Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..
There were a heck of a lot of Galtons in the late 18th and early 19th Century around Brum, and this dissertation may hopefully tease out some of the major family players, and their contributions to the greatness of this fair City of ours. So bear with me for a spot of character setting, and a first ponk at defining their importance.
Despite the fact that they were devote Quakers, Samuel Galton (1720-1799) and his son Samuel John Galton (1753-1832) had a large gun-making factory in Birmingham. When Samuel senior died, his son Samuel John, and grandson, Samuel Tertius Galton (1783-1844) wound up the business and set up a bank in Birmingham instead. Earlier, Sam J had rather fortuitously married a Lucy Barclay of London, whose family was well into Banking. You may have heard of Barclays Bank?. She was perhaps preposterously known as ‘the fair Quakeress’ and reputed to be the illegitimate daughter of a George III and a Hannah Lightfoot. Typical mischievous Daily Mail-like punt I expect...but I digress. Someone may care to track down the ‘truth’ for me. Thanks.
Sam Tertius Galton married Frances Darwin (daughter of Erasmus Darwin), whose family later also included the ‘origin of the species’ chap Charles, and one of them also got mixed in with the Wedgwood pottery lot for extra spice.
The Galton boys were great mates of Priestley, Eramus Darwin, and other prominent members of The LUNAR SOCIETY, who frequently used to meet at Sam Galton’s home GALTON HOUSE in Steelhouse Lane (where the gun factory was).
The Gaumont Cinema later stood on the site of Galton House, and as a tribute to the Lunar Society connections, featured a beautiful ceiling depicting the star spangled heavens, with a central moon and the signs of the zodiac surrounding it.
When he sold the gun making business, he left Steelhouse Lane and moved into Duddeston Hall, “amid scenes of perfect and luxuriant solitude”; where today Galton Street runs down to Duddeston Mill Road alongside the railway marshalling yards. Here, in Sam’s days, “was a four acre lake where flocks of assorted exotic wild fowl would flock to him for feeding when he blew a whistle”. No change there then…
Samuel John Galton, ST’s dad, was a member of the ‘Society Of Friends’ Quaker meetings for forty years, despite being under the continuous threat of expulsion for un-quaker like gun making plus alleged connections to slave trading. He lived in BARR HALL, which I believe was the original St Margaret’s Hospital Building, also a venue for Lunar Society Meetings. It was his butler that was accredited with first referring to the LUNAR SOCIETY as “the lunatics”. I gather the remains of this fabulous looking place are still standing?
Meanwhile, later on, one of the other Galtons - Hubert Howard Galton (1854-1928) bought the Warley Estate (a snip at £7,300) and got the world famous Humphrey Repton to do the gardens at WARLEY ABBEY, his beautiful stately pile; which was kindly demolished by the Council in 1957.
Sam Tertius Galton bought Claverdon Leys Estate near Warwick for the family, where he and his family are buried in Claverdon Church.
His son, Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) was perhaps, even more eminent.
Educated at King Edward’s School, he left to pursue more practical avenues than this ‘Classics' leaning academy could offer, and as he was wealthy enough to travel widely, he explored unknown tracts in South West Africa for a few years.
In 1863 he published work on the mapping of weather, and is credited with coining the phrase ‘anti-cyclone’ for nice weather systems. He was also fascinated by hereditary and he built a laboratory in London for work on the subject in the course of which he became interested in fingerprints. His conclusions led to the use of fingerprints by the police (and CSI Miami some lots) in Criminal detection. Fingerprints and anti-cyclones - Made in Birmingham. I like it.
Sir Douglas Galton KCB FRS, a cousin of Sir Francis, was born at Hadzor house, Worcestershire, in 1822. His father was John Howard Galton, son of Samuel "John" Galton. His mother was Isabelle Strutt, the daughter of Joseph Strutt (philanthropist), mayor of Derby.
He was educated at Birmingham, Geneva, and at Rugby School under Thomas Arnold. He graduated with distinction from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 18 December 1840. At the Royal Military Academy he created something of an examination record by coming first in every subject. A right swot.
Commissioned in the Royal Engineers, he used an electric spark for the first time to ignite gunpowder while blowing up the wreck of the Royal George in Spithead in 1842.
After service abroad, including work on the fortification of Gibraltar and Malta, he came home to work on bridge building in iron; railway construction; London drainage; The Thames Embankment; and other projects. One of his great interests other than that lot was improving sanitary conditions in Hospitals, and it was perhaps way too ironical that he should die in 1899 of septicaemia (blood poisoning). One of our greatest Civil engineers, nurtured in Brum. Incredible man.
More on Sir Douglas Strutt Galton from his family memoirs.
“After spending his early army life overseas he researched the properties of iron for railway structures, and served as secretary to the Railway Commission. He was a judge of railway appliances at Philadelphia, U.S.A. in 1869, and also at the Paris International Exhibition. Submarine telegraphy was another interest and he became a leading authority on the subject. A member of the Army Sanitary Committee, he gave advice on various topics including London drainage, and the sanitary condition of hospitals in the United Kingdom, and of military hospitals at home and abroad. He was, at various times, Assistant Inspector General of Fortifications, Assistant Under-Secretary War Department, and Director of Public Works.
For nearly forty years he was a member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and was President from 1895-1896. A leading reformer, he promoted higher education for women. He was an active member for the Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, an organisation later developing into the Red Cross Society. Sadly, despite all his teachings in antiseptics, he died from blood poisoning in 1899, at the age of seventy-seven, and is buried in Himbleton churchyard. In Worcester there are two memorials to Sir Douglas. There is a stained glass window to his memory in the Cathedral, and in the Judges Lodgings at Shire Hall stands a bust by the famous sculptor Sir Thomas Brock.
Those who are interested in this Galton polymath can pursue the story on numerous websites:
[1] Wikipedia biography.
[2] University of St Andrews biography.
[3] An excellent website dedicated to the man's life and works.
[4] Francis Galton's Memories of My Life (London: Methuen, 1908).
[5] Karl Pearson's Life, Letters and Labour of Francis Galton (Cambridge: CUP, 1914-1930). Volume 1; Volume 2; Volume 3A; Volume 3B.
More info here: file:///Users/dennis/Desktop/Galton%20Family%20-%20page2.webarchive
There were a heck of a lot of Galtons in the late 18th and early 19th Century around Brum, and this dissertation may hopefully tease out some of the major family players, and their contributions to the greatness of this fair City of ours. So bear with me for a spot of character setting, and a first ponk at defining their importance.
Despite the fact that they were devote Quakers, Samuel Galton (1720-1799) and his son Samuel John Galton (1753-1832) had a large gun-making factory in Birmingham. When Samuel senior died, his son Samuel John, and grandson, Samuel Tertius Galton (1783-1844) wound up the business and set up a bank in Birmingham instead. Earlier, Sam J had rather fortuitously married a Lucy Barclay of London, whose family was well into Banking. You may have heard of Barclays Bank?. She was perhaps preposterously known as ‘the fair Quakeress’ and reputed to be the illegitimate daughter of a George III and a Hannah Lightfoot. Typical mischievous Daily Mail-like punt I expect...but I digress. Someone may care to track down the ‘truth’ for me. Thanks.
Sam Tertius Galton married Frances Darwin (daughter of Erasmus Darwin), whose family later also included the ‘origin of the species’ chap Charles, and one of them also got mixed in with the Wedgwood pottery lot for extra spice.
The Galton boys were great mates of Priestley, Eramus Darwin, and other prominent members of The LUNAR SOCIETY, who frequently used to meet at Sam Galton’s home GALTON HOUSE in Steelhouse Lane (where the gun factory was).
The Gaumont Cinema later stood on the site of Galton House, and as a tribute to the Lunar Society connections, featured a beautiful ceiling depicting the star spangled heavens, with a central moon and the signs of the zodiac surrounding it.
When he sold the gun making business, he left Steelhouse Lane and moved into Duddeston Hall, “amid scenes of perfect and luxuriant solitude”; where today Galton Street runs down to Duddeston Mill Road alongside the railway marshalling yards. Here, in Sam’s days, “was a four acre lake where flocks of assorted exotic wild fowl would flock to him for feeding when he blew a whistle”. No change there then…
Samuel John Galton, ST’s dad, was a member of the ‘Society Of Friends’ Quaker meetings for forty years, despite being under the continuous threat of expulsion for un-quaker like gun making plus alleged connections to slave trading. He lived in BARR HALL, which I believe was the original St Margaret’s Hospital Building, also a venue for Lunar Society Meetings. It was his butler that was accredited with first referring to the LUNAR SOCIETY as “the lunatics”. I gather the remains of this fabulous looking place are still standing?
Meanwhile, later on, one of the other Galtons - Hubert Howard Galton (1854-1928) bought the Warley Estate (a snip at £7,300) and got the world famous Humphrey Repton to do the gardens at WARLEY ABBEY, his beautiful stately pile; which was kindly demolished by the Council in 1957.
Sam Tertius Galton bought Claverdon Leys Estate near Warwick for the family, where he and his family are buried in Claverdon Church.
His son, Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) was perhaps, even more eminent.
Educated at King Edward’s School, he left to pursue more practical avenues than this ‘Classics' leaning academy could offer, and as he was wealthy enough to travel widely, he explored unknown tracts in South West Africa for a few years.
In 1863 he published work on the mapping of weather, and is credited with coining the phrase ‘anti-cyclone’ for nice weather systems. He was also fascinated by hereditary and he built a laboratory in London for work on the subject in the course of which he became interested in fingerprints. His conclusions led to the use of fingerprints by the police (and CSI Miami some lots) in Criminal detection. Fingerprints and anti-cyclones - Made in Birmingham. I like it.
Sir Douglas Galton KCB FRS, a cousin of Sir Francis, was born at Hadzor house, Worcestershire, in 1822. His father was John Howard Galton, son of Samuel "John" Galton. His mother was Isabelle Strutt, the daughter of Joseph Strutt (philanthropist), mayor of Derby.
He was educated at Birmingham, Geneva, and at Rugby School under Thomas Arnold. He graduated with distinction from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 18 December 1840. At the Royal Military Academy he created something of an examination record by coming first in every subject. A right swot.
Commissioned in the Royal Engineers, he used an electric spark for the first time to ignite gunpowder while blowing up the wreck of the Royal George in Spithead in 1842.
After service abroad, including work on the fortification of Gibraltar and Malta, he came home to work on bridge building in iron; railway construction; London drainage; The Thames Embankment; and other projects. One of his great interests other than that lot was improving sanitary conditions in Hospitals, and it was perhaps way too ironical that he should die in 1899 of septicaemia (blood poisoning). One of our greatest Civil engineers, nurtured in Brum. Incredible man.
More on Sir Douglas Strutt Galton from his family memoirs.
“After spending his early army life overseas he researched the properties of iron for railway structures, and served as secretary to the Railway Commission. He was a judge of railway appliances at Philadelphia, U.S.A. in 1869, and also at the Paris International Exhibition. Submarine telegraphy was another interest and he became a leading authority on the subject. A member of the Army Sanitary Committee, he gave advice on various topics including London drainage, and the sanitary condition of hospitals in the United Kingdom, and of military hospitals at home and abroad. He was, at various times, Assistant Inspector General of Fortifications, Assistant Under-Secretary War Department, and Director of Public Works.
For nearly forty years he was a member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and was President from 1895-1896. A leading reformer, he promoted higher education for women. He was an active member for the Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, an organisation later developing into the Red Cross Society. Sadly, despite all his teachings in antiseptics, he died from blood poisoning in 1899, at the age of seventy-seven, and is buried in Himbleton churchyard. In Worcester there are two memorials to Sir Douglas. There is a stained glass window to his memory in the Cathedral, and in the Judges Lodgings at Shire Hall stands a bust by the famous sculptor Sir Thomas Brock.
Those who are interested in this Galton polymath can pursue the story on numerous websites:
[1] Wikipedia biography.
[2] University of St Andrews biography.
[3] An excellent website dedicated to the man's life and works.
[4] Francis Galton's Memories of My Life (London: Methuen, 1908).
[5] Karl Pearson's Life, Letters and Labour of Francis Galton (Cambridge: CUP, 1914-1930). Volume 1; Volume 2; Volume 3A; Volume 3B.
More info here: file:///Users/dennis/Desktop/Galton%20Family%20-%20page2.webarchive
