Sir Richard Winfrey (5 August 1858 – 18 April 1944) was a British

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, newspaper publisher and campaigner for agricultural rights. He served as Member of Parliament for

South West Norfolk South West Norfolk is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Liz Truss, a Conservative, who was prime minister of the United Kingdom from September to October 2022. Constituency profile This is ...

, 1906–1923, and for

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

, 1923–1924.

Biography

Winfrey was born at Long Sutton in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

on 5 August 1858. He married Annie Lucy Pattinson of

Ruskington Ruskington is a large village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, located approximately 4 miles (7 km) north of Sleaford on the north–south B1188 road and slightly north of the A153 road. The village ...

, Lincolnshire, in 1897. His wife's brothers,

Samuel Pattinson Samuel Pattinson (17 December 1870 – 15 November 1942) was a British businessman and Liberal politician. Early life and family Samuel Pattinson was born on 17 December 1870 in Ruskington, the son of a contractor and businessman, William Pa ...

(1870–1942) and

Sir Robert Pattinson Sir Robert Pattinson, JP, DL (19 February 1872 – 4 December 1954) was a British Liberal politician and businessman. Pattinson joined his family's railway contracting firm after finishing school and was quickly appointed to senior positions ...

(1872–1954), were later both Liberal MPs; Samuel for

Horncastle Horncastle is a town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, east of Lincoln. Its population was 6,815 at the 2011 census and estimated at 7,123 in 2019. A section of the ancient Roman walls remains. History Romans Alt ...

from 1922 to 1924 and Robert for

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

from 1922 to 1923. In religion Winfrey was a Congregationalist. He was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in 1914. He died on 18 April 1944 i
Castor House
Castor,

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

Publishing

In 1887, Richard Winfrey purchased the '' Spalding Guardian'', a local newspaper that was to provide the basis for the Winfrey family's newspaper interests. His next purchase was the ''

Lynn News The ''Lynn News'' is published by Iliffe Media and appears each Tuesday and Friday in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. It was previously owned by Johnston Press, but in January 2017 it was bought by Iliffe Media, along with 12 other titles for £17 ...

''; he also started the '' North Cambs Echo'' and bought the '' Peterborough Advertiser''. During World War II Winfrey's newspaper interests began to be passed over to his son, Richard Pattinson 'Pat' Winfrey (1902–1985) who had himself unsuccessfully stood in the

Holland with Boston Holland with Boston was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of ...

by-election in 1924. In 1947, under the direction of Pat Winfrey, the family's newspaper titles were consolidated to form the East Midland Allied Press, later the

EMAP Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...

media group.

Politics

Winfrey first contested

as a Liberal at the general election of 1895 and tried again in 1900. He was elected Liberal MP for South West Norfolk at the 1906 Liberal landslide election and he held the seat with the help of the Coalition Government coupon until 1923. He also represented

from 1923 to 1924. His first career had been as a chemist, and he steered the Poisons and Pharmacy Act 1908 through Parliament.

Office

Between 1906 and 1910, Winfrey served as Parliamentary Secretary to Earl Carrington and Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture from 1916 to 1918. In August 1914 as Mayor of Peterborough he was one of the last to read the

Riot Act The Riot Act (1 Geo.1 St.2 c.5), sometimes called the Riot Act 1714 or the Riot Act 1715, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled and o ...

after anti-German disturbances. Winfrey also served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. He was Chairman of the Lincolnshire and Norfolk Small Holdings Association, Ltd and sometime Chairman of the National Educational Association.''The Liberal Year Book'', National Liberal Federation, Liberal Central Association (Great Britain); Liberal Publication Dept., 1933, p. 21. At its foundation in 1906 he was Treasurer of the

Eastern Counties Agricultural Labourers & Small Holders Union The National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers (NUAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1906 and 1982. It represented farmworkers. History The union was established as the Eastern Counties Agricultural Labou ...

which in 1920 became the

National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers The National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers (NUAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1906 and 1982. It represented farmworkers. History The union was established as the Eastern Counties Agricultural Labou ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winfrey, Richard 1858 births 1944 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 People from Peterborough Mayors of Peterborough People from Long Sutton, Lincolnshire National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians