Sir John Barran, 1st Baronet (3 August 1821 – 3 May 1905) was a British clothing manufacturer and

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.

Early life

Barran was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1821, the eldest surviving son of a

gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...

, John Barran, and his wife, Elizabeth (née Fletcher). When he was 21 he sailed to

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

, then travelled by rail to

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

where he got a job with a pawnbroker and clothes dealer before setting up his own shop at no.1 Briggate, living over the shop with his wife and family.

Public life

Barran founded the firm of John Barran and Sons, clothing manufacturers, of Leeds. He was a Justice of the Peace for Leeds and the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

and served as Mayor of Leeds from 1870 to 1871. In 1876, he was returned to Parliament as one of three representatives for

, a seat he held until 1885, and later sat for

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 c ...

from 1886 to 1895, when he 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 14th ...

, of Chapel Allerton Hall in

Chapel Allerton Chapel Allerton is an inner suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, from the city centre. It sits within the Chapel Allerton ward of Leeds City Council and had a population of 18,206 and 23,536 at the 2001 and 2011 census respe ...

in the West Riding of the County of York and Queen's Gate,

St Mary Abbots St Mary Abbots is a Church (building), church located on Kensington High Street and the corner of Kensington Church Street in London W8. The present church structure was built in 1872 to the designs of Sir George Gilbert Scott, who combined ne ...

parish, in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

in the County of London. In 1872 he led a successful campaign to purchase the land of

Roundhay Park Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a large urban park situated on the north-east edge of the city, bordered by the suburb of Roundhay to the west, Oakwood, Leeds, Oakwood to the south and the A6120 road, A6120 outer ring road t ...

for the people of Leeds.

Family life

Barran married Ann Hirst (died 1874) in 1842. He married secondly, to Eliza Bilton, née Brown, in 1878. He had six sons and four daughters. One of his son's died young. His youngest son, Rowland, became a Member of Parliament. Later Barran moved his factory to Park Row and in 1869 bought land to the south of the recently widened

Boar Lane Boar Lane is a street in the city centre of Leeds, in England. History The street originated in the Medieval period, running between the town's manor house and the main street of Briggate, its name believed to be a corruption of the word "boroug ...

. Architect Thomas Ambler designed several buildings for him including a shop at ‘Number One’ Boar Lane. At this time he moved with his family to

Hall. Barran died in May 1905, aged 83, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his grandson

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, his eldest son John Barran having predeceased him. Barran was buried in

Beckett Street Cemetery Beckett Street Cemetery (also known as Burmantofts Cemetery) is a closed cemetery in Burmantofts, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1842, the site was officially opened in 1845 and is recognised as being one of England's first municipal ...

in Leeds.

Clothing manufacture

John Barran was a pioneer in the manufacture of ready-to-wear clothing. He moved to Leeds in 1842, and soon opened his own tailoring shop at 30 Bridge End South. By 1851, he had moved to

Briggate Briggate is a pedestrianised principal shopping street in Leeds city centre, England. Historically it was the main street, leading north from Leeds Bridge, and housed markets, merchant's houses and other business premises. It contains many h ...

and, in 1856, he had a factory with 20-30 sewing machines. After seeing a

bandsaw A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and lum ...

being used to cut wood veneers in 1858 he introduced its use for cutting cloth, a major innovation. In 1877 he bought 8 houses at Park Square and employed Thomas Ambler again to design a new factory and warehouse in a Spanish Moorish style that is still there. In addition to the adult market, John Barran & Sons produced children’s clothing, mainly boys suits and school uniforms but also some girlswear and fancy dress, with its juvenile wear contributing to a successful export market to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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and

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. By the 1870s he had 2,000 machines, and in 1904 he employed 3,000 people, and between 1873 and 1900 the firm registered more than 380 designs for boys'clothing, more than any other company. His son Charles took over as chairman of the company in 1903, and another son Rowland became chairman in 1918. St Pauls House, Leeds in

Park Square, Leeds Park Square is a Georgian architecture, Georgian public square in central Leeds, West Yorkshire. The square is grassed over and is a traditional Georgian park. The square is in Leeds' financial quarter and is surrounded by Georgian buildings, ...

was built as a warehouse for Barran in 1878. It was designed by Thomas Ambler, and is in Moorish style.

Artistic recognition

His bust was sculpted by

Joseph Gott Joseph Gott (1785 – 8 January 1860) was a British sculptor. His terracotta groups and animal and children pieces were very popular in the 1830s. Life Gott was born at Calverley near Leeds in 1785 the son of industrialist Benjamin Gott ...

, son of his rival

Benjamin Gott Benjamin Gott (24 June 1762 – 14 February 1840) was one of the leading figures in the Industrial Revolution, in the field of Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, textiles. His factory at Armley Mills, Armley, Leeds, was once ...

. It is in

Leeds Art Gallery Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a gallery, part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group, whose collection of 20th-century British Art was designated by the British government in 1997 as a collection "of national importance ...

.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1859 by Rupert Gunnis.

Notes

References

* *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barran, Sir John, 1st Baronet 1821 births 1905 deaths Businesspeople from Leeds 1

Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 Mayors of Leeds 19th-century English businesspeople English justices of the peace