William Boyle Barbour (22 October 1828 – 13 May 1891) was Scottish

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and

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 ...

politician.

Career

Born in Paisley, the son of William Barbour a former

Baillie A bailie or baillie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where bailies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate (see bailiff). Baillies appointed the high constables ...

of Paisley. He was educated privately and then entered the family business assisting his father before going to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

to work for the merchants, Bell and Co. He later became head of the firm Barbour, Barclay & Co. Of Liverpool and

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 ...

, South American merchants and lived for a time in

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as well as other parts of

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. He retired from business in 1874 to concentrate on politics.

Travel

Presumably in connection with what he had experienced in his travels Barbour took part in the activities of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. And also in 1873 he was elected a member of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

Politics

In 1884 the seat of Paisley became vacant when the sitting Liberal MP, William Holms, resigned. Barbour put his hat into the ring but stood aside in favour of a stronger candidate, Stewart Clark. Clark, a local thread manufacturer, won the

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held in February 1884 but in Sept 1885 announced he would not be standing for Parliament again citing pressure of business commitments. Barbour again put his name forward for the Liberal nomination and, although opposed by Clark's cousin James, the local Provost, he won the selection poll on 14 Nov 1885 by 2,215 votes to Clark's 1,463. He went on to beat his

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 ...

opponent Major R M McKerrell at the 1885 general election by a majority of 867 votes. Barbour was re-elected at the 1886 general election, and held the seat until his death in 1891, aged 62. He is buried in Woodside Cemetery, Paisley, on the south side of the main east–west path at the crest of the hill, close to the crematorium.

Memorials

The William Barbour Monument (designed by

William Shirreffs William Shirreffs (1846-23 June 1902) was a Scottish sculptor in the 19th century. His two principal claims to fame is as one of the chosen sculptors of the figures depicting characters from the novels of Sir Walter Scott on the Scott Monument ...

) was erected in Paisley in 1903.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbour, William Boyle 1828 births 1891 deaths Scottish Liberal Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Paisley constituencies UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892