Sewallis Evelyn Shirley DL, JP (15 July 1844 – 7 March 1904), was a British politician. He is best known as the founder of

the Kennel Club The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...

in Britain in 1873.

Background and education

A member of the Shirley family headed by the

Earl Ferrers Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers, Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley (died 1622) of Astwell Castle ...

, Shirley was the son of

Evelyn Shirley Evelyn Shirley may refer to: *Evelyn Shirley (1788–1856), Member of Parliament (MP) *Evelyn Shirley (1812–1882) Evelyn Philip Shirley (22 January 1812 – 19 September 1882), was a British politician, antiquary and genealogist. Background ...

and Mary Clara Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edmund Lechmere, 2nd Baronet. His paternal grandfather was Evelyn Philip Shirley. Shirley was born at the family's English estate of Ettington Park near

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

before matriculating to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1864, though he did not take a degree. He was presented to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

(later

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

) at a special

levée A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastlin ...

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

on 1 June 1869. He was accompanied by his father, and was one of 350 gentlemen to be shown at the event.

Political career

Shirley's family had a long connection with

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Cou ...

in Ireland, and they owned a large estate at Lough Fea,

Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 5,032 according to the 2016 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a ca ...

. Shirley entered Parliament for

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...

(a seat previously held by both his father and grandfather) on 17 November 1868, and won election through a promise to defend the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

constitution. He continued to represent the constituency until 31 March 1880, but rarely spoke in Parliament, and is thought to have lost his seat when opposition Liberal supporters ran a successful campaign based on tenants' rights. He attempted to return to politics in 1885, standing against an Irish nationalist candidate for the newly created seat of South Monaghan, but was heavily defeated. Shirley was also a Deputy Lieutenant and

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 ...

for County Monaghan and served as

High Sheriff of Monaghan The High Sheriff of Monaghan was the British monarch's representative in County Monaghan, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he held his office for the duration of a year. He had judicial, ceremonial and admi ...

in 1884. Although he was heavily involved in local affairs as initially guided by his father, and involved in improvements to the estate such as the construction of a new church in 1865, relations with the tenant farmers on his estates, which he inherited in 1882, remained poor. This, combined with forced evictions following the agricultural depression of the 1880s, led to his estate being targeted by the Irish nationalist

Plan of Campaign The Plan of Campaign was a strategy, stratagem adopted in Ireland between 1886 and 1891, co-ordinated by Irish politicians for the benefit of tenant farmers, against mainly absentee landlord, absentee and rack-rent landlords. It was launched to c ...

. It also resulted in issues with the local railway, with a boycott by farmers of the station at

taking place in 1890.

Dog breeding

Throughout his life Shirley had a keen interest in dogs, both working dogs and pure breeds. His

Fox Terrier Fox Terriers are two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of British terr ...

won a silver cup at the Birmingham Dog Show in 1867, and three years later he repeated the victory with an English Bull Terrier. During his show career he also owned a variety of other breeds including

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.the Kennel Club The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...

was formed, with Shirley sitting as secretary from 1873 to 1899. He also acted as a dog judge, including at both shows across all types and in field trials for breeds such as Setters and

Pointers Pointer may refer to: Places * Pointer, Kentucky * Pointers, New Jersey * Pointers Airport, Wasco County, Oregon, United States * The Pointers, a pair of rocks off Antarctica People with the name * Pointer (surname), a surname (including a l ...

. The last show he attended was the twentieth annual Hunter's Improvement Society, held at the

Royal Agricultural Hall The Business Design Centre is a Grade II listed building located between Upper Street and Liverpool Road in the district of Islington in London, England. It was opened in 1862, originally named the Agricultural Hall and from 1884 the Royal Agric ...

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

less than a week prior to his death. He was also known for owning several racehorses.

Family

Prior to his marriage, he continued to reside at Ettington Park with his father and siblings. Shirley married Emily Jean, daughter of Colonel William Macdonald, in 1884. By the time of the 1891 census, he was the head of the household of Ettington Hall, along with his wife, their son Evelyn, and his widowed mother, Mary. Emily Jean died in July 1918.

Death

Shirley died in London on 7 March 1904 while there on a short visit. He was staying at the Hotel Windsor on Victoria Street and returned there by taxi after visiting his friends. Some early newspaper reports stated that he had been assaulted, with his watch and other valuables taken, but his obituaries omits those details. He was rushed to

Westminster Hospital Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...

but died soon after he was admitted. The coroner later determined that the cause of death was a

brain haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

, and described the more elaborate reports as "the result of a lurid imagination".

References