James Blyth, Baron Blyth ( ; 10 September 1841 – 8 September 1925), known as "Sir James Blyth, 1st Baronet" from 1895 to 1907, was a British businessman and liberal party supporter. Blyth was the son of James Blyth and his wife Caroline, daughter of Henry Gilbey. He notably served as a Director of the wine mercantile firm of W. and A. Gilbey and was a recognised authority on wine culture and wine commerce. He was also deeply interested in agriculture and farming. Apart from his business career Blyth was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and served as vice-president of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

. He was created a Baronet, of Blythwood in the Parish of

Stansted Mountfitchet Stansted Mountfitchet is an English village and civil parish in Uttlesford district, Essex, near the Hertfordshire border, north of London. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 5,533, increasing to 6,011 at the 2011 census. The v ...

in the

County of Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, on 30 August 1895, and on 19 July 1907 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Blyth, of Blythwood in the Parish Stansted Mountfichet in the County of Essex. He was also appointed Grand Cross of Civil Order of the Merito Agricola Portuguese Ordem do Mérito Empresarial,

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in fi ...

and

Order of Leopold (Belgium) The Order of Leopold ( nl, Leopoldsorde, french: Ordre de Léopold, ) is one of the three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the oldest and highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of its founder, King Le ...

. Lord Blyth married Eliza, daughter of William Mooney, in 1865. They had three sons and four daughters. His son Audley died in mysterious circumstances while in East Africa with John Patterson. Eliza died in 1894. Lord Blyth survived her by over 30 years and died in September 1925, aged 83. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son Herbert.

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blyth, James Blyth, 1st Baron 1841 births 1925 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Peers created by Edward VII