Colonel Henry Blundell-Hollinshead Blundell (24 January 1831 – 28 September 1906) was a British

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

officer and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. He was the eldest son of Richard Benson Blundell-Hollinshead Blundell of Deysbrook and Jane Leigh. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, graduating in 1854.

Early life

Henry Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell was born at Deysbrook, near Liverpool, on 24 January 1831, the eldest son of Richard Benson Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell. He was educated at

between 1843 and 1849. He was a skilled oarsman, rowing in the VIII in 1848 and 1849, and becoming Captain of the Boats in 1849. He was a member of the Field XI and of Eton's elite Oppidan Wall, captaining the latter team in 1848. He went on to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, entering

, where he read classics, graduating in 1853 with a degree in arts.

Military career

His military career began in 1855 when he became an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

, serving in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and then moving 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 ...

during the Trent Affair. He subsequently transferred to the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

.''Biographies of Candidates'', The Times, 26 November 1885, p. 3 Between 1870 and 1871 he served as Aide-de-Camp to His Serene Highness

Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar Prince William Augustus Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, , PC(Ire) (11 October 1823 – 16 November 1902) was a British military officer of German descent. After a career in the Grenadier Guards, he became Major General commanding the Brigade o ...

, and afterwards becoming Assistant Adjutant-General of the Home District at the Horse Guards in 1877.''New Members of Parliament'', The Times, 23 July 1895, p. 4 He received the brevet of Colonel 1 April 1881, and in 1884-5 served with the

Nile Expedition The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–1885), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to Sudan to help the Egyptians withdraw their garr ...

, for the relief of General Gordon, on the Staff as Inspecting Officer of the Lines of Communication, and afterwards as Commandant at

Dongola Dongola (), also known as Urdu or New Dongola, is the capital of Northern State in Sudan, on the banks of the Nile. It should not be confused with Old Dongola, a now deserted medieval city located 80 km upstream on the opposite bank. Et ...

, for his services being mentioned in Despatches and receiving the medal, with clasp and the

Khedive's Star The Khedive's Star was a campaign medal established by Khedive Tewfik Pasha to reward those who had participated in the military campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan between 1882 and 1891. This included British Army, British forces who served during t ...

. He was admitted to the Military Division of the

Most Honourable Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

in 1887 and retired 24 June 1889.

Marriage

In 1863 he married Beatrice Byng, daughter of Vice-Admiral the Honourable Henry Dilkes Byng. Beatrice served as

maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. The couple had no children, and she died in 1884. Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell commissioned the building of St Matthew's Church, Highfield, Wigan in her memory. The church was in an area of the

Lancashire Coalfield The Lancashire Coalfield in North West England was an important British Coalfield#Great Britain, coalfield. Its coal seams were formed from the vegetation of tropical swampy forests in the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago. The Rom ...

owned by the Blundell family. Having left no issue, the bulk of his estate passed to his nephew, Major Cuthbert Leigh Blundell-H-B CBE, the surviving son of his brother, Rev. Canon Thomas Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell, Rector of

St Cuthbert's Church, Halsall St Cuthbert's Church is an Anglican church in Halsall, a village in Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Liverpool and the archdeaconry of Warrington. The oldest parts of the church date from the 14th century ...

and Hon. Chaplain to

Political career

He successfully stood for the Conservative Party in the 1885 general election, becoming the Member of Parliament for Ince. He lost the seat in

1892 In Samoa, this was the only leap year spanned to 367 days as July 4 repeated. This means that the International Date Line was drawn from the east of the country to go west. Events January * January 1 – Ellis Island begins processing imm ...

, but regained it in

1895 Events January * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island (off French Guiana) on what is much later admitted to be a false charge of tr ...

. He remained Ince's MP until he was heavily defeated at the general election of January 1906. Henry Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell died on 28 September the same year, and was buried on 2 October at St Cuthbert's Churchyard in

Halsall Halsall is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, located close to Ormskirk on the A5147 and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Description Historically known as Heleshala, Herleshala, (Domesday Book); Haleshal, 1224; Haleshale, 12 ...

, near

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is located north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Ormski ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blundell, Henry Blundell-Hollinshead 1831 births 1906 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Grenadier Guards officers Rifle Brigade officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford