John Arthur Fyler (1856 – 1929) was an English politician,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member of Parliament 1903–04 for the English constituency of

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...

Biography

He was the son of the Rev. Frederick Fyler of

Ewelme Ewelme () is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, north-east of the market town of Wallingford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,048. To the east of the village is Cow Common and to the ...

and his wife Charlotte Fane, daughter of John Fane (1775–1850). He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

and matriculated at

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

in 1874, graduating B.A. in 1878. Fyler was admitted to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1875, and

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

there in 1879. Initially, he went the Western circuit. After a time he ceased to practise. He resided from 1887 to 1896 at Burwood Glen,

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

, left to him by his aunt. For some years, Fyler acted as honorary secretary of the

Christchurch, Hampshire Christchurch () is a town and civil parish in Dorset on the south coast of England. The town had a population of 31,372 in 2021. For the borough the population was 48,368. It adjoins Bournemouth to the west, with the New Forest to the east. Part ...

Conservative Association. Fyler succeeded to the Woodlands estate,

Windlesham Windlesham is a village in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately south west of central London. Its name derives from the Windle Brook, which runs south of the village into Chobham, and the common suffix 'ham', the Old Engli ...

, in 1897, after the death of his uncle, the Rev. James Fyler, and that of his mother; and began to live there. He accepted the office of Conservative agent in the constituency in 1898. In March 1903, at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

caused by the death of

Henry Leigh-Bennett Henry Currie Leigh-Bennett (1852 – 7 March 1903, Windlesham) was a Conservative Member of Parliament for the English constituency of Chertsey from 1897 until his death in 1903. Biography Leigh-Bennett (eldest son of the Revd. Henry Leigh-Benne ...

, Fyler, who was regarded as "a keen sportsman and a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

," was elected as Unionist M.P. for Chertsey. The defeated Liberal candidate was Hubert Harry Longman. Fyler was made bankrupt in May 1904, with liabilities of £22,279, and stepped down as M.P. The deficiency was partly explained by

Stock Exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

losses, £14,000; betting losses, £1,000; interest borrowed money, £3.404; and expenses for his Parliamentary election, £1,043. At the hearing, he said he had visited race tracks since his time at Oxford, and the betting losses might be a higher proportion. Fyler died at home, Montague Villa, William Street,

Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns ...

, on 17 March 1929. The funeral was on 20 March, at St John's Church; he was buried in the cemetery.

Personal life

Fyler married in 1888 Caroline Norah Hambrough, daughter of Albert John Hambrough (died 1861), of Steephill Castle, Isle of Wight. She died in 1915. In 1916, Fyler married Anstice Drake, daughter of Francis Drake of Bognor Regis.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fyler, John Arthur 1856 births 1929 deaths Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1900–1906