Sir Matthew Wood, 1st Baronet
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Sir Matthew Wood, 1st Baronet (2 June 1768 – 25 September 1843) was a British Whig politician,
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
from 1815 to 1817, and from 1817 until his death in 1843 a reformist Member of Parliament.


Early life

Matthew Wood was the son of William Wood (died 1809), a serge maker from
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
and Tiverton both in Devon, by his wife Catherine Cluse (died 1798). He was descended from the Wood family of Hareston in the parish of
Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...
in Devon, which the family had inherited by marriage to the heiress of the Carslake family.


Business career

Wood was educated briefly at
Blundell's School Blundell's School is an Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent co-educational boarding school, boarding and Day school, day school in the English Public School (United Kingdom), public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon, T ...
in Tiverton, before being obliged to help his ailing father. He was involved in the
putting-out system The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...
of his father's business for
serge Serge may refer to: *Serge (fabric), a type of twill fabric *Serge (llama) (born 2005), a llama in the Cirque Franco-Italien and internet meme *Serge (name), a masculine given name (includes a list of people with this name) *Serge (post), a hitchi ...
, based at Tiverton, and the sale of cloth in
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
. Wood was then apprenticed to his cousin, an Exeter chemist and druggist, but moved to London in 1790 to set himself up in business. In 1797, Wood took an opportunity to go into business as a hop merchant. From then on, he was involved in parallel developments, as a druggist and hop trader. Around 1804, Wood went into business, on the hops side, with Lieut.-Col. Edward Wigan, who died in 1814, a London militia officer and goldsmith. He was later partner with Edward Wigan, eldest son of Lieut. Col. Edward Wigan. The firm of Wood, Wigan & Wood was based in Falcon Square, a small and largely residential area between Falcon Street to the west, and Silver Street to the east. The partners in it, in 1816, were Matthew Wood, Alfred Wood (another son of Lieut.-Col. Edward Wigan), and Philip Western Wood, Matthew's brother. Around 1820, that part of the business was moved to St Margaret Hill, in the centre of
Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
. The partnership changed, with the Wigans dropping out. Philip Wood, another brother Benjamin Wood, and Matthew's youngest son Western all coming in. In 1832, the business was once more in the City of London, on Mark Lane. It traded as Wood, Field & Wood. Wood also carried on a druggist business, in Falcon Square.


In politics

Wood was elected to the
Court of Common Council The Court of Common Council is the primary decision-making body of the City of London Corporation. It meets nine times per year. Most of its work is carried out by committees. City of London Corporation elections , Elections are held at least eve ...
of the City of London, representing the Cripplegate ward, in 1802, holding the seat to 1807. In 1807 he was elected to the
Court of Aldermen The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five Aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior Alderman during his or her year of office). ...
. His initial effort to get into parliament was at the 1812 general election, when he and
Robert Waithman Robert Waithman (1764 – 6 February 1833) was a master draper who in later life was a British politician; an economic progressive Whig from an industrial background and a political reformist. He became an alderman of the Corporation of London ...
only split the radical vote, coming 6th and 5th respectively in the four-member
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
constituency. In an 1814 by-election at
Grampound Grampound () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Grampound with Creed, in the Cornwall (district), Cornwall district, in the ceremonial county of Cornwall, England. It is at an ancient crossing point of the River Fal and ...
he showed an interest, but did not make it a serious contest. Wood was a member of the
Worshipful Company of Fishmongers The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (or Fishmongers' Company) is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London, being an incorporated guild of sellers of fish and seafood in the City. The Company ranks fourth in the order of precede ...
, by tradition the leading Whig
livery company A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...
; he became its Prime Warden. He served as
Sheriff of the City of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...
for 1809. He won popularity by encouraging resistance to unpopular government measures and by his vigour as first magistrate in seeking to suppress the London underworld. Wood was a founder member of the Hampden Clubs and of the Union Society for parliamentary reform in 1812. This was under the aegis of John Cartwright, whose parliamentary election campaign he supported in 1814.


Lord Mayor

Wood was
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
from 1815 to 1817. In December 1816, he dispersed the Spa Fields riot, but went on to present to the Prince Regent a petition expressing the rioters' demands for popular representation and reform.


Member of Parliament

On 17 January 1817 Wood and Robert Waithman gave a reform banquet. At it Wood spoke in favour of
triennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption o ...
parliaments. In June 1817, Wood was elected unopposed as a Member of Parliament for the City of London, following the
resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...
of
Harvey Christian Combe Harvey Christian Combe (1752 – 4 July 1818) was an English Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He was the eldest surviving son of Harvey Combe, attorney, of Andover, Hampshire. He served as Lord Mayor of London 1799/1800. Life ...
MP. He held the seat until his death in 1843. In 1821, Matthew Wood was one of "seven wise men" that John Cartwright proposed to
Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 4 February Dual dating, 1747/8 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.
5 February 1748 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S. 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...
– 6 June 1832) was an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer regarded as the founder of mo ...
, to act as "Guardians of Constitutional Reform", their reports and observations to concern "the entire Democracy or Commons of the United Kingdom". In addition to Bentham and himself, the other names Cartwright proposed were Sir Francis Burdett, Rev. William Draper;
George Ensor George Ensor J.P. (17 December 1769 – 3 December 1843) was an Irish lawyer, radical political pamphleteer and freethinker. Among other conservative precepts, he pilloried the Malthusian doctrine that poverty is sustained by the "disposition ...
, Rev. Richard Hayes and Robert Williams.


Caroline of Brunswick

Wood was a prominent partisan and adviser of Queen Caroline on her return to England in 1820: she arrived at
Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
on 5 June. In 1813, when she was a beleaguered Princess of Wales, he had gone to
Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence situated within Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has served as a residence for the British royal family since the 17th century and is currently the ...
with an address from the City of London, and congratulated her "upon her triumph over a wicked conspiracy against her honour and her life". Wood had carried out a protracted campaign to stage manage her return. An apparent attempt via his son William to contact her in Italy, near
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, took place in 1819. Wood was corresponding with her by April 1820, and his son
John Page Wood The Rev. Sir John Page Wood, 2nd Baronet (1796–1866) was an English cleric, magistrate and radical Whig, closely associated with the return in 1820 to the United Kingdom of Queen Caroline of Brunswick, and her private secretary at that period ...
met her in
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
. Wood himself went to France at the end of May. At
Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...
, he frustrated the efforts of Henry Brougham, the Queen's attorney-general, and Lord Hutchinson, who were on a government-backed mission to buy her off. Wood convinced the Queen with promises of the popular acclaim that would greet her. They arrived in London on 6 June. The diarist Charles Greville noted on 7 June:
The Queen arrived in London yesterday at seven o'clock… She travelled in an open landau, Alderman Wood sitting by her side and Lady Anne Hamilton and another woman opposite. Everybody was disgusted at the vulgarity of Wood in sitting in the place of honour, while the Duke of Hamilton's sister was sitting backwards in the carriage.
Wood took a significant role in the political uproar that followed. He avoided, however, her
trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
. He was the subject, along with the Queen and her Italian lover
Bartolomeo Pergami Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo is a masculine Italian given name, the Italian equivalent of Bartholomew. Its diminutive form is Baccio. Notable people with the name include: * Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo (1824–1860), Italian paleobotanist and lich ...
, of many lampoons.
Theodore Lane Theodore Lane (c. 1800–1828) was an English painter and engraver. Life Lane was the son of a poor drawing-master from Worcester, England, Worcester. At 14 he was apprenticed in London to John Barrow of Weston Place, St Pancras, London, St. Pan ...
created a series of scurrilous images of the trio. In ''Moments of Pleasure'', Wood is seen dancing for the Queen. At the Queen's funeral in London on 14 August 1821, Wood's son John, her chaplain, was in one of the main mourning coaches; his father Matthew's carriage was further back in the procession. That night the Queen's coffin lay in St Peter's Church, Colchester. Wood attended, bringing under his coat an engraved plate, made with the agreement of the Queen's executors, Stephen Lushington and
Thomas Wilde Thomas Wilde may refer to: * Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro, (7 July 178211 November 1855) was a British lawyer, judge, and politician. He was Lord Chancellor, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1850 and ...
. They wished to have it attached to the coffin, but when a cabinet-maker came, Sir George Nayler,
Clarenceux King of Arms Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux (both pronounced ), is an Officer of Arms, officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial King of Arms, kings of arms and his juri ...
would not allow it. Lushington was unable to resolve the stand-off, and a crowd gathered outside the church. In the end the plate was replaced by another, inscribed in Latin. On 15 August 1821, the Queen's coffin was taken to
Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...
, and put on board HMS ''Glasgow''. It arrived at
Stade Stade (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (, ) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the Stade (district), district () which bears its name. It is located roughly to the wes ...
on 20 August, and ultimately was placed in a vault in
Brunswick Cathedral Brunswick Cathedral (, lit. in ) is a large Lutheran church in the City of Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany. The church is termed '' Dom'', in German a synecdoche - pars pro toto - used for cathedrals and collegiate churches alike, and much li ...
. Supporters had managed while the coffin was at sea to place on it the inscription "Caroline, the injured Queen of England". Accompanying it was the Rev. John Page Wood, who had been at the Queen's deathbed.


Jemmy Wood legal case

In 1836 the
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
banker James 'Jemmy' Wood, one of the richest men in the country, died, and Matthew Wood, though unrelated, was one of his executors and heirs. Jemmy Wood's sister Elizabeth was an admirer of Queen Caroline and had already left property to Matthew Wood when she died c.1823. In 1833, Jemmy Wood gave Matthew Wood rent-free use of Hatherley House, owned by his bank; Matthew Wood in turn allowed Jemmy to send all his mail under parliamentary franked cover. Matthew Wood campaigned for a baronetcy both for himself, and for Jemmy Wood; and was written into Jemmy Wood's will. In a resulting legal case, on 20 February 1839 Judge
Herbert Jenner-Fust Sir Herbert Jenner-Fust (born Herbert Jenner; 1778–1852), was an English judge and Dean of the Arches. Early life Jenner-Fust, surname initially Jenner, was the second son of Robert Jenner of Doctors' Commons, proctor, and of Chislehurst, Ken ...
at the Arches Prerogative Court, London, "decided that the terms were made by conspiracy and fraud, and ordered that the whole of the immense property should be divided amongst two relations". Some years later, this verdict was overturned on appeal by
Lord Lyndhurst John Singleton Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst, (21 May 1772 – 12 October 1863) was a British lawyer and politician. He was three times Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. Background and education Lyndhurst was born in Boston, Massachusetts, ...
. The remaining estate of Jemmy Wood went according to the original will, with Matthew Wood receiving over £100,000.


Baronetcy

Queen Victoria made Wood a baronet in her accession year of 1837, of Hatherley House in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
, the seat being the still-disputed country house.


Marriage and children

On 5 November 1795 Wood married Maria Page, the daughter of John Page of
Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of **Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...
in Suffolk, by whom he had six children: # John Page Wood (1796–1866), who became a
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
vicar in Essex. His daughter Katharine Wood (1846–1921) is better known by her married name of Katharine O'Shea. Popularly known as ''Kitty O'Shea'', her relationship with the Irish leader
Charles Stewart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1875 to 1891, Leader of the Home Rule Leag ...
led to a political scandal which caused his downfall. John's son Evelyn Wood (1838–1919) was a
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
and a recipient of 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 ...
. # Maria Elizabeth Wood (born 1798) # Catharine Wood (born 1799) #
William Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley William Page Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley, PC (29 November 1801 – 10 July 1881) was a British lawyer and statesman who served as a Liberal Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1868 and 1872 in William Ewart Gladstone's first ministry ...
(1801–1881), a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
and
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
MP who served as
Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
from 1868 to 1872 # Western Wood (1804–1863), MP for the City of London 1861–63 # Henry-Wright Wood (born 1806), died an infant. The present Page-Wood baronets quarter the arms of Carslake ''Argent, a bull's head erased sable''. Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895; quartering illustrated in: Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p.875


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Sir Matthew, 1st Baronet 1768 births 1843 deaths People educated at Blundell's School Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies People from the Borough of Tewkesbury UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847
501 __NOTOC__ Year 501 ( DI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Avienus and Pompeius (or, less frequently, year 1254 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 501 fo ...
Sheriffs of the City of London 19th-century lord mayors of London 19th-century English politicians