James Howard (1821–1889), was an English

agriculturalist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...

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 ...

politician, manufacturer, and

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

landowner. In respect of his business acumen, Sir Bernard Burke wrote that James Howard had 'by his inventive genius and business talents restored the family to its former position and wealth'.''History of the Landed Gentry'', by Sir Bernard Burke, CB, LLD. Published by Harrison & Sons, London, 1894

Life

Howard was one of the sons of

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

, of Cauldwell House,

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

, and was educated at

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS or simply Modern) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in Bedford Charity, The Harpur Trust, born from the financial endowme ...

where he excelled and taught Junior School classes whilst still a pupil. With his brother

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

(later Sir Frederick Howard Kt) he founded

James & Frederick Howard James & Fred Howard of Britannia Ironworks, Bedford, later known simply as Howards, were one of the largest English makers of agricultural equipment, steam traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to mo ...

, a company which made agricultural machinery at the Britannia Works in Bedford.Cambridgeshire Genealogy Scrapbook – Page 15
at ancestry.com (accessed 15 April 2008) In respect of his business acumen, Sir Bernard Burke wrote that James Howard had 'by his inventive genius and business talents restored the family to its former position and wealth'. In 1862, Howard bought a large part of the

Clapham, Bedfordshire Clapham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It had a population of 3,643 as at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,560 at the 2011 Census. Points of interest RAF Twinwood Farm, a disused airfield o ...

, estates of Bertram Ashburnham, 4th

Earl of Ashburnham Earl of Ashburnham (pronounced "Ash-''burn''-am"), of Ashburnham in the County of Sussex, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1730 for John Ashburnham, 3rd Baron Ashburnham, who was also created Viscount St Asaph, in Wales. ...

, and established a model farm there, farming his land under new scientific methods.''Clapham'', in ''A History of the County of Bedford'', Volume 3 (1912)
pp. 128–132
at british-history.ac.uk, accessed 16 April 2008 Howard was Mayor of Bedford in 1863 and 1864 and, in 1868, he was elected as one of the two members of parliament for the Bedford constituency, but he lost the seat to a Conservative in 1874. In 1872, he built Clapham Park, a new Victorian

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

in an Elizabethan style standing on high ground to the south of Clapham Wood. In 1880, he returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

as member for the Bedfordshire county constituency, which he represented until it was abolished in 1885. In 1885, Howard was one of the two vice-presidents of the National Pig Breeders' Association, which had been founded in 1884 and which would later become the British Pig Breeders Association. He wrote in 1881 that over twenty years he had bred thousands of pigs, trying the Large, Middle, and Small Whites and the

Berkshires The Berkshires () are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut River ...

, and had crossed the Whites with the Berkshire. For rapid growth and profitability his preferred breed was the Large White, but he was "far from decrying the Berkshires".

Visit of Garibaldi

On 15 April 1864, while Howard was Mayor of Bedford,

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

visited the town and was entertained by Howard. In the morning, he visited the Howard brothers' Britannia Works and planted a

Giant Sequoia ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...

(then known as the ''Wellingtonia gigantea'') on the lawn there as a memento of his visit. After hearing speeches from the town's Corporation, Garibaldi proceeded to James Howard's Clapham Park Farm, where he saw a steam-powered plough. Howard then hosted a luncheon for Garibaldi at his house in Caudwell Street, Bedford, the guests including Samuel Whitbread MP, Lady Antrim, the 3rd Duke of Sutherland, Lord Albert Leveson-Gower, Lord Alfred Paget, Menotti Garibaldi, and Mr and Mrs Frederick Howard.The Bedford Times: GARIBALDI’S VISIT TO BEDFORD
, extract from The '' Bedford Times'' Special Edition, Tuesday 19 April 1864, online at linkitaly.org (accessed 17 April 2008) Garibaldi toasted the Howard brothers: "I am quite happy to be here today and I thank you much for your great kindness I give my thanks to this family of Howard who have done so much for agriculture; and I give thanks also to this good company. I shall never forget you and my visit here: and I will now drink to you". The Giant Sequoia planted by Garibaldi in Bedford was later hit by a lightning strike and now only a stump remains. A local councillor petitioned in 2005 that this remnant be sculpted into a bust of Garibaldi.Visit of Garibaldi to the Britannia Iron Works, 1864
at bedfordshire.gov.uk (accessed 17 April 2008)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, James Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1880–1885 People educated at Bedford Modern School 1820s births 1889 deaths English agriculturalists People from Bedford People from Clapham, Bedfordshire 19th-century English businesspeople