Henry Hobhouse (1 March 1854 – 25 June 1937) was an English landowner and Liberal, and from 1886

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

politician who sat 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. ...

from 1885 to 1906. Hobhouse was the son of Henry Hobhouse, of Hadspen House, Somerset, and his wife, the Hon. Charlotte Etruria Talbot, daughter of

James Talbot, 3rd Baron Talbot of Malahide James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

. He had several siblings, including

Emily Hobhouse Emily Hobhouse (9 April 1860 – 8 June 1926) was a British welfare campaigner, anti-war activist, and pacifist. She is primarily remembered for bringing to the attention of the British public, and working to change, the deprived conditions insi ...

. After his father's death in 1862 his uncle Arthur Hobhouse became his guardian. He was educated at Eton and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

, and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn. He practised as a parliamentary draughtsman and was a J.P. for Somerset.Debrett's Guide to the House of Commons 1886, p. 78
/ref> In the 1885 general election, Hobhouse was elected MP for East Somerset. He held the seat until 1906. Hobhouse was particularly concerned with education. He was appointed to the Board of Education in 1900 and was behind the establishment of the

1902 Education Act The Education Act 1902 ( 2 Edw. 7 c. 42), also known as the Balfour Act, was a highly controversial Act of Parliament that set the pattern of elementary education in England and Wales for four decades. It was brought to Parliament by a Conservat ...

. Hobhouse was involved in the founding of Sexey's School and Sunny Hill (now

Bruton School for Girls Bruton School for Girls was an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 2 to 18 located near Pitcombe in Bruton in south east Somerset, England. By 2009 the school comprised Sunny Hill Nursery, Sunny Hill Prep, a senior school and six ...

) at Bruton. He was also pro-chancellor of

Bristol University The University of Bristol is a Red brick university, red brick Russell Group research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Society of Merchant Venturers, Merchant Venturers' sc ...

and an honorary LLD of the University,. He worked hard on behalf of the university and left a collection of books to the library. Hobhouse was a county figure and knowledgeable about local matters. A member of

Somerset County Council Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county. On 1 April 2023 the county coun ...

, he was responsible for forming the County Councils Association. He was also behind the establishment of the Cider Institute in 1902 and was its chairman.A Brooke-Hunt ''The National fruit and cider institute, its origin and objects'' (1904)
/ref>

Marriage

He married Margaret Heyworth Potter (daughter of Richard Potter). Their children included:

Stephen Henry Hobhouse Stephen Henry Hobhouse (5 August 1881 – 2 April 1961) was a prominent English peace activist, prison reformer, and religious writer. Family Stephen Henry Hobhouse was born in Pitcombe, Somerset, England. He was the eldest son of Henry Hob ...

, an important British peace activist and prison reformer; Arthur Lawrence Hobhouse built the system of National parks in England and Wales, and John Richard, a ship owner who was the father of the law lord

John Hobhouse, Baron Hobhouse of Woodborough John Stewart Hobhouse, Baron Hobhouse of Woodborough, PC (31 January 1932 – 15 March 2004) was a British judge and law lord. Hobhouse was born in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, the son of the shipowner Sir John Richard Hobhouse, and grandson of ...

; and Rachel (1883–1981) married Sir George Felix Neville Clay, 5th Baronet, and had a son Sir Henry Felix Clay, 6th Baronet. Their youngest son died in the First World War, and another daughter died in infancy. Margaret died in 1921, and, in 1923, Hobhouse married Anne Mackessack.

Death

Hobhouse lived at Hadspen House,

Castle Cary Castle Cary () is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet, at the foot of Lodge Hill and on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett. History The word Cary derives from ...

, Somerset, and died at the age of 83.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobhouse, Henry 1854 births 1937 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of Somerset County Council UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford People associated with the University of Bristol People from South Somerset (district) 20th-century English landowners Henry Potter family Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Liberal Unionist Party MPs for English constituencies