George Peter Holford (1767–1839) was an English barrister, politician and author. With a short break 1806–7, he was a Tory Member of Parliament from 1803 to 1826, for a number of constituencies. Holford was an advocate of
prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crimes ...
.
Early life
He was the second son of
Peter Holford, a
Master in Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equ ...
, and his wife Anne Nutt, daughter of William Nutt of
Buxted
Buxted is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex in England. The parish is situated on the Weald, north of Uckfield; the settlements of Five Ash Down, Heron's Ghyll and High Hurstwood are included within its boundarie ...
. He was educated at
Harrow School.
He matriculated at
St John's College, Cambridge in 1784, graduating B.A. in 1788, and M.A. in 1791.
Holford entered
Lincoln's Inn in 1788 and was
called to the bar in 1791.
In politics
Holford was a friend of
Lord Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), usually known as Lord Castlereagh, derived from the courtesy title Viscount Castlereagh ( ) by which he was styled from 1796 to 1821, was an Anglo-Irish politician ...
, who in 1802 became
President of the Board of Control, overseeing the East India Company. He was also on good terms with the rising Tory politicians
Lord Hawkesbury
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. He held many important cabinet offices such as Foreign Secret ...
,
Richard Ryder and
Nicholas Vansittart. At the end of 1802, the Prime Minister
Henry Addington told Holford that he would shortly be brought into 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. T ...
. It was managed in January 1803, at , with the agreement of
Lord Mount Edgecumbe.
When Addington made way for
William Pitt the younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
in May 1804,
Benjamin Hobhouse who was
Secretary of the Board of Control {{unreferenced, date=November 2010
The Secretary to the Board of Control was a British government office in the late 18th and early 19th century, supporting the President of the Board of Control, who was responsible for overseeing the British East I ...
resigned, and Holford replaced him, working under Castlereagh to whom he became close.
In 1806 Holford dropped out of parliament, no longer having support from Lord Mount Edgecumbe. But he was brought back in 1807, backed by the same interest at , as a prospective supporter of what became the
second Portland ministry
This is a list of members of the Tory government of the United Kingdom in office under the leadership of the Duke of Portland
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, d ...
, and at Castlereagh's request. He returned to the position as Secretary of the Board of Control, which he held then to 1809, leaving, as he explained to the President
Lord Harrowby in the aftermath of the duel between Castlereagh and
George Canning, out of sympathy with Castlereagh.
Holford was a supporter of the
Philanthropic Society, and had been involved in 1806 in having it incorporated. He was invited in 1810 by Richard Ryder, the
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
, to chair a select committee to implement the
Penitentiary for Convicts Act 1794. A site at
Millbank had been found through
James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury
James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury, (4 September 1748 – 13 June 1823), styled Viscount Cranborne until 1780 and known as The Earl of Salisbury between 1780 and 1789, was a British nobleman and politician.
Background
Salisbury was the so ...
.
In 1812 Holford obtained a grant to proceed with a penitentiary for London and Middlesex convicted prisoners who had been sentenced to
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
.
For a few years from 1810, also, the Holford Committee allied itself with the generally Whig agitation set off by
Samuel Romilly's campaign for criminal law reform, with
Henry Grey Bennet
The Honourable Henry Grey Bennet FRS (2 December 1777 – 29 May 1836) was a British politician.
Life
Bennet was the second of three sons and fourth of eight children of Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville, and his wife, Emma, Lady Tank ...
and others, that made some piecemeal legislative progress. In 1811–2 Holford was corresponding with
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham (; 15 February 1748 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_February_1747.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 February 1747">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.htm ...
on behalf of the committee, to obtain documentation of the
Panopticon project.
In the end, Holford and the committee rejected Bentham's principles, and the
National Penitentiary
The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila is the main insular prison designed to house the prison population of the Philippines. It is maintained by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice. As of Octob ...
was constructed over the next few years without regard for them. It was not quite a forgone conclusion, but Bentham's ideas were found to be impractical. The input from magistrates, such as
John Thomas Becher
The Rev. John Thomas Becher (born 1770 died 1848), was an English clergyman, social reformer and Vicar-General of Southwell Minster from 1818 to 1840.
Career
Early life and education
John Thomas Becher was the eldest son of Michael Becher and ...
,
George Onesiphorus Paul, and
William Morton Pitt
William Morton Pitt, FRS (16 May 1754 – 28 February 1836) was a British Member of Parliament.
He was the eldest son of John Pitt of Encombe House, Dorset and educated at Queen's College, Oxford. He entered Lincoln's Inn to study law in 17 ...
, had more traction. The construction work was overseen by Holford with Becher and
Charles Long.
![Millbank Thomas Hosmer Shepherd pub 1829](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Millbank_Thomas_Hosmer_Shepherd_pub_1829.jpg)
In the
general election 1812 Holford was brought in for by
Thomas Knox, 1st Viscount Northland
Thomas Knox, 1st Viscount Northland (20 April 1729 – 5 November 1818), known as The Lord Welles between 1781 and 1791, was an Irish politician.
Background
Thomas Knox was the son of Thomas Knox and Hester Echlin. He died on 5 November 1818 age ...
, its patron, for the
Liverpool ministry
This is a list of members of the government of the United Kingdom in office under the leadership of Lord Liverpool from 1812 to 1827. He was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by the Prince Regent after the assassination of Spencer ...
, disregarding his son
Thomas Knox as pro-Catholic. Holford held the seat until Northland died in 1818. In 1818 he was given a seat at , at this period represented solely by government placemen. In 1820 he was moved to , again an untroubled seat for supporters of Lord Liverpool.
Holford became a governor of the National Penitentiary, the "most active" on the board according to the Webbs, and defended it against critics.
In debate on the
Prisons (Ireland) Act 1821 introduced as a bill by
Charles Grant, he brought to bear experience of travel in Ireland – his wife was from
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...
. With
Sir John Newport,
Thomas Spring Rice and others, he argued for measures on inspection and reporting.
In 1826 Holford retired from parliament.
On Lord Liverpool's death in 1828, he was one of the executors.
Death
Holford died in
Gloucester Place
Gloucester Place is a street in Marylebone in Central London. Located in the City of Westminster, it runs north from Portman Square across the Marylebone Road eventually merging into Park Road. It is parallel to Baker Street to the east and ...
, on 30 April 1839. He had served as a governor of the
New River Company
The New River Company, formally The Governor and Company of the New River brought from Chadwell and Amwell to London, was a privately-owned water supply company in London, England, originally formed around 1609 and incorporated in 1619 by roy ...
.
Works
Holford published on penal reform and the National Penitentiary project:
* ''Substance of the speech of George Holford'' (1815)
* ''Thoughts on the Criminal Prisons of this Country: Occasioned by the Bill Now in the House of Commons'' (1821). Contribution to the debate leading up to the
Gaols Act 1823.
* ''Vindication of the General Penitentiary at Millbank'' (1822), reply to criticism of the National Penitentiary project, including points made by
Charles Callis Western.
* ''Short Vindication'' (2nd edition) with ''Second Vindication'' (1825)
* ''Third Vindication of the General Penitentiary'' (1825), reply to
Peter Mere Latham.
* ''Statements and observations concerning the hulks'' (1826)
* ''An Account of the General Penitentiary at Millbank'' (1828)
* ''Letter to the editor of the Quarterly review on a misstatement'' (1830)
With
Edward Gale Boldero and
Charles Bosanquet
Charles Bosanquet (23 July 1769 – 20 June 1850) was an English colonial official and writer.
Life
He was born at Forest House, Essex, the second son of Samuel Bosanquet and Eleanor Hunter. He was educated at Newcome's School and then in Swit ...
, Holford replied on behalf of the Philanthropic Society to criticism of
John Brand of plans for the Philanthropic Chapel.
Other works
* ''Poems'', verse from Holford's time at Harrow.
* ''Thoughts on the new and old principles of political obedience'' (1793).
Holford argued for a form of
social contract theory
In moral and political philosophy, the social contract is a theory or model that originated during the Age of Enlightenment and usually, although not always, concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual.
Social con ...
on rights.
* ''The Cave of Neptune'' (1794), dramatic poem on the
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June (1 June 1794), also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic ...
.
* ''The Storm'', drama, with ''Berthier's Dream at Rome'' (1798)
* ''True Patriotism, Or, Poverty Ennobled by Virtue: A Drama'' (1799), with Thomas Robinson. This work has been attributed to Margaret Holford (1761–1834).
* ''The Destruction of Jerusalem'' (1805), anonymous.
* ''Observations on the necessity of introducing a sufficient number of respectable clergymen into our colonies in the West Indies'' (1808)
Family
Holford married Anne Daniell, daughter of the Rev. Averill Daniell of
Lifford
Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding th ...
. They had one son,
Robert Stayner Holford
Robert Stayner Holford (1808–1892), of Westonbirt, in the village of Weston Birt, co. Gloucestershire, MP for East Gloucestershire, was a wealthy landowner, gardening and landscaping enthusiast, and an art collector. With his vast wealth, he r ...
.
Of their daughters:
* Anne Jane (died 1839) married in 1835
Robert Blagden Hale.
* Georgina, married in 1856 as his second wife
Peter Burrell, 4th Baron Gwydyr
Peter Robert Burrell, 4th Baron Gwydyr (24 March 1810 – 3 April 1909) was High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1858. In addition, he was Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain, High Steward of Ipswich, and Chairman of Quarter Sessions, Suffolk. Burr ...
.
* Emily (died 1852), the youngest, married in 1836
Sir George Joseph Palmer, 3rd Baronet.
![Weston Birt circa 1826](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Weston_Birt_circa_1826.jpg)
At
Westonbirt House
Westonbirt House is a country house in Gloucestershire, England, about southwest of the town of Tetbury. It belonged to the Holford family from 1665 until 1926. The first house on the site was an Elizabethan manor house. The Holfords r ...
, a family property, Holford replaced the old manor house with one in Gothic style, in 1823. He laid out gardens there, and is thought to have acted as his own designer, but perhaps under the influence of
William Sawrey Gilpin
William Sawrey Gilpin (4 October 1762 – 4 April 1843) was an English artist and drawing master, and in later life a landscape designer.
Biography
Gilpin was born at Scaleby Castle, Cumbria on 4 October 1762, the son of the animal painter Sa ...
. The gardens were later much developed by his son, who used
Lewis Vulliamy
Lewis Vulliamy (15 March 1791 – 4 January 1871) was an English architect descended from the Vulliamy family of clockmakers.
Life
Lewis Vulliamy was the son of the clockmaker Benjamin Vulliamy. He was born in Pall Mall, London on 15 March 17 ...
to rebuild Westonbirt House 1863–1870.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holford, George Peter
1767 births
1839 deaths
English barristers
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Tyrone constituencies (1801–1922)