James Francis Hatfield Harter (1854 - 20 October 1910) was an English landowner and administrator.

Biography

Harter owned

Cranfield Court Cranfield Court was a country house in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England. It belonged to the Harter family. The last house at the site was Elizabethan, and designed by Thomas Chambers Hine of Nottingham for Reverend G. G. Harter in 1862–4. In 191 ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

. He was educated at

Eton School Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

. Harter served as

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 Bedfordshire and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, and was

High Sheriff of Bedfordshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire. Pre-Conquest pre-1042: Aelfstan 1042-1066; Godric, Ralph Talgebose Bondi the staller 1066–1125 *1066-c.1084: Ansculf de Picquigny * Ralph Taillebois *c. 1080 Hugh de Beauchamp *1124 Rich ...

in 1885. He was a member of the first

Bedfordshire County Council Bedfordshire County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Bedfordshire in England. It was established on 24 January 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 2009. The county council was based in Bedford. In 1997 Luton Borough ...

on its establishment in April 1889, and twice President of the Bedfordshire Agricultural Society. In the 1890s and 1900s, Harter was a major shareholder in British railway development. Harter was an army officer in the

Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry is an Operational Hygiene Squadron of the Royal Logistic Corps, originally formed as cavalry in 1794, and has also served in artillery and signals roles. The lineage is continued by 710 (Royal Buckinghamshire Hu ...

, a

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army, British Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve, descended from volunteer British Cavalry, cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of ...

regiment, where he was appointed

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 17 June 1896. He was lieutenant-colonel in command of the regiment from 30 January 1900 until he resigned on 20 September 1902, when he was granted the honorary rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. He died at Cranfield Court on 20 October 1910. After his death in 1910, Cranfield Village Hall was built in his memory the following year, and opened in 1912.

Family

Harter married in 1887 Violet Loftus, daughter of Captain Douglas Loftus, Grenadier Guards. They had a daughter Violet Harter, who married Esmé Arkwright.

References

1854 births 1910 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge English landowners High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire People from Cranfield English justices of the peace 19th-century British businesspeople {{England-bio-stub