10 March 1800. His mother died at the age of 38 in 1806 when George was six and his father two years later in 1808. He was brought up by older brothers William and John and after a cursory education he left Howsham at age 15. suggests that this may have been the result of the slump affecting agriculture in 1815, but there was also a payment of 12 shillings and 6 pence recorded in the Howsham poor book as being "received of George Hudson for bastardry".
Hudson was apprenticed to Bell and Nicholson, a firm of drapers in
College Street, York. He finished his apprenticeship in 1820, was taken on as a tradesman, and given a share in the business early in 1821. On 17 July that year he married Nicholson's daughter Elizabeth. When Bell retired, the firm became Nicholson and Hudson.
By 1827 the company was the largest business in York.
In 1827, his great-uncle Matthew Botrill fell ill and Hudson attended at his bedside. In thanks for this, the old man made a will leaving him his fortune of £30,000. In later years when exiled in France, Hudson acknowledged "it was the very worst thing that could have happened to me. It let me into the railways and all my misfortunes since".
Hudson became a prominent member of the York Board of Health and when
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
visited the city in 1832 Hudson distinguished himself as a spirited public servant visiting the sick and reporting on their welfare".
From being a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
and a
Dissenter
A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc.
Usage in Christianity
Dissent from the Anglican church
In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...
,
[There seems to be disagreement here between who states he was a Methodist lay preacher and who states that "Hudson denied this act later in life when there would have been no harm in admitting it". suggests that this may have been an untruth printed in the ''Yorkshireman'' which was a Whig owned anti-Hudson newspaper.] Hudson changed his allegiance to become a
High Church
The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
and became treasurer of the York Conservative Party in 1832. He supported the unsuccessful candidature of
John Henry Lowther
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
in the general election of 1832 and again in an 1833 bye-election. Although York was primarily a
Whig city the influence Hudson had on the campaigns was being noticed.
In 1833 it became possible for
joint stock
A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholders a ...
country banks to conduct their business in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
and he took a leading part in the establishment of the York Union Banking Company with its agent in the city being
George Carr Glyn.
Railways
York and North Midland Railway (YNMR)
A line to London
In 1833 York businessmen formed a railway committee. The initial idea of this was to link York to
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
to enable the city to enjoy cheaper coal and emulate the industrial success being enjoyed by Leeds,
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
and other West Yorkshire towns. Hudson was treasurer of this group and subsequently subscribed for 500 shares becoming the largest shareholder. They retained
John Rennie to survey the line and Hudson accompanied him, learning the practicalities of railway construction and of dealing with landowners. In spite of the success of the locomotive powered
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the first inter-city railway in the world. It opened on 15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Liverpool and Manchester in England. It was also the first railway to rely exclusively ...
on the other side of the
Pennines
The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commo ...
, Rennie produced plans for a horse-drawn line (in 1834), and matters fell into abeyance.
In the summer of 1834 Hudson met
George Stephenson
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...
by chance in
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
and they became friends and business associates. He learnt of Stephenson's dream of a railway from London, using a junction of the
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR).
The railway line which the company opened in 1838, betw ...
at
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
, through
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
and Leeds to
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
– but bypassing York.
In fact, since 1833, plans had been advanced for three lines – the
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, t ...
from Rugby to Derby, the
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station. It now forms part ...
from
Hampton in Arden
Hampton in Arden is a village and civil parish located in the Forest of Arden in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. Hampton in Arden was part of Warwickshire until the 1974 boundary changes. It lies within ...
just outside
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
to Derby, and the
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masbrough) and Leeds in 1840.
At Derby, it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at wha ...
from there to Leeds.
In 1835 the York railway committee became the
York and North Midland Railway
The York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) was an English railway company that opened in 1839 connecting York with the Leeds and Selby Railway, and in 1840 extended this line to meet the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds. Its first c ...
(YNMR) and at Hudson's suggestion the new line would join the North Midland at
Normanton a few miles south-east of Leeds. The YNMR received its Act of Parliament on 21 June 1836.
and at its first official meeting Hudson was elected Chairman with other officers including
James Meek
James Meek FRSE (1742–1810) (or ''Meik'') was Minister of Cambuslang from 1774 until his death. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1795, but is most remembered as the model Enlightenment cleric who wrote ...
, James Richardson and Richard Nicholson (Hudson's brother-in-law).
![Leeds and Selby, York and North Midland railway maps](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Leeds_and_Selby%2C_York_and_North_Midland_railway_maps.jpg)
At this time there was also another railway being planned which would link York to
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
called the
Great North of England Railway
The Great North of England Railway (GNER) was an early British railway company. Its main line, opened in 1841 was between York and Darlington, and originally it was planned to extend to Newcastle.
Mergers
In 1846 it was absorbed by the Newcastl ...
. Its promoters hoped that it would be part of an East Coast route to Scotland and whilst initially favouring Leeds and York they eventually chose York as their southernmost destination although Hudson had little to do with this decision.
Work started on the YNMR line in April 1837 with a new station being built in
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. In April – before full opening – Hudson declared a dividend of one guinea per share which, when questioned he confirmed had been paid out of the companies' capital. Some objected but both Meek and
Joseph Rowntree defended the move although in later years the latter would be foremost amongst Hudson's critics. Opening to a junction on the Leeds to Selby line took place on 29 May 1839 and to Normanton on 1 July 1840 meaning London was now linked by rail to York. On 9 November 1840 the YNMR leased the
Leeds and Selby Railway
The Leeds and Selby Railway was an early British railway company and first mainline railway within Yorkshire. It was opened in 1834.
As built, the line ran west/east between two termini, Marsh Lane station, Leeds and Selby railway station. The ...
for £17,000 per year and Hudson promptly closed the line so passengers had to use his route via
Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...
.
[the line re-opened to passengers in 1850.]
Other YNMR lines opened under Hudson's chairmanship
Other lines built by the YNMR under Hudson's chairmanship included those to
Pickering and
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
both of which were authorised on 4 July 1844. The then isolated Whitby – Pickering Railway was purchased by the YNMR on 30 June 1845 and when the York to Pickering line opened on 8 July 1845 there was a through route from York to Whitby. This was a logical choice for Hudson as he had property in Whitby and regarded the harbour as promising for development. The route to Scarborough – which Hudson declared would become the "Brighton of the north" – opened on the same day. It is however worth noting that at the meeting where this line was first mooted the Quaker Joseph Rowntree sounded a note of caution about the company accounts which Hudson glossed over.
On 1 July 1845 the YNMR leased the
Hull and Selby Railway
The Hull and Selby Railway is a railway line between Kingston upon Hull and Selby in the United Kingdom which was authorised by an act of 1836 and opened in 1840. As built the line connected with the Leeds and Selby Railway (opened 1834) at Selby ...
and on 1 October that year the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsb ...
became joint lessee.
The following year lines from Seamer to Filey and Hull to
Bridlington
Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 Cen ...
were completed opening on 5 October and 6 October respectively. The link between Filey and Bridlington was completed on 20 October 1847.
On 20 August 1847 the YNMR line to
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...
opened between Church Fenton and Spofforth and on 4 October the line from York to
Market Weighton
Market Weighton ( ) is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is one of the main market towns in the East Yorkshire Wolds and lies midway between Hull and York, about from either one. According to the 2011 UK cen ...
was completed. It is worth noting that Hudson had purchased the Londesborough Hall estate in September 1845 to partly to prevent the scheme of one of his bitter enemies
George Leeman succeeding.
On 8 May 1848
Hull Paragon station opened and on 20 July the line from Spofforth to Harrogate was completed. On 1 August the line linking Selby and Market Weighton was opened to traffic although it was a number of years before the line to
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...
was completed.
A direct line to Leeds was also planned but following Hudson's downfall this was abandoned. Authorised in 1846 and abandoned in 1849 the only tangible evidence of this line is a railway viaduct built at
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, east of the Great North Road, north-east of Leeds, and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the ...
.
Railway Clearing House
At this time, of course, each railway was a separate company with its own infrastructure, rolling stock, even stations.
[Derby was one of the first to be built for more than one railway company but, even there, the one long platform was divide into three sections.] This meant that, at each stage of the journey it was necessary to change trains and buy a new ticket. With his powerful influence and financial interest in so many railways, it was Hudson who played a great part in setting up the
Railway Clearing House
The Railway Clearing House (RCH) was an organisation set up to manage the allocation of revenue collected by pre-grouping railway companies for the conveyance of passengers and goods over the lines (or using the rolling stock) of other compani ...
in 1842. This was an organisation set up to manage the allocation of revenue collected by
pre-grouping railway companies of fares and charges paid for passengers and goods travelling over the lines of other companies.
Midland Railway
In 1842 the
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masbrough) and Leeds in 1840.
At Derby, it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at wha ...
was in severe financial difficulty due to its high construction costs down to George Stephenson's insistence that the ruling gradient should be no more than 1 in 300. As a shareholder Hudson took over the inquiry into the situation and devised a scheme to radically reduce operating costs by reducing staff numbers and wages. Experienced staff were laid off and replaced and performance on the railway suffered. On 12 January 1843 there was a serious accident at
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
with a single fatality. The following public outcry demanded changes to restore the NMR to its former operating efficiency. In his first six months Hudson managed to reduce operating expenses by £11,530 and increase revenue by £2,500.
[There are contradictory dates for this accident as 6 January is suggested by Peacock and Joy. However the Railway Archive suggests 12 January as does Beaumont. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=1641]
Like the NMR two of the other companies, the
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, t ...
and the
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station. It now forms part ...
, that made up the route from London to York were in serious financial difficulty as they had fought a long "
war of attrition
The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...
" over fares. Hudson convinced the shareholders in a meeting in August 1843 that a merger between the three railways would save £325,000 per year operating costs and yield shareholder dividends of 5%. The merger was agreed in September 1843 despite some opposition from the Midland Counties directors, and Hudson became the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
's first chairman. Royal assent was given to the merger on 10 May 1844.
In 1845, as a result of work by vice-chairman
John Ellis, the Midland leased the
Bristol and Gloucester Railway and
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (B&GR) was the first name of the railway linking the cities in its name and of the company which pioneered and developed it; the line opened in stages in 1840, using a terminus at Camp Hill in Birmingham. It ...
and Hudson's railways linked
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
in the north with
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
in the south. In May of that year a company was formed to build a line from
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
via
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level. and
Matlock to Ambergate on the Midland line just north of Derby. Hudson was on the board of directors with
Lord George Cavendish as chairman. On 4 July 1845 the Midland leased the Erewash Valley line and bought the
Sheffield and Rotherham Railway
The Sheffield and Rotherham Railway was a railway line in England, between the named places. The North Midland Railway was being promoted but its route was planned to go through Rotherham and by-pass Sheffield, so the S&RR was built as a connecti ...
on 21 July. On 4 August the Midland line from
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
to
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 ...
opened a month after the Midland had absorbed the
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tun ...
(the Midland's oldest constituent railway).
In
1843 a group of local businessman formed the Leeds and Bradford Railway company, with Hudson as chairman. An
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
was obtained in July 1843, to build a line from Leeds to Bradford via
Shipley as well as a link to the
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masbrough) and Leeds in 1840.
At Derby, it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at wha ...
's terminus at Hunslet Lane, to allow connections to the south. The railway opened on 1 July 1846 and was immediately leased by the Midland Railway at very favourable terms. There was some concern here as Hudson was benefiting from this arrangement which he had initiated. Beaumont suggests it was this transaction that was where concerns started to grow about Hudson's methods.
Later in 1846 the Midland line from
Syston (north of Leicester) to
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...
was opened on 2 September and then a month later the
Stamford to
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
section opened. It opened as a through route on 20 March 1848. Other Midland lines opened under Hudson's chairmanship included Skipton-Colne, Coalville-Burton and Nottingham to Kirkby (all opening 2 October 1849).
Other LBR extensions included Shipley to
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
on 16 March to Skipton on 8 September 1847.
Opposition to the Great Northern Railway (GNR)
One quote often attributed (incorrectly) to George Hudson was that he would make all railways come to York. Whereas there is no doubt he was instrumental in the fact that many railways did come to York he opposed the Great Northern's attempt to build a railway to York as it meant that this would offer a better through route to London.
Edmund Denison MP was keen to promote a faster link from London to York via
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
and formed the
London and York Railway issuing a prospectus in May 1844. Early in 1845 he and Hudson had a very public argument on Derby station (about raising capital) resulting in a serious rivalry. Hudson and the Midland Railway opposed the GNR in parliament and his involvement with the Eastern Counties Railway was designed to frustrate the GNR plans and build a competing route via
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
and
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a 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-west, Leicestershire ...
.
Eventually Hudson realised he could not prevent the GNR from getting to York so instead the York and North Midland built a branch in 1850 from Burton Salmon to
Knottingley
Knottingley is a market town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the old A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road before it was bypassed as the A1(M). Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Ridi ...
. The
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...
had built a branch (opened 1846) towards Doncaster which joined the GNR at Shaftholme Junction. Practicality won the day and the GNR abandoned their plans for entry into York via a new line and settled for running rights over the other two lines in order that their services could reach York. This was also a move that dissatisfied many Midland Railway shareholders.
Initial services between York and London ran via Doncaster, Retford, Lincoln and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
with the line through
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
to Peterborough opening in 1852.
North from York
As mentioned above the other early railway in York was the
Great North of England Railway
The Great North of England Railway (GNER) was an early British railway company. Its main line, opened in 1841 was between York and Darlington, and originally it was planned to extend to Newcastle.
Mergers
In 1846 it was absorbed by the Newcastl ...
who had planned to build a railway through to Newcastle and onto Scotland. By 1841 their plans had foundered and the scheme had stalled at Darlington having used up all the capital.
The
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
issued a report in 1841 favouring the West Coast route linking
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
and Lancaster rather than the East Coast although the report stated that "should parties be found to construct the line from Darlington to Edinburgh then the western route ought to be abandoned for the present". In April Hudson called a meeting of the various companies and informed them he intended to build a line from Darlington to south of Durham where existing lines would complete the route through to Gateshead (located on the south side of the steep Tyne Valley). In August a second meeting was held where Hudson suggested the constituent railways should offer shares in the new railway to their existing shareholders. By December 1841 the Newcastle and Darlington Junction railway was formed with Hudson as chairman with work starting in 1842.
The years 1843–1847 saw the various constituent railways purchased or merged into the
York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway
The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interest ...
(YNBR)
![Formation of the Y&NBR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Formation_of_the_Y%26NBR.svg)
On 23 May 1844 the construction of a high-level bridge across the Tyne was authorised and on 19 June the line opened through to Gateshead.
Under Hudson's chairmanship the York and Newcastle opened the
Richmond branch on 11 September 1846 and took over the
Hartlepool Dock & Railway on 12 October. It also leased the
Clarence Railway
The Clarence Railway was an early railway company that operated in north-east England between 1833 and 1853. The railway was built to take coal from mines in County Durham to ports on the River Tees and was a competitor to the Stockton and Darli ...
from this time. The Durham and Sunderland Railway was absorbed 1 January 1847 and on 1 March the first section of the Newcastle and Berwick line opened with the through route to Tweedmouth opening on 1 July. On 1 August Hudson leased the Newcastle to Carlisle line and in October the Maryport & Carlisle Railway.
Eastern Counties Railway (ECR)
Hudson was appointed chairman of the ailing
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English Rail transport, railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on t ...
in 1845 and one of his first actions was to appoint
David Waddington
David Charles Waddington, Baron Waddington, (2 August 1929 – 23 February 2017) was a British politician and barrister.
A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1968 to 1974 a ...
as his vice chairman.
Hudson was interested in the ECR as he felt it offered an opportunity for an alternative route from York to London although the truth was the ECR had an appalling reputation for time keeping and safety at this time; Hudson immediately ordered the payment of a generous dividend for the shareholders.
Later investigation showed that whilst Hudson decided the levels of dividends to be paid to shareholders it was Waddington's job to doctor the traffic accounts to make it appear legally earned. Waddington also siphoned off £8,000 of the ECR's money into a parliamentary slush fund which strained relations between Hudson and Waddington.
Hudson cut costs in a similar way on the North Midland Railway and an accident at Romford on 18 July 1846 led the satirical magazine ''
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'' to petition Hudson to the effect that:
:"by reason of the misconduct, negligence and insobriety of drivers and sundry stokers, engineers, policemen, and others, your Majesty's subjects, various and several collisions, explosions and oversettings are continually taking place on the railways, your Majesty's dominion"
During Hudson's time as chairman the ECR network expanded with the line from Ely North Junction to Peterborough opening on 14 January 1847 and from
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
to
Wisbech
Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland Port of Wisbech, port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bord ...
on 3 May 1847. Later that year, on 17 August, the line from Cambridge to St Ives extending to March on 1 February 1848.
[eventually the Cambridge-St Ives-March section became part of the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway and passenger services operated between Liverpool Street and York for a number of years.] On 2 October 1848 the line linking
Maldon
Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the River Blackwater, Essex, Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea ...
and
Braintree opened. Also in 1848 the ECR took over operations on the
Norfolk Railway
The Norfolk Railway was an early railway company that controlled a network of 94 miles around Norwich, England. It was formed in 1845 by the amalgamation of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway opened in 1844, and the Norwich and Brandon Railway, n ...
and leased the Newmarket Railway from October (this had only opened the previous March).
Fraud and ruin
![Off the Rail (Punch Cartoon)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Off_the_Rail_%28Punch_Cartoon%29.png)
In 1848 a pamphlet called "The bubble of the age" or "The fallacy of railway investment, Railway Accounts and Railway dividends" alleged that the
dividend
A dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, it is able to pay a portion of the profit as a dividend to shareholders. Any amount not distributed is taken to be re-in ...
paid by Hudson's companies were paid out of capital rather than revenue.
[Dividends are a distribution of profits to shareholders. The amount of profit or loss is determined only after servicing debts, since creditors have a claim on the company's assets before shareholders do. If dividends are paid when there is no profit (i.e. out of capital), which is illegal, then shareholders were paid ahead of debtors – in other words, the company was insolvent.] Hudson was attacked by Midland shareholder and Liverpool shipowner J. H. Brankner in February 1849 over his fight with the GNR. This was then exacerbated by Hudson's agreement with the Great Northern to allow then to use the Burton Salmon route (see above) which many felt effectively sold them out.
Hudson had been borrowing money at a high interest rate to keep some of his companies afloat. A payment of £400,000 had to be made in 1849; many of these companies were left in a difficult position with falling revenues, an economic depression and little scope for future shareholder dividends. In York the City Council led by
George Leeman were demanding money for the Lendal Bridge project and many of Hudson's allies were unseated at local elections that year.
The shareholders that had so fulsomely praised Hudson for the large dividends paid now lined up against him. In the Midland Railway meeting of 15 February 1849 there were calls for a committee of inquiry to be set up which Hudson managed to quash by threatening to resign. Five days later at the meeting of the
York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway
The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interest ...
two shareholders
Horatio Love and Robert Prance revealed a number of shares had been sold to the company at a value far in excess of what they were actually worth and the beneficiary was Hudson. This time the call for a committee of inquiry to be set up was successful.
[Members of a company's board of directors are expected to promote the company's financial interests. A ]conflict of interest
A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations i ...
arises when one of them stands to benefit monetarily from the board's decisions – such as buying shares from him. If the director conceals from the rest of the board the fact that the price at which he is selling shares to the company is higher than their value, he has promoted his own financial interests above those of the company, which is fraud.
The
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English Rail transport, railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on t ...
Annual General Meeting was on 28 February and Hudson decided not to attend. Vice chair David Waddington faced the wrath of the shareholders (who had received a very small dividend) and promptly blamed the absent Hudson. Another committee of inquiry was set up under William Cash and within a month the Midland Railway shareholders had set one up and Hudson had resigned.
In April 1849 the Prance report (YNMR) revealed the wrongful valuation of the shares and Hudson had to pay back £30,000. Later that month he faced a hostile ECR inquiry (formed of men who had approved everything he did in previous years), after which he resigned. On 7 May, MP
Francis Charteris alleged possible bribery of MPs and another inquiry was started. Hudson addressed parliament on 17 May but the damage was done. However, although Hudson was being scapegoated, others did not always escape. William Cash, who had called for and chaired the ECR enquiry, was revealed by that enquiry to be chair of a committee designed to frustrate one of their competitors.
On 17 May Hudson resigned from the YNMR to avoid sacking and a committee was set up to look at the allegation that Hudson had used their money to build a private station at
Londesborough Park on the Market Weighton line. As 1849 progressed, more was unearthed and by the autumn Hudson was being asked to repay £750,000. He sold Londesborough Park and then paid £200,000 off to the YNBR (chairman George Leeman) rather than face being taken to court.
Despite this, in 1849 the railway bridge across the Tyne was opened and the following year Monkwearmouth Dock (Hudson was chairman of the dock company) opened in 1850. In 1852 the YNMR offered to let Hudson settle his outstanding liabilities to them for £50,000, which he rejected. The YNMR directors promptly went to court with three separate cases which proved a fatal blow to Hudson.
These were heard in 1853; Hudson lost all three, and by winter of that year he had negotiated a settlement of £72,670 to clear all his debts. He had to sell his property at Newby Park and the purchaser Viscount Downe used Hudson's enemy George Leeman to complete his purchase. By 1856 the YNMR debt was £16,000 and this was taken over by the North Eastern Railway upon merger in 1864.
Politics
York
By 1830 Hudson was a
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
, although at this point the Tories did not control York. At the
1832 general election he backed the unsuccessful candidate,
John Lowther, and did so again in 1833 in 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 both of these elections accusations of bribery were levelled against Hudson, but in fact both sides misbehaved. states "The Whigs were not in favour of bribery but instead used gangs of thugs to intimidate any would be Tory voter – in those days the vote was given orally and in public, surrounded by the crowd".
Lowther was elected to parliament at York at the third time of asking in the
1835 general election, and Hudson inadvertently helped his enemies by sending the poorer voters who had voted for Lowther a gold sovereign each by post. A parliamentary select committee later investigated this, but no further action was taken, mainly because unsavoury tactics had also been used by the Whigs in York.
In 1835 Hudson was elected to the City of York Corporation as an
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
. Funded by Hudson's money, the York Tories eventually gained the balance of power in York, and Hudson became Lord Mayor of York in 1836 and again in 1837. There was some doubt about the lawfulness of this second term, but by the time the matter went to court Hudson's second year as mayor was over.
Following his election as one of the two members of parliament for Sunderland in 1845, Hudson's influence led to his becoming Lord Mayor of York for a third time. One of his ambitions, to build a bridge to link the railway with Lendal in York was high on his agenda. However his attempts to raise money for this project did not go well, as he stated that the YNMR would fund the bridge with the council. However, when the proposal was presented to the Council there was no mention of the YNMR. Alarmed, one of Hudson's bitterest enemies,
George Leeman, led the opposition, resulting in Hudson agreeing to pay some of the costs of the bridge design himself.
Sunderland
The
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
Conservatives selected Hudson hoping he would help to re-invigorate two failing infrastructure projects – Monkwearmouth Dock and the Durham and Sunderland Railway. Hudson defeated the opposition candidate and was elected to parliament on 14 August 1845.
In parliament Hudson – as well as looking after his railway interests – was a key player in the repeal of the
Corn Laws
The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word ''corn'' in British English denotes all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley. They were ...
. In his election campaign he claimed to be in favour of the Corn Laws but later joined the other side citing the need to protect British agriculture as his reason.
In 1847
Lord George Bentinck
Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 180221 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative politician and racehorse owner noted for his role (with Benjamin Disraeli) in unseatin ...
introduced a bill to build a railway network in Ireland. The cost of the proposal was £16 million which George Hudson, no doubt sensing an opportunity, supported. The government did not support the bill which was ultimately defeated.
In the run up to the
1852 general election Hudson – who by this time was in severe financial difficulty – spoke on several issues including a repeal of a timber tax and on a corrupt practices bill. He was re-elected by 54 votes in the election but with his railway career in decline and drinking heavily he presented rather a forlorn figure.
After a period in Spain where he tried and failed to get a new railway project off the ground and suffering badly from
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...
, Hudson returned to Sunderland for the
1857 general election and was elected again albeit with a reduced majority. Between 1857 and 1859 the fortunes of the
Sunderland Dock Company foundered and the town became increasingly disenchanted with Hudson.Hudson held onto his seat until his defeat at the
1859 general election where he polled 790 out of 4,000 votes. This defeat removed the protection Hudson had as an MP from imprisonment and he subsequently went into exile.
Whitby
There are contradictory accounts about his time on the continent with some claims he lived in a series of shabby hotels sometimes unable to afford food whilst others suggested he was reasonably provided for.
Hudson returned to England in December 1864 for the funeral of his younger brother Charles. Charles had been an influential figure in the Whitby Conservative Party and the ''Whitby Gazette'' had printed a very supportive endorsement of Hudson the previous June. Hudson had to return to France to escape his creditors but was duly selected to fight Whitby in the
1865 election.
Hudson had long had business interests in the town with some of the property he inherited from his uncle, Matthew Bottrill, being located there. The building of the railway to the town had led Hudson to form and become the chairman of the Whitby Building Company which developed the West Cliff area of the town in the 1850s. In 1865 West Cliff was mortgaged to the NER although Hudson hoped to recover it and start further developments.
Hudson returned to Whitby on 11 June 1865 where his opponent was the sitting
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
MP
Harry Thompson
Harry William Thompson (6 February 1960 – 7 November 2005) was an English radio and television producer, comedy writer, novelist and biographer. He was the creator of the dark humour television series '' Monkey Dust'', screened between 2003 ...
. Thompson was also the chairman of the
North Eastern Railway (NER) and was not popular in Whitby as he had failed to join the town to the national rail network and had overseen the rise of neighbouring Scarborough as Yorkshire's leading seaside resort. Hudson made the most of this in a speech delivered on 19 June in St. Hilda's Hall, Whitby and victory seemed assured.
On Sunday 9 July 1865 (just before the election) the Sheriff of York arrested Hudson in Whitby and he was taken back to York.
[the date is suggested to be Monday 10 July by biographer Dr Alf Peacock (1988,89) although most newspapers reported it as the Sunday.] Although not proven, it is suggested by two of his biographers that Thompson and
George Leeman were behind the arrest.
[} and Dr Alf Peacock (1988,89).] Given that Thompson was the chairman of one of the railways pursuing Hudson for debt and was facing defeat in Whitby, it does seem a likely scenario.
The Whitby Conservatives appointed another candidate,
Charles Bagnall
Charles Bagnall JP (1827–1884) was a British politician.
Charles Bagnall was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, and educated at King's College London. He was a Justice of the Peace for Staffordshire and the North Riding. He w ...
, who after fighting a short two-day campaign, won the election.
Hudson meanwhile was remanded in
York prison.
Final years
Hudson however had many friends in York and the north and the thought of an old man (now aged 65) in poor health in prison offended Victorian sensibilities. Hudson was released in October 1865 as the debt (still one of many outstanding at this point) was paid off by a colliery owner called
George Elliot .
Hudson once again moved abroad but on return to London (in June 1866) he was again arrested and imprisoned for three weeks in
Whitecross Street Prison
Whitecross Street Prison was a debtors' prison in London, England. It was built between 1813–15 to ease overcrowding at Newgate Prison and closed in 1870, when all of the prisoners were transferred to the newly built Holloway Prison.
Situated ...
. Released to see his lawyer Hudson fled the country and the following month the NER case against Hudson was held with him absent. The outcome was that Hudson's debts were reduced to £14,000 plus interest but the NER appealed and it was not until March 1869 that the matter was resolved with the original debt being restored (estimated to be £60,000 by Elliot).
Whilst initially a blow for Hudson it acted as a turning point in his fortunes as his plight was noted by newspapers in Sunderland, Hull and Whitby. Elliot and
Hugh Taylor, MP for
Tynemouth and North Shields started a subscription fund for Hudson later that year which raised £1,000 in three weeks. His friends started a trust for Hudson (which they legally protected against Hudson's creditors such as the NER) to give him a regular income. With the passing of the
Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt Act on 1 January 1870 Hudson was able to return to London and live with his wife Elizabeth.
In 1871 the NER finally accepted it was not going to get the monies owed and the remaining debt cases were dropped. Hudson was not in good health and was taken ill on 9 December 1871 whilst visiting York. He returned by train to London and died 5 days later, aged 71. His body was taken by train from
Euston Station
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...
to York where the hearse drove through the streets. Many turned out to pay last respects and shop owners lowered their window blinds as a mark of respect. Hudson was buried at the parish church at
Scrayingham
Scrayingham is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It was historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. The population was less than 100 at the 2011 census. Details are included in the civil parish of Howsha ...
on 21 December in accordance with his wishes.
How others saw him
His name has been used to point the moral of vaulting ambition and unstable fortune,
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy.
Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...
calling him the "big swollen gambler" in one of the ''
Latter-Day Pamphlets
''Latter-Day Pamphlets'' was a series of "pamphlets" published by Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle in 1850,Carlyle, Thomas (1850)''Latter-Day Pamphlets.''London: Chapman & Hall. in vehement denunciation of what he be ...
''. He was roundly chastised by those who had blindly believed in his golden prophecies. He ruined investors, disturbed the great centres of industry, and beggared himself in the promotion of his schemes. But he had an honest faith in his schemes, and he succeeded in overcoming the powerful landed interest.
Hudson was a man who engendered strong feelings.
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
wrote of him in a letter to Count d’Orsay.
:"I am disposed to throw up my head and howl whenever I hear Mr. Hudson mentioned"
In 1840 D Morier Evans described Hudson as:
:"He is about five feet six inches in height, of a stout body frame with a short bull-neck, surmounted by a head not conspicuous for intellectuality. His face attracts attention and the expression in his eyes is no peculiar. At first sight one dislikes him…. Notwithstanding the sinister leer of his eye, the ungainly frame and the unharmonious voice, his person however rude exteriorly, is the cover of a fairer mind than was first imagined"
Sir Thomes Legard (11th Baronet of Ganton) wrote when the Filey and Bridlington branch was opened in 1846.
:"When railways and railway shares were dark as night, men said that Hudson ruled, and all was right"
Family life
He married Elizabeth Nicholson (1795–1886) in 1821 in York. Their four surviving children were: George (1829–1909), who was called to the bar and became an inspector of factories and a father to a son ; John (b. 1832), who entered the army and was killed in the
Indian Mutiny
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
in December 1857; William (b. 1834), who became a doctor but was killed by a train in 1876; and Ann (1830–1874), who married a Polish count,
Michał Hieronim Leszczyc-Sumiński.
Elizabeth Hudson died at 13 Pitt Street, Kensington on 15 January 1886 and his son George was recorded as living there for a few years after his mother's death.
Properties
This lists some of the key properties connected with Hudson.
1 College Street, York
This was the site of Hudson's drapery shop and when first married he lived above the premises. There is a plaque commemorating this fact at the location (2014).
Monkgate, York
Hudson lived at 44 Monkgate with his family between 1827 and 1844. The house, which had once been occupied by local artist
Thomas Beckwith had previously been the home of his uncle, Matthew Bottrill until his death. Now named Hudson House, a plaque in his memory explaining his connection to the house is displayed outside; after being used as a business address over many decades, the house was recently converted into flats.
Baldersby Park
In 1845 he bought from
Lord de Grey Colen Campbell's already much-remodelled
Newby Park
Queen Mary's School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Baldersby Park near Topcliffe, between Ripon and Thirsk in North Yorkshire, England. Established in 1921, the school is set on of landscaped grounds and houses approx ...
in the North Riding of Yorkshire, between the small towns of Ripon and Thirsk, which is often referred to as the first
Palladian villa in England. He rebuilt it as 'Baldersby Park, providing it with a northern front in a
Jacobethan
The Jacobethan or Jacobean Revival architectural style is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance (15 ...
style, retaining its Georgian south front. The mansion, its interior reconstructed after a fire in 1902, is now home to
Queen Mary's School
Queen Mary's School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Baldersby Park near Topcliffe, between Ripon and Thirsk in North Yorkshire, England. Established in 1921, the school is set on of landscaped grounds and houses approx ...
, a girls' independent school.
Albert Gate, London
When Hudson became an MP he bought a property in Albert Gate in
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End.
...
, London which became the centre of the Hudsons' social life in London. Today (2018) it is the French embassy.
Octon Grange near Bridlington
Octon Grange was bought as a strategic investment in August 1844. Hudson hoped his sons would both inherit a country house and this was also close to the then proposed Bridlington branch line.
Londesborough Park Estate near Market Weighton
This estate, bought within a year, effectively ended
George Leeman's plans to build a line from York to Market Weighton. The estate, bought as an investment for his sons and cost £500,000.
[Peacock and Joy record this as £470,000.] lt was sold in 1850 to pay off some of Hudson's debts.
Churton Street, Pimlico, London
Elizabeth Hudson lived here for many years whilst Hudson lived in exile. Hudson lived here in 1870–1871 and died at this address.
[Lambert 1934 recorded this as no 87 but the address given on his death certificate is no 37.]
Memorials
Hudson House, built on the site of the former
York and North Midland Railway
The York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) was an English railway company that opened in 1839 connecting York with the Leeds and Selby Railway, and in 1840 extended this line to meet the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds. Its first c ...
terminus in
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, was named after him, as is George Hudson Street in the
City of York
The City of York is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The district's main settlement is York, and it extends to the surrounding area including the town of Haxby and the villages of E ...
running parallel to
North Street.
There is a Hudson Street in Whitby and a Hudson Road in Sunderland which has two docks named after him (Hudson Dock North and Hudson Dock South).
The former Market Weighton to Beverley section of the
York to Beverley Line
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a m ...
is now a footpath, named the 'Hudson Way'. There is a street in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire called Hudson Way. The street lies near to the completed but never used railway viaduct over the River Wharfe. Had the railway gone on from the viaduct it would have gone over the land where Hudson Way now is.
Less of a memorial but a memory; a painting in oil of Hudson dating from his time as Mayor of York is still displayed in the York
Mansion House, once found in the basement and currently at the top of the main staircase. The painting has itself survived the years following his fall from grace in remarkable condition, but its frame, bearing a description of his accomplishments and titles has been disfigured, thought to be the work of disgruntled successors.
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Inquest and legal reports
*
*
Biographies
*
*
*
External links
*
* . There are a number of errors on this website and much unsourced material.
*
A history of Sunderland Docks mentioning the Hudson docks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson, George
1800 births
1871 deaths
19th-century British businesspeople
British railway entrepreneurs
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Businesspeople from Yorkshire
Lord Mayors of York
People from Ryedale (district)
People of the Industrial Revolution
British railway pioneers
UK MPs 1841–1847
UK MPs 1847–1852
UK MPs 1852–1857
York and North Midland Railway
19th-century English businesspeople