Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman (6 July 1847 – 13 August 1937) 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 ...

and Scottish shipping magnate. He was born in the Scottish town of

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ...

. He was the fourth son of Walter Runciman, master of a schooner and later a member of the coastguard, and Jane, oldest daughter of John Finlay, shipowner, also of Dunbar. The family moved to the coastguard station at

Cresswell, Northumberland Cresswell is a village in Northumberland, England. It is about to the north of Ashington, on the North Sea coast. History The place-name 'Cresswell' is first attested in the Close Roll for 1234, where it appears as ''Kereswell''. It appears as ...

, because his father was appointed a position there. After attending a church school, the younger Walter ran away from home to work at sea in 1859. This explains why he was referred to by his grandson Steven as "a

Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitute ...

of Scots descent who ran away to sea at 11, was a master mariner by 21 and founded a shipping line", and, usefully for

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

s of a related area, Runciman wrote several books based on his years at sea. He also served briefly as a Liberal

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 o ...

. In 1889, Runciman founded the South Shields Shipping Company, based in the port of

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

, on the south bank at the mouth of the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wat ...

, which was then part of

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

but now in

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newcas ...

. Walter Runciman was

Managing Director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

and Secretary, and John Elliott was the chairman. In 1892 the company offices moved up the River Tyne to the city-port of Newcastle. In April 1897 the company changed its name to Moor Line Ltd. Runciman and his son, who had carried on business as partners in Runciman and Co, were appointed Managing Directors of Moor Line. Elliott died in 1898 and the elder Runciman held the position of Chairman until his death in 1937. Runciman was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

in 1906, and served as Liberal MP for

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County D ...

from 1914 to 1918. In 1910 he wrote "The Tragedy of St. Helena", an account of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

's exile and death. In 1933, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Runciman of Shoreston. Four years later his son, the long-serving MP Walter Runciman (1870–1949), followed him into the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

with the title Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford.Walter Runciman Papers
at

GENESIS Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

. A large inheritance bestowed to his grandson

Steven Runciman Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman ( – ), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume '' A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54). He was a strong admirer of the Byzantine Empire. His history's negativ ...

, enabled him to become an independent scholar who travelled widely and was a leading scholar of the Crusades.

References

External links

*
Sir Walter Runciman (1847-1937)
Royal Museums Greenwich, portrait and biography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Runciman, Walter, 1st Baron Runciman 1847 births 1937 deaths

Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman (6 July 1847 – 13 August 1937) was an English and Scottish shipping magnate. He was born in the Scottish town of Dunbar. He was the fourth son of Walter Runciman, master of a schooner and later a member o ...

Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs who were granted peerages Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom British businesspeople in shipping Barons created by George V