Nathaniel Eckersley (1815 – 15 February 1892)
was an English mill-owner,
banker
and
Conservative Party politician from
Standish Hall,
near
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
. He sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
for three years in the 1860s, and two years in the 1880s.
Career
His uncle was Colonel Nathaniel Eckersley, from Laurel House in
Hindley, who served with the
Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...
and at the military station established in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
after the
Peterloo Massacre
The Peterloo Massacre took place at St Peter's Field, Manchester, Lancashire, England, on Monday 16 August 1819. Fifteen people died when cavalry charged into a crowd of around 60,000 people who had gathered to demand the reform of parliament ...
.
In addition to his
cotton mills
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Although some were driven ...
,
Eckersley was a partner of the ''Wigan Old Bank'', formerly ''Thomas Woodock's, Sons and Eckersle''y, which amalgamated in 1874 with ''Parr's Banking Company'' in
Warrington
Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
.
He was
Mayor of Wigan in 1853
and in 1873,
and was appointed as a
Deputy Lieutenant of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
in September 1863.
In January 1860 he raised the
21st (Wigan) Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps, drawn mainly from artisans employed by the local collieries and engineering works, officered by local professional men. He commanded the unit as a
captain, and was later promoted to
major after it joined the
4th Administrative Battalion, Lancashire Rifle Volunteers.
In June 1873 Eckersley led Wigan's welcome for the
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
and
Princess of Wales, who opened a new hospital in the town,
which the Princess named the
Royal Albert Edward Infirmary.
Parliament
He was elected as one of the two
Members 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 ...
(MPs) for
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
at a
by-election in March 1866,
following the
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 ...
of the Conservative MP
Hon. James Lindsay.
Nominations for the contest took place in the
moot hall in Wigan, supervised by the Mayor
Thomas Knowles.
The candidates then addressed the voters in the town hall. Eckersley offered himself as a "free and independent candidate", and said that until then he had never considered himself to be a politician.
The Mayor called for a
show of hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots/ folk duo formed in 1986 by singer-songwriter Steve Knightley (guitars, mandolin, mandocello, cuatro) and composer and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer (vocals, guitars, violin, viola, mandolin, mando ...
, which he found to be in favour of Eckersley, but a poll was demanded
and Eckersley won 411 votes to the 349 cast for his
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
opponent
John Lancaster.
He was defeated at by
John Lancaster (MP) at the
1868 general election, when
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidates took both seats in Wigan, and he did not stand for Parliament again for another 15 years.
He was
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanc ...
in 1878,
and in that capacity helped to organise a fund for the dependants of the victims of the explosion on 7 June 1878 at the
Wood Pit Colliery in
Haydock
Haydock is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 11,416 Haydock's historic area covers the Haydock electoral ward and a section of the Blackbrook ward.
Haydo ...
, where more than 200 miners were killed.
When Wigan's Conservative MP
Lord Lindsay succeeded to his father's peerage in 1880, and Eckersley was asked to stand at the
by-election in January 1881, but refused.
Following the death in December 1883 of Wigan's other Conservative MP
Thomas Knowles, Eckersley was returned unopposed
at the resulting
by-election on 21 December 1883.
He held the seat until when Wigan's parliamentary representation was reduced from two seats to one by the
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...
, and did not contest the
1885 general election.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eckersley, Nathaniel
1815 births
1892 deaths
People from Standish, Greater Manchester
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1865–1868
UK MPs 1880–1885
Deputy Lieutenants of Lancashire
High Sheriffs of Lancashire
Mayors of Wigan
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Wigan
British textile industry businesspeople
English bankers
19th-century English businesspeople