James Watney Jr. (19 May 1832 – 2 November 1886) was a prominent member of the Watney family and a Conservative Member of Parliament for

East Surrey East Surrey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Claire Coutinho, a Conservative. The seat covers an affluent area in the English county of Surrey. Since its creation in 1918, East Surrey has e ...

Family and early life

Born in 1832, Watney was the eldest son of the brewer

James Watney James Watney (18 December 1800–16 March 1884) was an English brewer and landowner who resided at Haling Park, Croydon, and Beddington, Surrey. He was born to Daniel Watney (1771–1831) of Mitcham, Surrey and Mary Galpin (1771–1830), ...

and his wife Rebecca

Spurrell Spurrell is a surname found in Norfolk, Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in various countries around the world. Origins It has been suggested that the name of the Norfolk family is derived from the village of Sporle, near ...

. His youngest brother was the physician Herbert Watney. Watney played first-class cricket for

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

(1851) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (1851–1852). He married Blanche Maria Georgiana, daughter of Frederick Salmon Burrell, on 8 July 1856 and lived at Haling Park in Croydon, Beddington in Surrey. and Thorney House, Palace Gate, in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

.'Palace Gate', in Survey of London: Volume 38, South Kensington Museums Area, ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1975), pp. 38-48. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol38/pp38-48 He had three children: Florence Blanche Watney (1857–1863), Vernon James Watney (1860–1928) and Claude Watney (1868–1919).

Business and political career

In 1856 Watney and his brother Norman joined their father as partners in the

Stag Brewery Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many centu ...

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

. The firm, then known as Elliot, Watney & Co., changed its name to James Watney & Co. in 1858 following the retirement of John Lettsom Elliott. Watney's father kept the management almost entirely to himself until his death in 1884, and the following year Watney & Co. Ltd. was established as a private limited company. Watney contested the

1871 by-election Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume (1871), Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Co ...

in the

constituency as a Conservative, following the death of the Liberal MP and fellow brewer Charles Buxton. According to the ''Birmingham Daily Post'', "he ... stood on the 'Beer and Bible' platform, and carried what had always been regarded as a

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...

Liberal seat by a swinging majority". He sat as the second member of the two-seat constituency until it was abolished at the 1885 election, making 61 contributions in the House of Commons between 1872 and 1882, but none in 1875. Watney served as

Master of the Mercers' Company The Master Mercers have been, by reign: Richard II of England :1390 John Lovey :1391 John Organ :1392 John Organ :1393 John Organ :1394 William Parker :1395 Sir Richard Whittington (1st term) :1396 John Shadworth :1397 John Woodcocke :1398 Willia ...

in 1879. He died on 2 November 1886 at

Englemere House Englemere House is a large country house near Ascot in Berkshire. History Built around 1815 in the Italianate style, the house was bought by Field Marshal Lord Roberts in 1903 and remained his home until his death in 1914. Aileen Roberts, 2nd ...

in Ascot, Berkshire, outliving his father by 16 months. His will was proved on its fourth reswearing owing to minor alterations and final accounting, and his estate was valued at .https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk Calendar of Probates and Administrations His widow died on 3 February 1915. Watney's burial, held at Woking cemetery on 6 November, was attended by a large number of mourners, including staff of the

.The Morning Post (London, England), Monday, 8 November 1886; pg. 5; Issue 35689. British Library Newspapers, Part II: 1800-1900.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watney, James 1832 births 1886 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 English cricketers Surrey cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Surrey Club cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers

James 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 (disambiguat ...

Burials at Brookwood Cemetery