Tag Archives: Greenwich

MP of the Month: Alfred Rhodes Bristow (1818-1875)

Posted on November 25, 2020 by sball1832

By the 1850s a seat in Parliament was proving a useful career path for men of relatively humble means to achieve substantial professional advancement. A prime example was our MP of Month, Alfred Rhodes Bristow. The son of a Greenwich … Continue reading →

Posted in Biographies, MP of the Month | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

MP of the Month: Sir Charles Tilston Bright (1832-1888), pioneering telegraph engineer

Posted on February 20, 2019 by sball1832

An important aspect of our study of the reformed Commons is the degree to which representatives of science and industry were incorporated into the legislature during a period of great economic expansion. Our MP of the Month was among those … Continue reading →

Posted in Biographies, MP of the Month | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

MP of the Month: Peter Rolt (1798-1882), the man who built HMS Warrior

Posted on October 29, 2018 by sball1832

A successful Deptford timber merchant, Peter Rolt rose to eminence as a dockyard contractor and became one of the greatest of London’s shipbuilders. He was elected as Conservative MP for Greenwich in 1852. An ebullient character who was known for … Continue reading →

Posted in Biographies, MP of the Month | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

MP of the Month: The ‘strange career’ of John Townsend (1819-1892)

Posted on June 26, 2018 by sball1832

Once a successful auctioneer and undertaker, Townsend’s short and controversial parliamentary career as MP for Greenwich ended in 1859 after a protracted struggle to escape bankruptcy. His ‘strange career’ was, however, far from over and he subsequently found fame in … Continue reading →

Posted in Biographies, MP of the Month | Tagged , | 1 Comment