Sir Frederick Thorpe Mappin, 1st Baronet (16 May 1821 – 19 March 1910) was an English factory owner and Liberal

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. Born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, Mappin worked for his father's

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware) includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. While most cutlers ...

company from the age of thirteen, running it alone after his father's death in 1841. In 1851, he became the youngest ever

Master Cutler The Master Cutler is the head of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire established in 1624. Their role is to act as an ambassador of industry in Sheffield, England. The Master Cutler is elected by the freemen of the company on the first Monday o ...

, but after a dispute with his younger brother, he left the firm, which later became part of

Mappin and Webb Mappin & Webb is an international jewellery company headquartered in England, tracing its origins to a silver workshop founded in Sheffield in . It now has retail stores throughout the UK. Mappin & Webb has held Royal Warrants to British mona ...

. Mappin then bought a

steelworks A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...

and implemented machine working, despite a

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

by employees. In 1854, he was elected to Sheffield Town Council as a Liberal, stepping down in 1857. In the 1860s, Mappin became a director of the Sheffield Gas and Light Company, and of the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

. In 1865 Mappin moved into Thornbury, a new country house he had built in

Ranmoor Ranmoor () is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, England. It is a suburb in the Fulwood ward of the city. It mostly developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it features a number of large houses that were built for the city's s ...

, now a Sheffield suburb. In 1876, Mappin was re-elected to the Town Council, and served as the

Mayor of Sheffield The Lord Mayor of Sheffield is a ceremonial post held by a member of Sheffield City Council. They are elected annually by the council. The post originated in 1843, with the appointment of William Jeffcock as the first Mayor of Sheffield. E ...

in 1877–78. In 1877 Mappin built the Highfield Cocoa and Coffee House to provide non-alcoholic entertainment to the city's working class. In 1878, he was a juror at the Paris Universal Exhibition, and was awarded the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. At the 1880 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for

East Retford East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

, while remaining on Sheffield Town Council until 1883. Mappin was a major supporter of the creation of the Sheffield Central Technical School. Under the

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (sometimes called the "Reform Act of 1885"). It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that r ...

, Mappin's Parliamentary seat was abolished, and he moved instead to represent

Hallamshire Hallamshire (or Hallam) is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire, England, approximating to the current City of Sheffield local government area. The origin of the name is uncertain. The English Place-Name Society describe "Hall ...

, a post he held until 1905. That year, he supported the formation of the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

, and was created its first Pro-Chancellor. The University's

Sir Frederick Mappin Building The Sir Frederick Mappin Building, or more familiarly the Mappin Building, is a Grade II listed building fronting onto Mappin Street, Sheffield, England, part of the University of Sheffield. The building and street (formerly Charlotte Street) a ...

is named after him. He was appointed an honorary

Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

of the City of

in March 1900.

Arms

References

*"Mappin, Sir Frederick Thorpe", ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mappin, Frederick 1821 births 1910 deaths Councillors in Sheffield British recipients of the Legion of Honour Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Lord mayors of Sheffield Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Master Cutlers 19th-century English businesspeople