Sir Reuben Vincent Barrow (27 April 1838 – 13 February 1918) was an English

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Bermondsey Bermondsey ( ) is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, ...

from 1892 to 1895. Barrow was elected at the 1892 general election as MP for Bermondsey, defeating the sitting

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 ...

Alfred Lafone Alfred Lafone (13 February 1821 – 26 April 1911) of Hanworth Park, Feltham, Middlesex, was a British leather merchant and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in London. He was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Membe ...

. However, he served only three years in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, losing his seat to Lafone at the 1895 general election. After his defeat, he did not stand again. During his time in 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 ...

he introduced the London (Equalization of Rates) Bill, which was enacted in 1894. In its first ten years of operation, about £6million was distributed from richer parishes to poorer ones. He had moved to

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

in 1873, and when the town was given its borough charter in 1883, he was elected to the council, becoming the third Mayor of Croydon in 1885. He was also Chairman of

magistrates bench for 21 years. He was a Commissioner of income tax, and an active member of the

Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

. Barrow was made a

freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

of Croydon in 1909, and was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed in the

1912 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1912 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1911. Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross (GCB) ...

; the title was conferred on 8 March 1912. Barrow died at this home in Croydon on 13 February 1918, aged 79, and was buried in

Queen's Road Cemetery Queen's Road Cemetery is a cemetery in Croydon, England. It opened in 1861, and was followed in 1897 by the larger Croydon Cemetery in Mitcham Road. Both cemeteries are now managed by the London Borough of Croydon. Queen's Road Cemetery covers ...

, after a funeral service at West Croydon Tabernacle.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, Reuben 1838 births 1918 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1892–1895 Politics of the London Borough of Southwark People from Croydon Mayors of places in Greater London English Baptists Knights Bachelor Councillors in the London Borough of Croydon