
Charles Seely (3 October 1803 – 21 October 1887) was a 19th-century industrialist and British
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
politician, who served as a
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Lincoln from 1847 to 1848 and again from 1861 to 1885.
He was one of the wealthiest industrialists of the Victorian era. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the
Lincoln Mechanics' Institute.
Personal life
Seely was born and educated in
Lincoln. His parents were Charles Seely (1768–1809) and Ann Wilkinson of Lincoln. He married Mary Hilton in 1831.
Hosting Garibaldi
In 1864, Seely was the
Deputy Lieutenant for
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, when he played host to the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
revolutionary
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...
, when Garibaldi visited 26 Prince's Gate
Hyde Park, his house in London and Seely's estate at Brook House on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
. Garibaldi stayed at Brook House from 3 to 11 April, during which time he was also joined by
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, ; ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the ...
, the Italian writer and politician whose efforts helped bring about the
modern Italian state. During this time Garibaldi raised funds for his Italian campaigns. On 11 April Garibaldi left Brook House with Seely and travelled from
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
to London, where he was greeted by crowds estimated at half a million people, according to the ''
Illustrated London News
''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...
''. Garibaldi stayed several days at Seely's house in London where a reception was hosted for him on 19 April. The next day he travelled to the
Guildhall
A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...
where he was given the Freedom of the City of London.
Wealth
Seely made his fortune in the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
through milling, agricultural machinery and coal mining. On his death in 1887, "his personal estate was valued at almost £500,000, and real estate worth £2 million", equivalent to 322 million UK Pounds in 2018 or 2 billion UK pounds as a proportion of UK GDP. He was chairman of the House of Commons Committee on Admiralty Reform in 1868. In a ''
Vanity Fair'' "
Spy" cartoon of 1878, on notable people of the day, he was caricatured as "Pigs". He later diversified his fortune into acquiring coal mines and property: in 1883 he owned 9,264 acres on the Isle of Wight,
[John Bateman, ''The Great Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland'', London, 1876, page 400.] 2,929 in Worcestershire and 394 in Bedfordshire. By 1900 the family estates in the Isle of Wight comprised almost the entire west side of the island.
In the 1870s he commissioned
Myles Birket Foster to paint 50 watercolours of Venice.
Descendants
Five other members of his family became Members of Parliament during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries:
* His grandson, the
Secretary of State for War
The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...
(1912–1914), Major General
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone.
* His eldest son
Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
Colonel Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet Venerable Order of Saint John, KGStJ, Deputy Lieutenant, DL (11 August 1833 – 16 April 1915) was a British industrialist and politician.
Seely was Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party Member of Parliament ( ...
.
* His grandson
Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet.
* His great-grandson the Joint Under-
Secretary of State for Air
The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by ...
(1941–1945)
Sir Hugh Seely 3rd Baronet, and 1st Baron Sherwood.
* His great-great grandson Peter John Philip Seely, 5th Baron Mottistone (1949–2013) was a godson of Queen Elizabeth II's husband
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
.
* His great-great-great-grandson
Bob Seely was elected in 2017 as Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight.
His great-grandson
David Peter Seely, 4th Baron Mottistone was baptised with
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
and the then Prince of Wales (subsequently
Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
) as his godparents, was the
Deputy Lieutenant for Lincolnshire,
Lord Lieutenant
A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...
of the Isle of Wight and its last Governor. His youngest sister Jane Anne Seely married (1882)
Henry George Gore-Browne who received the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
during the
Indian Mutiny
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...
in 1857. Henry was a great-great grandson of the 1st
Earl of Altamont MP, whose heir is the
Marquess of Sligo.
His great grandson (son of
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone) was the architect
John Seely, 2nd Baron Mottistone.
References
Sources
* Mark Acton and Stephen Roberts (2019), ''Charles Seely of Lincoln. Liberalism and Making Money in Victorian England'' Kindle Publishing.
*Burke's Peerage and Baronetage 107th Edition Volume II
*Seely Baronetcy family cres
*
Seely Baronets
*The London Illustrated News 1864
*Istituto Internazionale di Studi, Rome, Italy. Chronology of life of GIUSEPPE GARIBALD
*John Edward Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, Dictionary of National Biography, 1941–1950
*Vanity Fair, 1878, Spy Cartoon of Charles Seely
*Galloper Jack by Brough Scott, published by Macmillan in 2004 ().
*Wight Life April/May 1975 article on The Seely Family and their Island Home
*University of London & History of Parliament Trus
*Garibaldi e le donne, con documenti inediti
By Giacomo Emilio Curàtul
External links
*
Seely family estatesat the UK National Registry of Archives
*The Isle of Wight Record Office hold
*The Times Newspaper article in 2008 on Garibaldi's stay with Charles Seely and letters to Mary Seel
* Portrait of Garibaldi commissioned by Charles Seely, and story behind the painting, during his stay at Brooke House in 186
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seely, Charles
1803 births
1887 deaths
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Politicians from Lincoln, England
UK MPs 1847–1852
UK MPs 1859–1865
UK MPs 1865–1868
UK MPs 1868–1874
UK MPs 1874–1880
UK MPs 1880–1885
Deputy lieutenants of Lincolnshire
Politics of Lincoln, England
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...