Sir Charles Reed MP

Sir Charles Reed FSA (1819–1881) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament for Hackney and St Ives), Chairman of the London School Board, Director and Trustee of the original Abney Park Cemetery Company, Chairman of the Bunhill Fields Preservation Committee, associate of George Peabody, and owner of a successful commercial typefounding business in London. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and was knighted by the Queen at Windsor Castle in 1874. As a past-time he collected autographed letters and keys. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x2222, 1290 KB) Summary My own scan of my original Illustrated London News print from Apr 2 1881 Licensing This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x2222, 1290 KB) Summary My own scan of my original Illustrated London News print from Apr 2 1881 Licensing This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright... 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Hackney North and Stoke Newington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... St Ives is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... // General Purpose Authorities Chairmen of the Metropolitan Board of Works Sir John Thwaites (December 22, 1855 - August 8, 1870) (died in office) James Macnaghten Hogg (November 18, 1870 - March 21, 1889) Leaders of the London County Council The post of Leader was only officially recognised in 1933. ... The London School Board (sometimes School Board for London) was an institution of local government. ... Abney Park Cemetery—every turn of the path reveals a new and unique landscape (September 2005). ... Blake Memorial in Bunhill Fields Bunhill Fields is a cemetery located in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the Corporation of London. ... George Peabody (February 18, 1795 – November 4, 1869) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Peabody Institute. ... The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society, based in the United Kingdom, concerned with the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries. This includes archaeology, architectural history, art history, conservation, heraldry, anthropology, and ecclesiastical studies. ...

Family

Charles Reed's father was the well-known Hackney philanthropist and Congregational Minister Dr. Andrew Reed, founder of the London Orphan Asylum at Clapton and other notable charitable institutions, who had studied theology under the Rev. George Collison. He is commemorated at Abney Park Cemetery with a tall obelisk of polished red granite. Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... Ancestors of The Rev. ...

Charles Reed married Margaret Baines, youngest daughter of Mr. Edward Baines, a M.P. from Leeds. Their third son, Talbot Baines Reed (1852-1893), who was born in Hackney on April 3, 1852, was the well-known author of highly rated boys story books. Their second son, Andrew Holmes Reed (1848-1892), is commemorated with his brother Talbot at Abney Park Cemetery by a most eye-catching Celtic cross executed by O'shea in Kilkenny using sparkling grey Irish granite. Their first son, Charles Edward Baines Reed (1845-1884), who became a Reverend and Secretary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, met with an accidental death in the Engardine, and was buried at Pontresina. Abney Park Cemetery—every turn of the path reveals a new and unique landscape (September 2005). ... Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh) is the county seat of County Kilkenny, Ireland, with a population (including environs) of 20,735. ...

Schooling

Charles Reed was educated at Madras House, Mare Street, Hackney, which is said to have been the most distinguished 19th-century school in the enlightened tradition of Ainsworth. The school's name was the idea of religious writer John Allen (d. 1839), who adopted the Madras system of schooling under which older pupils are appointed as 'monitors' and take partial responsibility for supervising the younger boys. Allen began the school in 1817, moving to larger premises at 208 Mare Street in 1821. Hackney is the principal area of the London Borough of Hackney in East London. ...

Business career

Reed began the business side of his career in 1836 as an apprentice to a firm of woolen manufacturers at Leeds. In 1839, with his friend Thomas Edward Plint, he started and edited a magazine called The Leeds Repository, and on returning to London he co-founded the firm of Tyler & Reed, printers and typefounders in 1842. Reed changed business partners several times and was most prominent as a partner in the leading Fann Street Foundry and eventually as the owner of his own typefounding business Sir Charles Reed & Sons that continued into the twentieth century long after his death. His son Talbot wrote a reference work on the history of typefounders in England, which went through may editions and was said to be the most complete historical study in existence in any country before editions were supplemented by new research in the 1950s. A type foundry is a company that produces and/or distributes typefaces. ... A type foundry is a company that produces and/or distributes typefaces. ...

Today, now that the City, in particular Fleet Street, is no longer the centre of book and newspaper printing, this era is over. The St. Bride Printing Library in the City of London encourages wider public interest in the remarkable history of typefounding for the printed book and newspaper, which began with William Caxton's invention of the first printing press. William Caxton (c. ...

The Broadstairs lifeboat

There is a Fund associated with the Broadstairs Lifeboat and Sir Charles Reed. Founded in 1867, the Fund was originally established to help support seamen who risked their own lives to save others off the coast near Broadstairs. The following words are by Sir Charles Reed himself:— Broadstairs is a town in Kent, England, with a population of about 22. ...

Eight boatmen of Broadstairs [and their lugger—the Dreadnought] had for years done good service on the Goodwins. One night they went off in a tremendous sea to save a French barque; but though they secured the crew, a steam-tug claimed the prize and towed her into Ramsgate Harbour. The Broadstairs men instituted proceedings to secure the salvage, but they were beaten in a London law court, where they were overpowered by the advocacy of a powerful company. In the meantime they lost their lugger off the coast of Normandy, and in this emergency the lawyers they had employed demanded their costs. The poor men had no means, and not being able to pay they were taken from their homes and lodged in Maidstone Gaol. (I, Sir Charles) was then staying in Broadstairs, and an appeal being made (to me, I) wrote to the ‘Times’, and in one week received nearly twice the amount required. The bill was paid, the men were liberated and brought home to their families, and the balance of the amount, a considerable sum, was invested, the interest to be applied to the rewarding of boatmen who, by personal bravery, had distinguished themselves by saving life on the coast.

Election to the London School Board

One of the early London School Board schools: Stoke Newington High Street 1877

In 1870 Charles Reed was elected to the newly founded London School Board that was created following William Forster's Elementary Education Act of the same year which led to end of Ragged Schools and other ad hoc charitable provision for the poor. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1356x1376, 968 KB) Summary Scan from my own original copy of the magazine The Graphic June 2nd 1877. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1356x1376, 968 KB) Summary Scan from my own original copy of the magazine The Graphic June 2nd 1877. ... The London School Board (sometimes School Board for London) was an institution of local government. ... William Edward Forster in 1851 William Edward Forster (July 11, 1818 - April 6, 1886), British statesman, was born of Quaker parents at Bradpole in Dorsetshire. ... Ragged schools is a name given to the 19th century charity schools in the United Kingdom which provided education and, in most cases, food, clothing, and lodging for destitute children. ...

The London School Board was the first directly elected body covering the whole of London, and a pioneer for its time in other respects too - women were entitled to vote for its board members and also to stand for election as politicians.

Reed subsequently became vice-chairman and Chairman. He died in office in 1881. // General Purpose Authorities Chairmen of the Metropolitan Board of Works Sir John Thwaites (December 22, 1855 - August 8, 1870) (died in office) James Macnaghten Hogg (November 18, 1870 - March 21, 1889) Leaders of the London County Council The post of Leader was only officially recognised in 1933. ...

Election as Hackney's first MP

Two parliamentary seats were allotted to Hackney by the Representation of the People Act, 1867 and Charles Reed became, in 1868, the first MP to be elected to represent Hackney, along with his deputy or running mate, Mr John Holms.

As a member of Britain's first Liberal government, he faced a vigorous opponent at the next election in April 1874 when Gladstone was defeated. Lieutenant William Gill stood against him for the Conservatives with support from the Independent newspaper who dubbed the constituency notorious hitherto as a hotbed of Radicalism.

With such vocal media support, the Conservatives aimed to improve on their previously marginal 10% share of the vote. The high profile campaign increased this to 31% but Gill still came bottom of the poll. However, the ballot was called into question on procedural grounds, with the result that a new election had to be called three months later. Charles Reed's place was taken by Professor Fawcett for the Liberals. He chose Holms again as his running mate in the two-seat constituency and this time Gill lost by only a small margin. However, Liberals were always returned until the constituencies of North, Central, and South Hackney were created in 1885.

After the Second World War the boundaries were redrawn, as also several times threreafter. Today the local seats are Hackney North & Stoke Newington represented by Diane Abbott MP, and Hackney South and Shoreditch represented by Meg Hillier. Hackney North and Stoke Newington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Diane Julie Abbott (born September 27, 1953 in Paddington, London) is a British Labour Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency. ... Hackney South and Shoreditch is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Margaret Hillier known as Meg Hillier (born February 14, 1969) is a Labour Party and Co-operative Party Member of Parliament and former member of the London Assembly for North East London. ...

Director of Abney Park Cemetery

Abney Park Cemetery Company Annual Report for the year ending April 5th 1875

Charles Reed had an interest in London's open spaces and their educational benefits, becoming a partnership shareholder in the Abney Park Cemetery joint stock company in whose trust lay the only surviving example of a landscape designed by the famous nurseryman George Loddiges. Moreover here was the only New World cemetery design in Europe; it was combined with a complete arboretum of 2,500 trees and shrubs, and had an entranceway in the Egyptian revival style to reflect its uniquely non-denominational character. The originality of the design had been the brainchild of the first Secretary of the Abney Park Cemetery Company, George Collison, whose father had be tutor to Charles Reed's father. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1972x492, 212 KB) Summary My own scan of the header section from my own original copy of the Abney Park Cemetery Companys annual report for year ending April 5th 1875. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1972x492, 212 KB) Summary My own scan of the header section from my own original copy of the Abney Park Cemetery Companys annual report for year ending April 5th 1875. ... Abney Park Cemetery—every turn of the path reveals a new and unique landscape (September 2005). ... A joint stock company is a special kind of partnership. ... // Introduction Bamboo foliage with black stems (probably Phyllostachys nigra; a bamboo introduced into western cultivation by Loddiges Nursery) The Loddiges family (ocassionally spelt Loddige) managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, plams and... An arboretum is a botanical garden primarily devoted to trees and other woody plants, forming a living collection of trees intended at least partly for scientific study. ... Abney Park Cemetery—every turn of the path reveals a new and unique landscape (September 2005). ... Ancestors of The Rev. ...

With a firm understanding of the historical importance of the landscape and its current educational value, Charles Reed won election as a Director to the company for sixteen years between 1866 and 1881 and was a principal influence on the company during its last decades as a joint stock company. Seemingly the original company was constituted with some charitable aims, since Charles Reed was also referred to as a Trustee, but the details of its founding constitution are not fully researched. He is buried at the cemetery near to its Church Street entrance, commemorated by an obelisk monument of polished grey granite.

Reed's passing marked the end of an era, for the founders of the old joint stock cemetery company and charity had by now passed away or moved away and it was about to incorporated as a thoroughly commercial venture under the new Companies Act by registration at the Stock Exchange on 19 March 1881. The directors who survived Reed finally made over the park and its assets, and the cemetery business, on 11th April 1882. One of its first commercial actions was to lay out a new cemetery at Chingford Mount in 1883-4. This was followed by others at Hendon Park and Greenford.

Chairman of Bunhill Fields Preservation Committee

List of members of the Bunhill Fields Preservation Committee

The Bunhill Fields burial ground is an ancient open space. Until its closure in the mid nineteenth century, many historically important people (particularly those whose religious beliefs dissented from the Established Church), chose this as their place of quiet interment on the edge of the City. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1260x1315, 131 KB) Summary My own scan from my own book entitled Proceedings in Reference to the Preservation of of the Bunhill fields Burial ground London. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1260x1315, 131 KB) Summary My own scan from my own book entitled Proceedings in Reference to the Preservation of of the Bunhill fields Burial ground London. ... Blake Memorial in Bunhill Fields Bunhill Fields is a cemetery located in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the Corporation of London. ...

The nineteenth century poet and writer Robert Southey gave Bunhill Fields the memorable appelation: the Campo Santa of the Dissenters; a phrase that also came to be commonly applied to its 'daughter' cemetery at Abney Park. This was a reference to its historical importance as a burial place for religious figures such as John Bunyan and Dr Isaac Watts. Robert Southey, English poet Robert Southey (August 12, 1774 – March 21, 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and one of the so-called Lake Poets. Although his fame tends to be eclipsed by that of his contemporaries such as William Wordsworth, Southeys verse enjoys enduring popularity. ... John Bunyan. ... Isaac Watts. ...

Victorian monument to John Bunyan paid for by public subscription on the preservation of Bunhill Fields Burial Ground as a public park

In a move to prevent the land from being built upon on expiry of a longstanding lease, the Corporation of the City of London formed a Special Bunhill Fields Burial Ground Committee in 1865; which became formally known as the Bunhill Fields Preservation Committee. The committee, appointed by the Corporation, consisted on twelve advisors under the chairmanship of Charles Reed. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1819x1004, 778 KB) Summary My own scan from my own original Victorian Illustrated London News article. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1819x1004, 778 KB) Summary My own scan from my own original Victorian Illustrated London News article. ... Blake Memorial in Bunhill Fields Bunhill Fields is a cemetery located in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the Corporation of London. ...

Following the work of the committee, the City of London Corporation obtained an Act of Parliament in 1867 for the Preservation of Bunhill Fields Burial Ground as an open space laid out as a public open space with seating, gardens, and the restoration of some of is most worthy monuments. The new park was opened by the Lord Mayor on October 14th 1869. Blake Memorial in Bunhill Fields Bunhill Fields is a cemetery located in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the Corporation of London. ...

Charles Reed's close involvement in the campaign to save Bunhill Fields, and his continuing involvement thereafter, unveiling the new monuments such as that to Daniel Defoe funded by 'The Christian World', reflected his longstanding interest in social and educational improvement in The City of London, where he was a member of the court of common council. Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (1660 [?] â€“ April 1731) was an English writer, journalist and spy, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. ...

Death

Sir Charles Reed MP FSA died at 'Earlsmead', Tottenham High Road, in 1881 and is buried at Abney Park Cemetery. Abney Park Cemetery—every turn of the path reveals a new and unique landscape (September 2005). ...

Besides the aspects of his life mentioned above, Charles Reed was widely involved in other philantropic circles. He was an associate of George Peabody for whom Reed moved the motion of 10th July 1862 granting Freedom of the City of London; and active in The London Missionary Society, The Bible Society, The Sunday School Union, and The Religious Tract Society; besides developing the Guildhall Library of the City of London School whilst a City councillor, and becoming MP for St Ives in Cornwall in 1880 shortly before his death. George Peabody (February 18, 1795 – November 4, 1869) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Peabody Institute. ... The London Missionary Society was an Anglican and Nonconformist missionary society formed in Britain in 1795 with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa. ... St Ives harbour and the local rescue lifeboat. ... Motto: Onen hag oll (Cornish: One and all) Geography Status Ceremonial and (smaller) Non-metropolitan county Region South West England Population - Total (2004 est. ...