James William Barclay (1832 – 26 February 1907) was a Scottish businessman, farmer and politician. For nineteen years he was

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Forfarshire. He was the son of George Barclay of

Cults In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This s ...

, near

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and his wife Margaret née Massie of

Maryculter Maryculter () or Kirkton of Maryculter is a village in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The River Dee separates it from the town of Peterculter, and the B979 road runs through Maryculter. Maryculter House Hotel lies slightly ...

Kincardineshire Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the Stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and ...

. He was educated at

Aberdeen Grammar School Aberdeen Grammar School is a state secondary school in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of thirteen secondary schools run by the Aberdeen City Council educational department. It is the oldest school in the city and one of the oldest grammar school ...

and the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

. He entered business as a manure merchant, and was also a major landowner and farmer. He farmed in Forfarshire, which had large amounts of grazing land for cattle. He was involved in the innovation of importing store cattle from the United States and Canada. In 1864 Barclay was elected to the town council of the

royal burgh A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

of Aberdeen. He continued to a member until 1871, and was leader of the "Progressive" grouping, allied to the parliamentary

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, that controlled the council. In June 1872 Colonel William Sykes, MP for

died. Barclay was chosen as the official Liberal candidate. However, his reputation as a Radical led to a split in the local party, and

John Farley Leith John Farley Leith, QC (5 May 1808 – 4 April 1887) was a British lawyer and Liberal politician. Life He was the eldest son of James Urquhart Murray Leith, of Barrach, Aberdeenshire, killed in 1814 at the Battle of Orthez with the 68th Regim ...

was also nominated as a "Moderate Liberal". In the event Leith was successful and Barclay was defeated. In January 1874 a general election was called, and Barclay was nominated as Liberal candidate for the Forfarshire constituency. He was elected, and held the seat for the party at the

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

and 1885 elections. He was described by the

Marquess of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existin ...

as ''"a thick-set man of medium height, dark-haired and swarthy. He had the misfortune to speak through his nose with a twang, and was not a success in the House of Commons as a speaker"''. In 1886 the Liberal Party split over the issue of

Irish Home Rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...

and Barclay joined the break-away Liberal Unionist Party. At the ensuing general election he was returned as Unionist MP for Forfarshire. He was unseated at the next general election in 1892, when John Rigby regained the seat for the Liberals. Barclay did not run for election again, but devoted himself to agriculture. In 1901 he purchased the Glenbuchat Estate, where he pioneered experiments in new scientific farming methods. He was also an enthusiastic supporter of the Aberdeen Agricultural College. He was twice married. In 1863 he married Jane Smith of

Strathdon Strathdon (; Gaelic: ''Srath Dheathain'') is an area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated in the strath of the River Don, 45 miles west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. The main village in the strath is also called Strathdon, although it was ...

, Aberdeenshire, who died in 1865. His second marriage was to Lilian Alice Novelli of London. He died in February 1907, aged 74, while on a visit to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, James William 1832 births 1907 deaths Scottish Liberal Party MPs Liberal Unionist Party MPs for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Alumni of the University of Aberdeen