Jesse Watts-Russell (6 May 1786 – 26 March 1875)[1] was a landowner and Conservative MP for the rotten borough of Gatton in Surrey. In the 1800s, he came up with the concept of creating chalet-style houses in the style of a Swiss village; examples of his legacy can be seen in the village of Ilam in Staffordshire.
Jesse Watts-Russell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jesse Russell 6 May 1786 |
| Died | 26 March 1875 (aged 88) |
| Alma mater | Worcester College, Oxford |
| Known for | Conservative MP for Gatton (1820–1826) |
| Children | 9, including Jesse and John |
Biography edit
Born Jesse Russell, he was the second son of Jesse Russell Sr. (1743–1820) from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire,[2] who had made his fortune as a soap manufacturer in the East End of London, and Elizabeth née Noble from Yorkshire.[1] He graduated from Worcester College, Oxford, in 1808 with a B.A., followed by an M.A. in 1811, and was awarded a D.C.L. in 1819.[3]
He was married three times. His first wife was Mary Watts,[2] the daughter of David Pike Watts who was a wealthy wine merchant.[1] The couple married in January 1811 and took on the new family name of Watts-Russell in 1817.[3] They had eight children – four sons and four daughters.[1] Their eldest son was Jesse David Watts-Russell, born in 1812, who became Conservative MP for North Staffordshire in 1841.[1] Their youngest son was John Charles Watts-Russell, born in 1825, who emigrated to New Zealand in 1850 where he held a seat on the Legislative Council and became a successful sheep farmer.[4]
The Watts-Russell family lived at the Ilam Park estate in the Peak District. The old hall had belonged to Mary's father, David Pike Watts, who died in 1816. The hall passed down to his daughter who was by then married to Jesse. He commissioned James Trubshaw to build a new hall in the Gothic Revival style, to the designs of the architect John Shaw.[2][5] The new Ilam Hall (now a Grade II* listed building)[6] was built between 1821 and 1826.[7]
Watts-Russell created the picturesque village of Ilam adjacent to the estate. The valley and surrounding hills reminded him of the Swiss Alps,[8] and consequently he had some new cottages built in a Swiss chalet style and rehoused most of the villagers. The English architect George Gilbert Scott was commissioned to design the cottages around 1840.[9] In 1857, Watts-Russell built a school in matching style and funded its operation, at a time when schooling was not compulsory.[8] The village has a conspicuous landmark, the Grade II* listed Mary Watts-Russell Memorial Cross,[10] which imitates the Eleanor Crosses and is dedicated to his first wife who died in 1840.[2]
He was High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1819[11] and Conservative MP for the rotten borough of Gatton from 1820 to 1826.[1] He was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1821.[12][13] He received a large inheritance on his father's death in 1820,[1] and bought the Biggin Hall estate in Benefield, Northamptonshire two years later.[14] He became a vice-president of the Staffordshire Conservative Association on its foundation in 1835.[1]
Watts-Russell remarried in June 1843; his second wife, Maria Ellen Barker, died giving birth to their only son, Edward, in October 1844.[3] His third wife was Martha Leach whom he married in November 1862.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Member Biographies: WATTS RUSSELL, Jesse (1786-1875), of Ilam Hall, Staffs". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "The Watts-Russell Candelabra. Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, London 1820". British Antique Dealers' Association. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Watts-Russell, Jesse (1786–1875)". armorial.library.utoronto.ca. University of Toronto. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "An Early Settler: John Charles Watts-Russell (1826–75)". Christchurch City Libraries. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Ilam Hall, Ilam Park". National Trust Heritage Records Online. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
Ilam Hall was rebuilt for Jesse Watts Russell by James Trubshawe in 1821-26 in the Gothic style to the designs of architect John Shaw.
- ^ "Ilam Hall and Gardeners Cottage, Ilam – Official List Entry 1188713". Historic England. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Lost Houses, Staffordshire: Ilam Hall". houseandheritage.org. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b "10 of Britain's most eccentric villages: chosen by readers". The Guardian. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Model Estate Village, Ilam". GilbertScott.org. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Mrs Watts-Russell Memorial, Ilam – Official List Entry 1038152". Historic England. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ The William Salt Archaeological Society, ed. (1912). Collections for a History of Staffordshire. London: Harrison and Sons. p. 292. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Russell, Jesse Watts: certificate of election to the Royal Society". catalogues.royalsociety.org. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "List of Fellows of the Royal Society, 1660 – 2007" (PDF). University of Texas at Dallas. p. 310. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Biggin Hall, Benefield – Official List Entry 1040213". Historic England. Retrieved 23 March 2024.