Peter Borthwick (13 September 1804 – 18 December 1852) was a British

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician and newspaper editor. PeterBorthwickBrompton

Early life

Peter Borthwick was born in Cairnbank,

Borthwick Borthwick is a hamlet, parish and stream in Midlothian, Scotland. The parish includes the 15th century Borthwick Castle, which is to the east of the village and the villages of Gorebridge and North Middleton.''Gazetteer of Scotland'', publ. by ...

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

, on 13 September 1804, the son of Thomas Borthwick. He was educated at school in

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. It lies on the A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills. Na ...

and at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, where he was the private pupil of the future Bishop of Edinburgh and

Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus on ...

, Professor James Walker.Matthew, H. C. G.
Borthwick, Peter (1804–1852)
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, September 2004. Retrieved 21 October 2018 In 1828 he was admitted as a

pensioner A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, whence he migrated to

Downing College Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

as a fellow-commoner two years later. He did not receive a degree.

Political career

Borthwick first came to attention through his staunch opposition to the abolition of slavery, which attracted the attention and thanks of various slave owners and Conservative Associations. In 1833 he was appointed by the West India Association to defend slavery in debates in Glasgow with the abolitionist George Thompson.Whyte, Iain. ''Scotland and the Abolition of Black Slavery, 1756-1838'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2006), pp. 230-1. He was MP for

Evesham Evesham () is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesha ...

from 1835 to 1837 and again from 1841 to 1847. In between, from 1837 to 1841, the MP for Evesham was Sir George Rushout (later Baron Northwick) of Northwick Park, Worcestershire. These two gentlemen fought one of the last duels in England on 8 May 1838 over the disputed election of 1837. He was an outspoken defender of

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...

' Durango Decree, which excluded the mercenary

British Auxiliary Legion The British Auxiliary Legion, also called the British Legion (''La Legión Británica'') or Westminster Legion, existed from 1835 to 1837. It was a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II of Spain against ...

from the terms of the Eliot Convention, and also of British subjects who fought in the

Carlist Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimists (disambiguation), Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbon dynasty ...

ranks.

Publishing career

Borthwick was editor of ''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...

'' from 1848 until his death in 1852. This paper was noted for its outspoken support of Lord Palmerston's foreign policy.

Later life

Borthwick died on 18 December 1852 and is buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Brompton, but has a memorial on the tomb of his wife Margaret in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...

, London. The grave lies at the eastmost end of the main east–west path.

Personal life

He married Margaret Colville, who died on 13 November 1864, aged 59 years. Their son was

Algernon Borthwick, 1st Baron Glenesk Algernon Borthwick, 1st Baron Glenesk JP (27 December 1830 – 24 November 1908), known as Sir Algernon Borthwick, Bt, between 1887 and 1895, was a British journalist and Conservative politician. He was the owner of the ''Morning Post'' (which m ...

, who took over as editor of ''The Morning Post'' on the death of his father.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borthwick, Peter 1804 births 1852 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Burials at Brompton Cemetery Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English newspaper editors English male journalists UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 19th-century British people 19th-century British journalists English male non-fiction writers