Urban Hanlon Broughton (12 April 1857 – 30 January 1929) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
who went to work in the United States, married an American heiress, returned to England and was for three-and-a-half years a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Member 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 ...
. In 1928 he donated
Ashridge House to the Conservative Party and in 1929 he was in line for elevation to the
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Belgi ...
, but he died before the honour was bestowed. His wife, Cara Leland (née Rogers), Broughton was granted the style of a baron's wife and their eldest son was created the first
Baron Fairhaven
Baron Fairhaven, of Anglesey Abbey in the County of Cambridge, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1961 for Urban Huttleston Broughton, 1st Baron Fairhaven, with remainder to his younger brother, Henry Rogers Bro ...
.
Early life
Broughton was born in
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 12 April 1857, the son of railway manager John Broughton and Abigail Elizabeth (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
O'Hanlon) Broughton.
The family moved around as John Broughton worked for different railway companies, living in
Lapworth
Lapworth is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, which had a population of 2,100 according to the 2001 census; this had fallen to 1,828 at the 2011 Census. It lies six miles (10 km) south of Solihull and ten miles (16&nbs ...
, Warwickshire and, later, Ireland. In the 1860s, John and Elizabeth Broughton spent six years in India, leaving their children with relatives of Elizabeth in Ireland. Tragedy struck the family when three of the children died within one week. The surviving children were reunited with their parents in 1868 and the family settled in
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
in
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
, where Broughton attended
Grove Park School
Ysgol Clywedog (English: meaning ''Clywedog School''), is a comprehensive secondary school which serves parts of the city of Wrexham in north-east Wales, in the community of Offa.
Ysgol Clywedog is located in the south-west suburbs of Wrexham ...
. John Broughton spent the last ten years or more of his life in the
Joint Counties Lunatic Asylum in
Carmarthen
Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...
, Wales.
Broughton was a pupil of the firm Low and Thomas, civil and mining engineers of Wrexham, from 1875 to 1878. He also studied at the University of London and won the Miller Prize of the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
.
Career and marriage
Broughton's early career included work on the construction of
Felixstowe
Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northeast of London.
His ...
docks, 1882–1884. He then went to the United States to promote the hydro-pneumatic sewerage system of Isaac Shone, a former neighbour from Wrexham. He worked on sewerage systems in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and other towns and, on his own account, was a contractor for 1893
World Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
in Chicago.
In 1895 Broughton was invited by oil tycoon
Henry Huttleston Rogers
Henry Huttleston Rogers (January 29, 1840 – May 19, 1909) was an American industrialist and financier. He made his fortune in the oil refining business, becoming a leader at Standard Oil. He also played a major role in numerous corporations a ...
of
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
to install the Shone sewerage system in his home town of
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Fairhaven (Massachusett: ) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the South Coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzards Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The town shares a harbor wit ...
where the family had a summer home.
At Fairhaven, Broughton met
Cara Leland Duff, the widowed daughter of Henry Rogers. The couple were married on 12 November 1895. ''Berrow's Weekly Journal'', a newspaper from Broughton's home town of Worcester, England, reported the marriage: "Another American millionaire young lady is about to marry an Englishman, who is not a duke. He is not even a baron but a simple commoner. The lady is a widow and worth a million in her own right".
The couple had two sons:
Urban Huttleston Rogers Broughton (known as "Huttleston"; 1896-1966) and Henry Rogers Broughton (1900-1973). Following his marriage, Broughton became involved in his father-in-law's business affairs, while maintaining his connection to the Shone Company, managing a copper firm and setting up the National Copper bank.
When Broughton's father-in-law died in 1909 his wealth was divided between his four surviving children equally, and Cara and Urban Broughton became enormously wealthy.
Three years later the family left the United States to take up residence in England, buying a large property at 37 Park Street,
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
, London, and a country house,
Park Close, at
Englefield Green
Englefield Green is a large village in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. It is home to Royal Holloway, University of London.
The village grew from a hamlet in the 19th century, when much of Egham ( ...
near
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated west of ...
. The two sons attended
Harrow School
(The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God)
, established = (Royal Charter)
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school
, religion = Church of E ...
. Broughton decided to become a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party and in June 1915 he was elected unopposed in a by-election in
Preston, Lancashire. He was appointed
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...
to the
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
F.E. Smith
Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead, (12 July 1872 – 30 September 1930), known as F. E. Smith, was a British Conservative politician and barrister who attained high office in the early 20th century, in particular as Lord High Chan ...
. Finding the role of an MP tedious, he did not stand for re-election in the
December 1918 general election.
In 1916, Broughton published a pamphlet, ''The British Empire at war'', which was intended to encourage the United States to enter
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Cara Broughton became involved with charitable work for soldiers during the war, while their son Huttleston Broughton served in the
1st Life Guards.
Cara Broughton owned a steam yacht, the ''Sapphire'', and Broughton wrote two accounts of their voyages, one printed for private circulation in 1922 and one published in 1926. He was a member of the
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to we ...
and the
Royal Thames Yacht Club
The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60 Knightsbridge, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park. The club ...
.
In 1928 Broughton purchased
Ashridge House in Hertfordshire and donated it to the Conservative Party as a memorial to former Prime Minister
Bonar Law
Andrew Bonar Law ( ; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923.
Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a ...
.
''The Times'' announced: "The purposes of the gift are to preserve for the nation a historic site and a stately building, to establish a centre where all grades of Conservatives can find a curriculum suited to their requirements and to give enjoyment to the public by admitting it to the gardens once a week". The gift was said to be worth three or four hundred thousand pounds.
Broughton died of pneumonia at his home in Park Street on 30 January 1929.
He had been due to receive a peerage in the
1929 New Year Honours, but the announcement of the list had been delayed by two months due to the health of
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
Born duri ...
and so the barony was awarded to his eldest son instead. The official list recorded that the barony was awarded to "Broughton, Urban Huttleston Rogers Esq, in consideration of the public, political and philanthropic services of his father, whose elevation to the Peerage would have been recommended to His Majesty but for his death on January 30, 1929". On 2 May 1929 the king proclaimed that "Cara Leland Broughton, widow of Urban Hanlon Broughton, may henceforth enjoy the same style and title as if her husband...had survived and received the title and dignity of Baron Fairhaven".
Legacy
On 11 December 1929 a memorial tablet to Broughton in the chapel of Ashridge house was unveiled by
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...
. In 1929 Lady Fairhaven and her sons bought the historic
Runnymede Meadow, with adjoining lands totaling , southwest of London, and presented it to the
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 ...
"to preserve for ever the site where
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
was signed and to honour the memory of the late Mr Urban Hanlon Broughton, husband of Lady Fairhaven and father of Lord Fairhaven and Captain Broughton".
Lady Fairhaven and her sons commissioned
Sir Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...
to design a set of twin memorials consisting of two lodges and pillars at the Windsor end of the meadow and two kiosks and pillars at the Egham end. The pillars were unveiled by
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 o ...
on 8 July 1932 in a ceremony attended by Lady Fairhaven, her son Lord Fairhaven, Sir Edwin Lutyens, Windsor MP
Annesley Somerville
Annesley Ashworth Somerville (16 November 1858 – 15 May 1942) was a schoolteacher turned politician. He taught for forty years before turning to politics, then for twenty years served as a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.
...
, and others.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broughton, Urban H.
1857 births
1929 deaths
English engineers
Alumni of the University of London
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1910–1918