Sir William Lane-Mitchell (born Mitchell; 24 January 1861 – 20 June 1940) was a Scottish Conservative Party politician and businessman in London. He was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

in 1918, and held the seat until his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

in 1939 by becoming

Steward of the Manor of Northstead The office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead functions as a procedural device to allow a member of Parliament (MP) to resign from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. As members of the House of Commons are forbidde ...

. He was also a two-term Mayor of

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

between 1906 and 1908 and a

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 ...

. Sir William was born William Mitchell in the parish of

Chapel of Garioch Chapel of Garioch is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, located 4 miles (6 km) west of Inverurie. The Balquhain stone circle is nearby. The church, St Mary's Chapel, shares a parish with Blairdaff. It was formerly under the patronage ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, Scotland, to William Mitchell and Mary Diack. He made his career in the frozen produce industry in the early days of refrigeration, joining the Cold Storage and Ice Association in 1907. He came to London to manage Messrs. R. and W. Davidson, importer of frozen meat. He joined John Layton and Co., importers of Chinese produce, before starting Lane Mitchell, Ltd. In 1884, he married Jane, daughter of William Lane of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, and adopted her name. Lane-Mitchell was

knighted 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 ...

in 1921, working as a

produce In American English, produce generally refers to wikt:fresh, fresh List of culinary fruits, fruits and Vegetable, vegetables intended to be Eating, eaten by humans, although other food products such as Dairy product, dairy products or Nut (foo ...

broker until 1923. He attained fame and fortune in the

frozen food Freezing food Food preservation, preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved grains and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing foo ...

industry, especially for importing frozen rabbits. In 1919, he signed a 21-year

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

on Ryecotes Mead, a large house with extensive grounds on the

Dulwich Estate The Dulwich Estate, previously the Estates Governors of Alleyn's College of God's Gift at Dulwich, is a Charitable organization, registered charity in England, one of the successors to the historic charity Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift t ...

and famous for its previous wealthy businessmen occupants. He and Jane had three sons and four daughters, Jane dying in 1925. In 1926, he married Sarah, ex-wife of Sir Edmund Vestey and daughter of Joseph Barker of

Formby Formby is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, three manors are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under ...

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 ...

. The couple lived in Sir Edmund's former house, Shirley, in Pampisford Road,

South Croydon South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon and running as far south as the former Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by Waddon to the West and Selsdon and Sanderstead to the E ...

, until

aircraft noise Aircraft noise pollution refers to noise produced by aircraft in flight that has been associated with several negative stress-mediated health effects, from sleep disorders to cardiovascular disorders. Governments have enacted extensive control ...

motivated them to move to a flat in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Lane-Mitchell died in

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

a year after his wife had moved into a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

, his death preceding hers by only a few days. Two portraits of Lane-Mitchell are held by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

References

External links

* 1861 births 1940 deaths People from Garioch Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Knights Bachelor Members of Camberwell Metropolitan Borough Council Mayors of places in Greater London People from Croydon People from Dulwich People from Herne Hill UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1860s-stub