The Peel Family
Please see scant information on the
Peel Family of Tamworth. Much of this information was sourced from the Mabel
Swift book “The Peels of Tamworth”. We are very pleased to announce that The Peel Society in Tamworth are supporters of The Tamworth Heritage Trust
and in fact, Nigel Morris of The Peel Society is a member of the Trust
Committee. We can therefore be assured
that a more in depth account of the Peels will be added to this page in the
near future. We are also pleased to
announce that we have been given permission to use any information from The Peel Web
If you are
researching anything to do with Sir Robert Peel, Second Baronet; this is
certainly the site you should be
visiting.
Sir Robert Peel, First Baronet
1750 - 1830
The Industrialist, Robert Peel was born at Peelfold, Lancashire
on 25th April 1750. His father owned a calico-printing firm in Blackburn,
Haworth, Peel & Yates. When Robert
completed his education in London he entered his father's business.
At the early age of twenty-three Robert Peel was made a partner in the business
and rapidly took charge of the company. Peel exploited the new inventions in
the textile industry. However, he was worried how the textile workers would
respond to the changes and due to unrest within the workforce, he decided to
establish a new factory in Tamworth, Staffordshire. He solved the problems of
finding workers for his new factory by importing workhouse children from
London. Peel's new cotton factory was a great success and the business expanded
rapidly. By the 1790s Peel was one of the country's leading industrialists and
employed over 15,000 workers.
At the age of thirty-three, Peel married Ellen Yates, the daughter of one of
his partners. The couple had eleven children, including Robert Peel, who later
became Prime Minister. In 1790 he was elected as MP for Tamworth.
In the House of Commons, Peel supported William Pitt and his Tory government.
Peel was aware that some factory owner's treated their young workers very
badly. He therefore argued that Parliament needed to find a way of protecting
the most vulnerable workers. In 1802 Parliament passed Health and Morals of
Apprentices Act. This legislation limited the hours of pauper children,
apprenticed in cotton mills, to twelve hours a day.
The 1802 Factory Act was largely ineffective and so Peel continued to argue for
further reform. With the support of other factory owners, such as Robert Owen,
the 1819 Factory Act was passed. This legislation forbade the employment in
cotton mills of any children under nine, and limited the hours of those between
nine and sixteen to twelve hours per day.
Sir Robert Peel died at Drayton Manor on 3rd March, 1830.
Sir Robert Peel,
Second Baronet & Statesman 1788 – 1850
Robert Peel was born in Bury, Lancashire, on 5th February,
1788. Robert was trained as a child to become a future politician. Every Sunday
evening he had to repeat the two church sermons that he had heard that day.
Robert Peel was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he
won a double first in classics and mathematics. In 1809 Sir Robert Peel rewarded his son
academic success by buying him the parliamentary seat of Cashel in Tipperary
(exchanged for Chippenham in 1812). Robert Peel entered the House of Commons in
April 1809, at the age of twenty-one. Like his father, Robert Peel supported
the Duke of Portland's Tory government. He made an immediate impact and Charles
Abbott, the Speaker of the House of Commons, described Peel's first
contribution to a debate as the "the best first speech since that of William
Pitt."
After only a year in the House of Commons the Duke of Portland offered him the
post of under-secretary of war and the colonies. Working under Lord Liverpool,
Peel helped to direct the military operations against the French.
When Lord Liverpool became prime minister in May 1812, Peel was appointed as
chief secretary for Ireland. In his new post Peel attempted to bring an end to
corruption in Irish government. He tried to stop the practice of selling public
offices and the dismissal of civil servants for their political views. At first
Peel also attempted to end those aspects of government that gave preference to
Protestants over Catholics. However, Robert Peel was not successful in carrying
out this policy and eventually he became seen as one of the leading opponents
to Catholic Emancipation.
In 1814 he decided to suppress the Catholic Board, an organisation started by
Daniel O'Connell. This was the start of a long conflict between the two men. In
1815 Peel challenged O'Connell to a duel. Peel travelled to Ostend but
O'Connell was arrested on the way to fight the duel.
In 1817 Robert Peel decided to retire from his post in Ireland. This upset the
Irish Protestants in the House of Commons and fifty-seven of them signed a
petition urging him not to leave a post that they believed he had
"administered with masterly ability". Oxford University acknowledged
Peel's "services to Protestantism" by inviting him to become its
member of the House of Commons.
In 1822 Peel rejoined Lord Liverpool's government when he accepted the post of
Home Secretary. Over the next five years Peel was responsible for large-scale
reform in the legal system. This involved repealing over 250 old statutes.
Lord Liverpool was struck down by paralysis in February 1827 and was replaced
by George Canning as prime minister. Canning was an advocate of Catholic
Emancipation and as Peel was strongly opposed to this, he felt he could not
serve under the new prime minister and resigned from office. After the death of
Canning Peel returned to government as Home Secretary in the government led by
the Duke of Wellington.
On 26th July, 1828, Lord Anglesey, wrote to Peel arguing that Ireland was on
the verge of rebellion and asked him to use his influence to gain concessions
for the Catholics. Although Peel had opposed Catholic Emancipation for twenty
years, Lord Anglesey's letter encouraged him to reconsider his position. Peel
now wrote to Wellington saying that "though emancipation was a great
danger, civil strife was a greater danger". He also added that as William
Pitt had rightly said: "to maintain a consistent attitude amid changed
circumstances is to be a slave of the most idle vanity". Although the Duke
of Wellington agreed with Peel, King George III was violently opposed to
Catholic Emancipation. When Wellington's government threatened to resign the
king reluctantly agreed to a change in the law. When Peel introduced the
Catholic Emancipation Act on 5th March, 1829, he told the House of Commons that
the credit for the measure belonged to his long-time opponents, Charles Fox and
George Canning.
For a long time politicians had been concerned about the
problems of law and order in London. In 1829 Robert Peel decided to reorganize the
way London was policed. As a result of this reform, the new metropolitan police
force became known as "Peelers" or "Bobbies".
In November 1830, Wellington's government was replaced by a new administration
headed by Earl Grey. For the first time in over twenty years in the House of
Commons, Peel was now a member of the opposition. Peel was totally against
Grey's proposals for parliamentary reform. Between 12th and 27th July 1831,
Peel made forty-eight speeches in the House of Commons against this measure.
One of Peel's main arguments was that the system of rotten boroughs had enabled
distinguished men to enter parliament.
After the passing of the 1832 Reform Act the Tories were heavily defeated in
the general election that followed. Although victorious at Tamworth, Peel, now
leader of the Tories, only had just over hundred MPs he could rely on to
support him against Earl Grey's government.
In November 1834 King William IV dismissed the Whig government and appointed
Robert Peel as his new prime minister. Peel immediately called a general
election and during the campaign issued what became known as the Tamworth
Manifesto. In his election address to his constituents in Tamworth, Peel
pledged his acceptance of the 1832 Reform Act and argued for a policy of
moderate reforms while preserving Britain's important traditions. The Tamworth
Manifesto marked the shift from the old, repressive Toryism to a new, more
enlightened Conservatism.
The general election gave Peel more supporters although there were still more
Whigs than Tories in the House of Commons. Despite this, the king invited Peel
to form a new administration. With the support of the Whigs, Peel's government
was able to pass the Dissenters' Marriage Bill and the English Tithe Bill. However, Peel
was constantly being outvoted in the House of Commons and on 8th April 1835 he
resigned from office.
In August 1841 Robert Peel was once again invited to form a Conservative
administration. Over the last few years Britain had been spending more than it
was earning. Peel decided the government had to increase revenue. On 11th
March, 1842, he announced the introduction of income-tax at sevenpence in the
pound. He added, that he hoped that this was enable the government to reduce
duties on imported goods.
In 1843 Peel once more had problems with Daniel O'Connell, who was leading the
campaign against the Act of Union. O'Connell
announced a large meeting to be held at Clontarf. The British government
pronounced it illegal and when O'Connell continued to go ahead with his planned
Clontarf meeting he was arrested and imprisoned for conspiracy. Peel attempted
to overcome the religious conflict in Ireland by setting up the Devon
Commission to inquire into the "state of the law and practice in respect
to the occupation of land in Ireland." He also increased the grant to
Maynooth, a college for the education of the Irish priesthood, from £9,000 to
£26,000 a year.
However, Peel's attempts to improve the situation in Ireland was severely
damaged by the 1845 potato blight. The Irish crop failed, therefore depriving
the people of their staple food. Peel was informed that three million poor
people in Ireland who had previously lived on potatoes would require cheap
imported corn. Peel realised that they only way to avert starvation was to
remove the duties on imported corn.
Although the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846, the policy
split the Conservative Party and Peel was forced to resign.
Robert Peel continued to attend the House of Commons and gave considerable
support to Lord John Russell and his administration in 1846-47. On 28th June
1850 he gave an important speech on Greece and the foreign policy of Lord
Palmerston. The following day, while riding up Constitution Hill, he was thrown
from his horse. Peel was badly hurt and on 2nd July, 1850, he died from his
injuries. His family were offered a state burial in Westminster Abbey, but Sir
Robert had left a request to be buried in Drayton Village.
PLEASE VISIT THE PEEL WEB FOR COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SIR ROBERT PEEL – PRIME MINSTER
DRAYTON MANOR
HOME OF THE PEELS
This magnificent manor house was built by the first Robert
Peel around 1790 he was the father of the famous Robert Peel the Prime Minister
who is commemorated with a statue in the centre of Tamworth in front of the
Town Hall. The house played host to royalty on more than one occasion but it
was the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1843 that is probably the
most memorable. There were even two roads named after them in Tamworth. Both of
these roads lead from the railway station where the Royal couple would have
arrived for their visit. The second Robert Peel enlarged and improved upon his
father's house.
The gardens were magnificent and had all kinds of exotic
birds in residence including peacocks.Inside the house was a collection of rare
books and paintings and a very large collection of stuffed animals and birds of
every description.
Sadly the house is no
longer standing but it's clock tower remains as a reminder of a once superb
house. Note in the picture on the right the ships anchor is the same one that
now stands in the Castle Grounds. This anchor was brought back from the Crimean
War by William Peel the third son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. William
had a distinguished career in the British Navy.
Sir Robert Peel – Third Baronet
You could say being
born the son of a great man certainly has its drawbacks, but the third Sir
Robert did 
not seem to have the same qualities as his father. Sir Robert inherited the vast estate and
fortune that the Peels had amassed, but certainly did not inherit the brains,
ideals, pride and dignity of his father.
Unfortunately for Tamworth and the family he showed a vain and foolhardy
nature which was to become ruin of the family.
Educated at Harrow, he then went onto Oxford before embarking into the
Diplomatic Service where he became at attaché to the British Legation in Madrid
and then later in Switzerland and Rome.
Whilst in Rome he heard the news of his fathers death. The new Baronet entered Parliament as a
Liberal-Conservative and he became noted at once for his fine presence and
resonant voice. But unfortunately for him, what he had to say was often unwise
and irrational. He very soon built a
reputation for a volatile temperament and did not take kindly to advice and
criticism, often dashing into print with hot headed letters to The Times, which
were speedily commended as disgusting and degrading.
In 1855 Palmerston appointed Peel to be the Junior
Lord of The Admiralty and sent him on a mission to Russia before the coronation
of the new Czar Alexander II. On his
return Peel made a speech in Birmingham, which almost caused a diplomatic
crisis, making foolhardy remarks about the Russian Court. The same year saw a happier event when Sir
Robert married the beautiful Lady Emily Hay, daughter of the Marquiss of
Tweeddale. The couple shared a
tremendous interest in horse racing and began their own stud farm at Bonehill
near Drayton. The stud was fully
equipped with gas lighting, heating and the latest sanitation. A race-course was built and house parties f
socialites were lavishly entertained.
With this strong horse-racing connection in the family, General Jonathon
Peel, younger brother of the late Prime Minister, became one of the founder
members of the Jockey Club with a successful string of horses, including
Orlando – a Derby winner. Sir Robert
was not as lucky as his uncle on the race-course and was soon losing money fast
and furiously. More and more was spent
on breeding stock and sadly still more and more lost on the nags. Sir Robert’s losing streak did not deter him
and the social life went on with more race meetings, extravagant parties at
Drayton Manor, in London and their villa in Geneva. The fortune that had been made by his industrialist grandfather
was being wantonly frittered away by the spendthrift grandson.
Palmerston sent Peel to Ireland and there his love
or horse-racing made him popular.
However on his return to England he caused more problems for the Government
with a swinging loyalty which showed itself in erratic and tactless
criticism. A son and heir was born who
was toasted by the locals at the Old Kings Arms Hotel, but across the road at
The Castle Hotel, a distant relative of the Peel family, Mr. John Peel who
lived at Middleton Hall, was holding a rival political meeting. Sir Robert brought in the elderly respected
Baronet Bulwer Lytton to Tamworth to contest the second Tamworth seat against
his kinsman and The Observer wrote to The Tamworth Herald that “Although there
were hopes for a fight on principles, there were fears that drink would turn
what might be a peaceful contest into a saturnalia.” They were proved right, when at election time fierce fights broke
out between rival supporters and thee was much sneering at “The Brace of
Baronets at their Beer and Baccy meetings.”
After the election, Sir Robert and his agents were indicted on charges
of bribery and corruption. It was
claimed that a hundred supporters had been employed on the Baronet’s behalf to
keep the peace.
With more entertainment, litigation and
horse-racing, the money was still continuing to pour out. Sir Robert’s father the second Baronet had
invested in a fine collection of art, but by 1871 his son, desperate for money,
sold part of it to the National Gallery for £75,000 to try to resolve his
financial troubles. He was the sole
trustee of the Peel School Charity, but refused to account to the Charity
Commissionaires, and as a result was threatened with prison. The rot had now well and truly set in. By 1884 the Peel estates, which had extended
to over 10,000 acres, were being broken up and sold to defray the
ever-increasing debts. Lady Emily disposed
of the stud farm but by now it was too late, the fortune had gone.
Sir Robert Peel – Fourth Baronet
It’s all very well inheriting a large estate, but if that
estate is mortgaged to high heaven things do not bode well. The fourth Sir Robert inherited the famous
name and received a very good education at Harrow and Balliol, but he had very
little money to indulge in the tastes that go with such a position. Sir Robert, even as a young man age at
college was being hounded by creditors, but when he entered the London society
scene, his suave sophistication and good looks made him a firm favourite with
the high living clique that revolved around Queen Victoria’s son Edward, Prince
of Wales. Sir Robert had champagne
tastes on beer money. Pretty actresses
were freely entertained at Drayton Manor; amongst them was the famous Lily Langtry. The high society balls went on continuously
during the season in London and the Paris, Switzerland and on the French
Riviera. By the time he was 25, he was
heavily in debt, but managed to defer his liabilities in view of his
expectations of wealth. However, when
his father died, the trustees of the estate allowed him only £3000 a year, for
the charming socialite this was a devastating blow, as his wine bill alone in
1845 was £1475.
He was allowed to live at Drayton Manor and in the
words of a legal agreement, “enjoy the chattels and furniture thereof”, but
this lead to much disagreement and ultimately to one of the biggest law- suits
of the time. Sir Robert was a firm favourite with the villagers of Fazeley,
always ready to play the Lord of the Manor opening fetes and hosting garden
parties. He dabbled in writing and
published two books, A Bit Of A Fool and An Engagement, and was always
appearing in the gossip columns of the nationals. His romantic involvements often got him into trouble and on one occasion
lead to him being involved in a duel with a fiery Italian over a lover. However, when he met the Baroness Mercedes
de Graffenreid his financial worries seemed to be over. He thought she was a wealthy heiress. She, on the other hand, thought that Sir
Robert, with his 10,000-acre estate and title must be a rich man. The speedily became engaged. There was lavish entertainment at the
wedding and a torchlight procession to welcome the bride and groom when they
came to Drayton Manor, but both were to become disappointed with each other’s
lack of fortune.
Within a year, the London Bankruptcy Court was
dealing with receiving orders concerning the estate and Sir Robert admitted
liabilities that he was unable to meet.
Undeterred by his bankruptcy, the spendthrift Baronet went ahead and
commissioned the building of a Swiss Lodge at the entrance of Drayton Manor as
a gift to his bride. When visiting
Drayton Manor Sir Robert would often have to beat a hasty retreat when local
creditors arrived with Sheriffs execution orders on his personal
possessions. Sir Robert eventually
decided it was best to be out of the country and with Lady Peel, fled to
fashionable Paris. It was then discovered that some of the famous paintings had
been removed from Drayton Manor and sold to a dealer in Paris. The famous portrait of Lady Julia by
Lawrence had gone together with other family heirlooms.
Immediately, application was made to the court for
an injunction. The judge ordered that
the picture should be restored to the estate and that no other items should be
removed. Sir Robert retorted that he
had a perfectly good explanation for what he had done; he had been merely
raising money to offset his debts. The
judge made sinister references to prison in his remarks. Drayton Manor was ransacked still further,
but officially this time to help pay off the debts. Plate, engravings, linen, saddlery, clocks, statues, ornaments,
jewellery were loaded onto railway trucks to London for auction. Things were in a desperate state, but still
the Baronet maintained an expensive social life in London. A son was born – another Robert – but
received scant attention from his parents.
His mother spent more and more time away from home. After young Bobby went away to school, he
rarely stayed at the Manor during holiday periods, but stayed instead with the
Fazeley vicar, Rev. Melville Jones to avoid the constant beatings from his
father, whose health and temper were deteriorating. By 1912, enormous chunks of Tamworth property had been sold to
help defray the debts, but misfortune seemed to hamper every attempt to
straighten out financial matters. His solicitor absconded with a large amount
of money. The trustees became involved
in a case of loan repayment obtained by misrepresentation. Peels sister married a wealthy German but
this man was soon involved in litigation against his brother-in-law. The estate was now almost in ruins. Sir Robert spent his last few years at
Drayton Manor, a very sick and sad man, paralysed from the waist down. Old servants nursed him until his death in
1925.
Sir Robert Peel – Fifth Baronet
It was in May 1919 when the fifth Sir Robert came of age, he
was guest of honour at a party held for him by the employees of the family
estate at Drayton. His mother was absent
in Switzerland, his father absent in London.
But the good looking young man held an especially warm place in the
hearts of the locals as “our Bobby”. He
had absconded from Harrow school during the Great War, gave a false age and
joined the army. He desperately wanted
to serve his country. He was hauled
back in disgrace to continue his studies, and went on to Christ’s College,
Cambridge, and from there he enrolled in the Coldstream Guards. Unfortunately for Bobby, he was invalided
out with suspected tuberculosis and went to Australia to recuperate.
When he eventually returned to England, he tried to
make a living selling used cars, ignoring pleas from his father, who had
recently become bankrupt for the sixth time, to marry a wealthy woman to recoup
the family fortune. Sir Robert found
himself being invited to fashionable parties in London’s West End theatre
world, regularly socialising with Ivor Novello, Noel Coward, George Robey,
Gladys Cooper, Gertrude Lawrence and a charming young man, always incognito,
known as Bertie – of course this was the Prince of Wales who later became Kind
Edward VIII and who later abdicated to marry the love of his life, Wallis
Simpson.
London was an exciting place with new jazz music
and smart reviews, which had replaced the old style music halls. Already a firm favourite with London
audiences was the tiny Canadian actress/comedienne Beatrice Lillie, who had
risen to stardom in such shows as Andre Charlot’s Bran Pie, Tabs and Oh
Boy. Bobby Peel fell madly in love with
her and soon the gossip columns were full of their romance. They were married in January 1920 at St.
Paul’s Church in Fazeley. The locals
had never seen anything quite like it. Reporters from national glossy magazines
and a galaxy of stars from the London stage arrived at Drayton Manor for the
wedding. Bobby’s father stormed off to
London in a fit of temper because his son was not to marry an heiress.
On a cold Monday morning, a special train drew into
Tamworth from which the cream of showbiz personalities including Florence
Desmond, Jack Buchanan and Gertrude Lawrence all made their way to see their
very own Bea wed Mr. Robert Peel, heir to the baronetcy. The bride wore white brocaded satin with
silver tissue, a coronet wreath of orange blossom and a full court train help
by Anthony Pellissier, who was Fay Compton’s son. The wedding was watched by cheering villagers who ran along side
the bridal car as it drove to the manor.
In the evening there was a huge fireworks display in the grounds of
Drayton Manor. The following day Bobby
and Bea departed to spend their honeymoon in Monte Carlo. It was not really the best of destinations
as Bobby had inherited a love of gambling from his father. During the first night of the honeymoon,
instead of retiring with his new bride to the marital bed, Robert spent the
whole night at the gambling tables. At
first his luck was in, but like many unfortunates before him, he did not know
when to stop. He lost all of his
winnings, plus a great deal more and had to borrow money from Beatrice to
settle his hotel bill.
When the couple arrived back in England they went
to live in a small house in St. John’s Wood and it was there that their son,
another Robert was born the following December. On returning to Drayton Manor to show their new son to the old
baronet, Beatrice Lillie engaged a local girl, Jessie Mountfort, daughter of
the family at Home Farm, who was trained as a nurse and nurse-maid to Master
Bobby Peel. They took Jessie back to
London with them so Bea could resume her career. Sir Robert didn’t have a
career, but he did try his hand at everything.
He managed the Little Theatre in London for a while and then the Palace
Dance Hall in Erdington. He formed his
own jazz dance band and Beatrice and her performing friends would helped him
obtain bookings by occasionally appear with him. Bobby Peel and his band would often play at the Fazeley Victory
Club and other local dances, meanwhile Beatrice Lillie went from success to success
when Charlot took his reviews to New York.
She joined the company, leaving Jessie in charge of little Bobby. Her wonderful humour made her a star on
Broadway, but in February 1925 she received a cable to say that the old baronet
had died and she was now Lady Peel. She
would inherit the title but very little else.
There was no money. Beatrice
quite rightly had to look to provide for her family and she resumed her career
and gradually she and Bobby Peel drifted apart.
Master Bobby grew up and went to Harrow
School. Occasionally he would visit the
theatre in his holidays to see one of his mother’s shows. But in 1934 he received a telegram; his
father had died suddenly of appendicitis.
Young Bobby Peel was now Sir Robert Peel.
Sir Robert Peel – Sixth Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, sixth baronet was the last of the
Tamworth line. He never lived at Drayton Manor, although he did visit
occasionally, staying with old servants of the estate. His home was in London where he lived with
his grandmother in St. John’s Wood. By
the time he left university, World War II had broken out and he joined the
Navy. In 1942 he was on the troop ship
HMS Tenedos in Columbo Harbour, Ceylon.
On the morning of Easter Sunday 1942, Japanese bombers flew through the
flimsy air defences of Columbo Harbour where the naval frigate was
anchored. The Tenedos took a direct hit
from a 500 pound bomb and sank. Sir
Robert Peel was one of 15 men who died aboard the ship. Although enrolled for an officers training
course at Dartmouth, he had preferred to get into the action and at the moment
of the raid, was among volunteers carrying ammunition from below decks to the
stern guns.
