James Milnes Gaskell DL JP (19 October 1810 – 5 February 1873) was a British

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.

Early life

James Milnes-Gaskell was born on 19 October 1810. He was the only child of Mary ( Brandreth) Gaskell (a daughter of Dr. Joseph Brandreth of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

) and Benjamin Gaskell (1781–1856) of Thornes House,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, West Yorkshire and Clifton Hall,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. His father was a Whig MP for

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is prod ...

. His paternal grandparents were Daniel Gaskell and Hannah ( Noble) Gaskell (daughter of James Noble of Lancaster). 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 ...

. His political interest may have been influenced by meeting lifelong friend

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

as a school contemporary, and receiving visits during term from

George Canning George Canning (; 11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as foreign secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the U ...

Career

He was M.P. for Wenlock in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

from 1832 until retiring in 1868. His uncle, Daniel Gaskell, also entered Parliament as first M.P. for

in 1832, at same general election as James. He served as a Lord of the Treasury from 1841 to 11 March 1846 under Sir Robert Peel's administration. It was at Gaskell's then home in Tilney Street, London, in 1834, that Gladstone met his future wife, Catherine Glynne.

Career

Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball by William Etty YORAG 2009 6

In 1832 he married Mary Williams-Wynn, daughter of the Rt Hon. Charles Williams-Wynn, (also a Member of Parliament) and Mary Cunliffe (a daughter of Sir Foster Cunliffe, 3rd Baronet). Together, they were the parents of two sons and two daughters, including: * Isabel Milnes Gaskell (–), who married the Rev. Fitzgerald Wintour. * Charles Milnes Gaskell (1842–1919), a Liberal MP who married Lady Catherine Henrietta Wallop, daughter of the 5th Earl of Portsmouth in 1876. It was from his wife's cousin, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, that Gaskell bought in 1857 the site of Wenlock Priory, whose ruins he restored and whose Prior's Lodge he made into a family home. He died at 28 Norfolk Street, Park Lane, London on 5 February 1873, aged sixty-two, and was buried in the parish churchyard at

Much Wenlock Much Wenlock is a market town and Civil parishes in England, parish in Shropshire, England; it is situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the north-east, is the Ironbridge Gorge and Telford. The civil parish incl ...

Descendants

Through his daughter Isabel, he was a grandfather of Maj.-Gen. Fitzgerald Wintour (himself the grandfather of '' Vogue'' editor

Anna Wintour Dame Anna Wintour ( ; born 3 November 1949) is a British-American media executive, who has been serving as editor-in-chief of '' Vogue'' since 1988. Wintour has also served as global chief content officer of Condé Nast since 2020, where she o ...

).Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 2, page 2636; volume 3, page 3272-3273.

References

External links

Gaskell, James Milnes, (1810-1873), MP
at the

National Archives (United Kingdom) The National Archives (TNA; ) is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its parent department is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaskell, James Milnes 1810 births 1873 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 Presidents of the Oxford Union