Alexander Peckover, 1st Baron Peckover LL FRGS, FSA, FLS (16 August 1830 – 21 October 1919), was an English

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

banker, philanthropist and collector of ancient manuscripts.

Early years

Peckover was born at

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland Port of Wisbech, port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bord ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

, the son of Algernon Peckover, of Bank House, Wisbech, by Priscilla Alexander, daughter of Dykes Alexander, a Quaker banker, of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

Priscilla Hannah Peckover Priscilla Hannah Peckover (27 October 1833 – 8 September 1931) was an English Quaker, pacifist and linguist from a prosperous banking family. After helping to raise the three daughters of her widowed brother, in her forties she became involve ...

was his sister. He was educated at Grove House School,

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

, London.thepeerage.com Alexander Peckover, 1st and last Baron Peckover
/ref>

Career

The Peckovers were a

banking family and owners of the Peckover Bank, which later merged into Gurney, Peckover and Company, he started as a clerk in 1847 and worked his way up and became a partner in 1866 retiring in 1894. His sister

was a pacifist and linguist. Peckover was also an active peace campaigner, chairing annual meetings of the Wisbech Local Peace Association.

Retirement

In his retirement he devoted himself mainly to meteorological studies and the collection of ancient manuscripts.''The New York Times'': "Lord Peckover died at 89."
/ref> He was a Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

, the Society of Antiquaries and the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

and a member of the

Hakluyt Society The Hakluyt Society is a text publication society, founded in 1846 and based in London, England, which publishes scholarly editions of primary records of historic voyages, travels and other geographical material. In addition to its publishing rol ...

Spalding Gentlemen's Society The Spalding Gentlemen's Society is a learned society based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, concerned with cultural, scientific and antiquarian subjects. It is Britain's oldest such provincial body, founded in 1710 by Maurice Johnson (1688 ...

and the British Numismatic Society. In 1893, he was appointed

Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representative in the counties of the United Kingdom. Lord Lieutenants are supported by an appointe ...

, a post he held until 1906. Peckover was the first commoner and nonconformist to hold the office of Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. As a Quaker he was allowed to wear court dress instead of a military uniform and was not required to participate in military functions. The following year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Peckover, of Wisbech in the County of Cambridge. In 1905

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

awarded him the honorary degree of LL.D. After his death part of the estates were sold off by auction at the Alexandra Theatre, Wisbech in 1920.

Family

Peckover married Eliza Sharples, daughter of Joseph Sharples, a banker, of

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, in 1858. They had three daughters Elizabeth Josephine, Alexandrina and Anna Jane. He is said to have declined the offer of a special remainder that would have allowed the title to descend through his eldest daughter to his grandson, stating that "if my grandson wants the title he must earn it". Eliza died in August 1862, only a year after the birth of her youngest child. Lord Peckover remained a widower until his death in October 1919, aged 89. His title died with him. His daughter Elizabeth married the artist

J. Doyle Penrose James Doyle Penrose RHA JP (9 May 1862 – 2 January 1932) was an Irish painter. Biography James Doyle Penrose was a well known portrait artist, sculptor and painter of religious subjects born in County Wicklow, Ireland. He was a member of ...

, they had four sons : Alexander Peckover, Lionel Sharples, Roland Algernon and Bernard Edmund.

Legacy

Bank House (now Peckover House and Garden) is now a

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

property, the estate is let to local sports clubs, Wisbech Rugby Union Club, Hockey and Cricket clubs. Nearby is Peckover Primary school. In 1864 second son Algernon founded the Wisbech Social Club and Institute; with the aim of providing the industrial classes an educational and recreational facility. In 1864 a group of gentleman banking friends including the Barclay brothers took Peckover on a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

to ease his broken heart after the death of his young wife. Some of the objects he brought back are now in the

Wisbech & Fenland Museum The Wisbech & Fenland Museum, located in the town of Wisbech in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, is one of the oldest purpose-built museums in the United Kingdom. The museum logo is W&F. History Initially a member-based organisation ...

. Bank House became too small for the banking business and a new bank building was built nearby on the Old Market, this later became one of the two

Barclays Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

Bank branches in the town, the branch closed in 2022. Roads in Wisbech are named Quaker Lane, Peckover Drive and Penrose Gardens after the baron and his family.

References

External links

*
"The Peckovers"
The Wisbech Society and Preservation Trust Limited {{DEFAULTSORT:Peckover, Alexander Peckover, 1st Baron 1830 births 1919 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Lord-Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London English Quakers People from Wisbech Peers created by Edward VII