John Hungerford Arkwright (12 July 1833 – 25 May 1905) was

Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire. Before the English Civil War, the lieutenancy of Herefordshire was always held by the Lord Lieutenant of Wales, but after the Restoration, its lieutenants were appointed ...

from 27 January 1902 to 5 December 1904, and was one of the wealthiest landowners in that county.

Biography

Leominster Museum - 2014-07-11 - Andy Mabbett - 10

Arkwright was born at the family home,

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...

, near Leominster, in Herefordshire, England, on 12 July 1833. He was the eldest son of John Arkwright Esq. and Sarah, who was the eldest daughter of Sir Hungerford Hoskyns Bart. He was educated at Eton and studied at Christ Church, Oxford. At the age of 25, he inherited the Hampton Court Estate, on his father's death, in 1858. Arkwright also served as 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 ...

. He died on 25 May 1905.

Philanthropy

When the Leominster market hall,

Grange Court Grange Court is a former market hall in Leominster, Herefordshire, England. It was built in 1633 by John Abel, and moved to its present location in 1859. It was then used as a private house until the 1930s, and is now once again a civic building ...

, was dismantled and stored in the mid-1850s, Arkwright purchased it at auction, then offered the building to the council if they would re-erect it. When they refused, he moved the building himself and rebuilt it near the priory church in 1859. Subsequently, acquired by compulsory purchase, the building remains in local government use.

Family

Arkwright was the great-grandson of the cotton-spinning industrialist Sir

Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as t ...

. His younger brother was

, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and

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 of ...

(MP) for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster is t ...

. Arkwright's only son, Sir

John Stanhope Arkwright Sir John Stanhope Arkwright (10 July 1872 – 19 September 1954) was a British Conservative Party politician. Family life Born in London, he was the great-great grandson of the cotton-spinning industrialist Sir Richard Arkwright and the son ...

, was elected as MP for

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

, at the 1900 general election, and remained so until his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

in 1912. Arkwright also had three daughters, Geraldine Mary Rose, Evelyn Lucy Alice, and Olive Katharine Mary.

Legacy

Arkwright's papers relating to the Hampton Court Estate are in the Herefordshire Record Office. His portrait in oil, by Frederick Samuel Beaumont in 1906, is in the collection of

Herefordshire County Council Herefordshire County Council was the county council of Herefordshire from 1 April 1889 to 31 March 1974. It was based at the Shirehall in Hereford. It was created under the Local Government Act 1888 and took over many of the powers that had pr ...

References

External links

Portrait
by Frederick Samuel Beaumont.
Entry at 'The Peerage'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkwright, John Hungerford 1833 births 1905 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Lord-Lieutenants of Herefordshire English justices of the peace