Stanley Leighton (1837 – 4 May 1901) was an English barrister, landowner, artist 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 is also known as an antiquarian and author.

Life

Leighton was the younger son of Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet, of Loton Park, and his wife Mary Parker. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

. He then attended

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

on 18 November 1861, proceeding to the

Oxford Circuit The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...

. In 1867 he travelled to the colonies with his friend and fellow-barrister, Rees Davies. His diaries record a trip to India and Ceylon in 1867-1868 and the pair visited Australia in 1868 where Leighton produced many original sketches. In 1869 his father passed on to him the Sweeney estate at

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...

which had come to his mother through the Parker family. He became J.P. for Shropshire in 1869 and also Deputy Lieutenant. He was also a Captain of the 15th Shropshire Rifle Volunteers which he remained until 1888 Leighton owned brickworks at Sweeney, near Oswestry, which he leased to the Oswestry Coal & Brick Co. Ltd. before 1880, then to the Sweeney Brick Co. Ltd., and after 1885 it was leased to Kay & Hindle Ltd. as the Sweeney Brick & Terra-cotta Works. In 1875, he purchased Llwyd's Mansion, an impressive timber-framed building in the centre of Oswestry dating from 1604, which was then renovated and divided into shops. In 1874 Leighton stood unsuccessfully for

Bewdley Bewdley ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley, and is west of Kidderminster, north of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham. It ...

but at a by-election in 1876 he was elected Member of Parliament for

North Shropshire North Shropshire was a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Shropshire, England from 1974 to 2009. The district council was based at Edinburgh House in Wem. Other settlements included the towns of Ellesmere, Shropshire, Elles ...

and held the seat until it was reorganised in 1885. He was then elected for

and held the seat until his death. Leighton was an antiquary and active member of the

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the Victorian restoration, destructive 'restoration' of ancient bu ...

which was founded by

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

and

Philip Webb Philip Speakman Webb (12 January 1831 – 17 April 1915) was a British architect and designer sometimes called the Father of Arts and Crafts Architecture. His use of vernacular architecture demonstrated his commitment to "the art of common ...

in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 1888 he was Honorary Commissioner for

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

at the Paris Exhibition 1888, and he was author of ''Records of Oswestry''. His ''Shropshire houses: past & present; illustrated from drawings (1901)'' was complete and in the printer's hands at the time of his death. Leighton served as president of the

Wenlock Olympian Games The Wenlock Olympian Games, dating from 1850, are a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. They are organised by the Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS), and are held each year at venues across Shropshire, England, centred on the market town of Much ...

in 1885 and 1886 and in 1900 was elected treasurer of the Salop Infirmary in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

. He died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

at his London home aged 63, having hastened to vote in the Commons over the Coal Duty Bill. He was buried in St Oswald's parish churchyard at Oswestry. Leighton married Jessie Marie Williams-Wynn, daughter of Herbert Bertie Watkin Williams-Wynn on 28 August 1873. Their son Bertie Edward Parker Leighton (1875–1952) was also MP for Oswestry (1929-1945) and inherited the Sweeney Estate.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leighton, Stanley 1837 births 1901 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Members of the Cambrian Archaeological Association Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Members of the Inner Temple English landowners People from Oswestry Younger sons of baronets 19th-century British businesspeople