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Sir Joseph Terry
JP
Lord Mayoral portrait by George Fall, 1897
Lord Mayor of York
In office
1874–1875
Preceded byJohn March
Succeeded byEdward Rooke
In office
1885–1887
Preceded byJohn Close
Succeeded byJoseph Sykes Rymer
In office
1890–1891
Preceded byPhilip Matthews
Succeeded byJohn Close
Personal details
Born(1828-01-07)7 January 1828
York, England
Died12 January 1898(1898-01-12)(aged 70)
Royal Station Hotel,York,England
Political partyConservative

Sir Joseph TerryJP(7 January 1828 – 12 January 1898) was a British confectioner, industrialist andConservativepolitician who served asLord Mayor of Yorkon three occasions. He had previously served as a deputy mayor through his role as townsheriffin 1870, and served asCouncillorfor York's Monk Ward from 1860 until this appointment. He further acted as aJustice of the Peacefor both theCity of Yorkand theNorth Riding of Yorkshirefrom 1887 until his death.

He is widely seen as the driving force behind the success of the confectionery companyTerry's,originally co-founded by his father, through the expansion of business operations through the use of theHumber Estuaryto import essential commodities such as sugar and cocoa. Later in his career, he would oversee the company's transition and specialization into achocolatiers.Terry had also registered the trademark 'Joseph Terry's and Sons' in 1876, which would later become incorporated under his chairmanship in 1895 as 'Joseph Terry & Sons Ltd.', three years before his death at the age of 70 in 1898, during an attempt to become Member of Parliament for theCity of Yorkconstituency in aby-election.

Early life

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Terry was born inYork,to Joseph Terry, the confectioner and co-founder ofTerry's of York,and his wife Harriet Atkinson, the daughter of a successful farmer fromLeppington, North Yorkshireand sister-in-law to the elder Terry's initial business partner, Robert Berry. His family's wealth enabled him to attend the independentSt Peter's School, York.[1][2]Such wealth had arisen after Terry's of York had advantageously relocated toSt Helen's Square,in the centre of York, with business benefiting from the City's intake of 30,000 shoppers and tourists daily as a result of significant developments in rail travel.[3]

The young Joseph Terry had a comfortable upbringing, with his father's business being well established by the time of his birth due to considerable business acumen and the usage of the expanding railway network to supply his products to a growing British-wide market during the 1830s.[4]He established retail agencies in 75 settlements, mainly in the north, but also in theMidlands,LutonandLondon.[4]In 1836, he was a leading figure in establishing a trade association in London to protect the quality of lozenges and confectionery products from inferior production standards. At the time of his death in 1850, the business had 127 staff, second only to the York glass works as the city's largest employer.[2][5]

Terry's of York

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An 1897 advertisement for 'Terry's Victoria Dessert'

By the time of the elder Joseph Terry's death in 1850, Terry's was becoming a household name due to its previous trade successes across the country. The younger Joseph, along with his two brothers, Robert and John, are credited with moving confectionery production to an industrial scale with the leasing of a factory at Clementhorpe, beside theRiver Ouse,in 1862.[6][7]Its location was particularly advantageous, as the 22-year-old Terry had drawn inspiration from the manipulation of the railways initiated by his father, and saw the benefit of importing and exporting from the river usingsteamboats.[8]Vessels from theRiver Humbersupplied coal for the factory, while larger ships would import ingredients such assugarandcocoafrom around the world twice a week.[6]The Clementhorpe factory also improved the logistics of the company, providing ample room for the construction of warehouses to store stock.[9]Two years later, there were 400 separate items in the firm's price list, with around 13 of them consisting of chocolate as a main ingredient; others included various candied peels, cakes, biscuits and jams among other more exotic products such as cream balls.[6][9]

Terry's became established as a solely chocolate manufacturer in 1886 when Joseph built a specialized section in the Clementhorpe factory specifically to manufacture cocoa products to compete against such companies asFry's,Cadbury'sandRowntree's.[10][11]It would be at this factory that the now commonplace chocolate box assortment was invented, with the first named "Britannia".[12]

The company applied for its firsttrademarkin 1876 under the name "Joseph Terry's and Sons." In 1895 it incorporated as Joseph Terry & Sons Ltd., by which time it had around 500 employees.[12]Terry also converted the historically successful St Helen's Square premises into a ballroom and restaurant, whilst retaining its status as a confectionery shop, an arrangement that lasted until 1981.[13]

Political career

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"A Yorkshire Solicitor". George Leeman as depicted by "Coïdé"inVanity Fair,1872

A committedFreemason,[2]Joseph Terry's successful local political career stemmed from a philanthropic and active approach to the issues of the citizens of Victorian York, often using his influential status for the benefit of the city's populace.[12]On 23 June 1887, just two days after receiving hisknighthoodin that years Golden Jubilee Honours,Terry led a deputation to present an album of all documented issues encountered by York residents toBuckingham PalaceforQueen Victoria's inspection. In response, "The Queen turned over a few of the leaves to look at the contents, and bowed her acceptance with stately courtesy and affection".[14]Further philanthropic activity continued into 1893, when Terry presided over a Japanesebazaarbehind theYork Art Gallery(of which he was chair) where according toThe York Herald,he spoke: "It is right to think of our poorer neighbors. If the bazaar is successful, then 1,000waifsand strays would be entertained on Christmas day in the Corn Exchange. "[9]

On 7 October 1850, Joseph Terry had been grantedfreedom of the citydue to the economic growth York was seeing fueled by his company's success.[15]Chairmanships of localguildswere to follow; with York'sMerchant Taylor'sandMerchant Adventurer'sboth seeing the benefit of representation from a well respected and moneyed benefactor.[16][17]Other local organizations followed suit; with the York Art Gallery, Horticultural Society and local waterworks company all receiving funding and financial direction by the end of his career.[12][15]He further assisted in the duties of theYork Cricket Club,promoting their historic move toBootham Crescentin 1881, whilst concurrently serving on advisory panels for both theCounty Lunatic Asylumand the localSunday SchoolCommittee.[2][18]

In 1860, Terry was electedCouncillorfor York's MonkWard,a rural area close to the modern dayStrays of York,as aConservative.[19]He would later be appointed Chairman of the York Conservative Association (something that his grandson, Noel Goddard Terry, would also later achieve).[15][20]Experience in local government was heightened by his election assheriff,equivalent to a deputy mayoral position, in 1870 underLiberalMPGeorge Leeman,who served as Member of Parliament for theCity of Yorkconstituency for three years prior to his appointment asLord Mayor.[12][21]In 1874, Terry became anAldermanof the City, granting him a seat atYork's Guildhallfor debate in a then partisan chamber under the Conservatives.[22]The party, in response to his growing popularity, allowed him to run for the Lord Mayoralty within the same year, to which he was elected by consensus, defeating the incumbent local brewer, John March. This position granted him thestylethe 'Right Honourable' (a title exclusive to the Lord Mayoralty, not the individual).[21][23]

Despite remaining an alderman for eleven years after his conventional one-year tenure, Terry ran for the same post again in 1885, defeating prolific businessman and philanthropistJohn Close,this time retaining his post for two successful tenures until 1887's election.[21]In the same year, he was appointedJustice of the Peacefor theCity of Yorkand theNorth Riding of Yorkshire.[24]Terry was elected Lord Mayor for the fourth and final time in 1891, and remained popular among York residents, with arranged activities such as citywide galas, picnics and church services at theYork Minsterall funded by the Lord Mayor.[14]York City Council (1980) writes that his name "appeared at the head of every charitable subscription list" and that he was widely recognized as "magnificently bearded".[14]

Personal life

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Noteworthy cricketerCharles Wright,Terry's son-in-law

Joseph married twice in his life, producing seven children in total. His first marriage to Frances Goddard, daughter of London-based physician Dr. Joseph Goddard, in 1864 produced three sons before her death in 1866.[2]Following Goddard's death, he remarried in 1871 to Margaret Thorpe, daughter of wealthy landowner William Thorpe ofAldboroughManor. They had a son and three daughters.[2]Margaret also came to be known as "Lady Terry" after Joseph had been knighted in 1887.[24]Joseph's eldest son from his first marriage, Thomas Terry, became the main partner of the business in 1880, as all of his cousins (Sir Joseph's brothers' children) had chosen other professions rather than to join the family business.[6]Thomas is perhaps best recognized for expanding trade to an international market, selling Terry's confectionery products to as far as retailers in Australia and New Zealand.[12]

Other notable children of Terry (from the Thorpe marriage) included Sir Francis William Terry,High Sheriff of Yorkshirefrom 1945 to 1946, and Frances Harriet Terry, wife of cricketerCharles Wright,who playedfirst-class cricketforCambridge Universitybetween 1882 and 1885 and forNottinghamshirebetween 1882 and 1899.[25][26]Wright is considered to be the first cricket captain todeclare an innings closed,something he did in 1890 againstKent.[27]Joseph was also a close friend ofSir Frederick Milner,MP for the City of York constituency from 1883 to 1885. Milner, who led an 1888 presentation celebrating the achievements of both Sir Joseph (though he was absent due to illness) and Lady Terry, was described byThe York Heraldas having "had the privilege of Sir Joseph's friendship for many years".[28]

Though it is ceremonial for the Lord Mayor of York to reside in theMansion House,[29]Terry maintained a house on Tadcaster Road, York, known as the "Hawthorn Villa".[30][31]He also had a summer residence in the small town ofFiley.This building was later renamed "Langford Villa" and was recognized asGrade II listedon 23 August 1985.[32][33]

By-election and death

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Terry died of heart failure, induced by over-exertion, at theRoyal Station Hotelon 12 January 1898, after attempting to win aby-electionto become Member of Parliament for theCity of York.[20]The by-election was triggered by the death of incumbentQueen's Counseland formerSolicitor GeneralSir Frank Lockwoodon 18 December 1897.[20]If successful, he would have served as second member toJohn Butcher(later the 1stBaron Danesfort), whom he respected for his work within the constituency.[34]Terry died one day before the announcement of the new member was made, and the election was eventually won by famedadmiraland veteran MPLord Charles Beresfordby a mere eleven votes, in a controversial recount forced by a Parliamentary petition after he and Liberal candidateSir Christopher Furnesshad both obtained 5,643 votes according to initial data.[35]Terry was buried at theYork Cemeteryon 15 January 1898, where his monument comprised a large granite cross and a small apron of ground.[36]

City of York by-election, 1898[35][37][nb 1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Charles Beresford 5,654 46.5 +11.5
Liberal Sir Christopher Furness 5,643 46.4 −20.3
Majority 11 0.09 N/A
Turnout 12,157 75.8
ConservativegainfromLiberal Swing +2.5

Legacy

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TheMerchant Taylor Company of York,which Terry had chaired for many years, expressed condolences but made no donation to his memorial fund.[16]It is thought that this decision was not made on principle as, two years earlier, donations of £5 had been made to the "Mansion HouseFund "in memoriam to prolific clergymanJames Raine,who was the company's established annual preacher and had died some years before the trust was founded in 1896.[16][39]However, the national journalChemist and Druggist: The Newsweekly for Pharmacydescribed Terry's passing as "a tragic feature of the recent by-election" and theYorkshire Heraldfondly remarked "There was no person in the city more loved or respected, and no-one who was more possessed of the qualities that constitute a genial and amiable Englishman".[9][40]His personal estate amounted to£38,959 10s.2d.upon his death.[2]

Further positive affirmation came in the form of the construction of the "Terry Memorial Homes" in theSkeldergatearea of York, on a section of the front gardens of the Dame Middleton Hospital.[41]The charitable project was built through publicsubscriptionof a collective £1,020 in 1898 in honour of the former Lord Mayor; it consisted of two brick-builtalmshouses,intended for married couples over the age of 60, with the York Municipal Charity trustees having the administrative authority to accommodate or reject applicants for tenancy.[41][42]On 14 March 1996,English Heritagedesignated the two houses as Grade II listed under the name "Terry Memorial Homes Numbers 1 and 2."[43]£200 of the original subscription was invested instocks,which yielded £6 when exchanged in 1955.[42]Terry's armorial bearings are erected at the houses (which now serve as a hotel)[44]and in stained glass at theAll Saints' Church, North Streetas of 1978, as Joseph's grandson, Noel Goddard Terry, had helped fund the restoration of the building.[36]

Arms

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Coat of arms of Joseph Terry
Adopted
1887
Escutcheon
Ermine, on a cross invected gules a fasces erect Or, between two roses in pale argent and as many lions passant in fess of the third.[45]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Official sources produced long after the by-election exclusively cite the Liberal and Conservative parties as the sole contenders, accounting for roughly 92.9% of the total votes cast. However, at least a portion of the remaining 7.1% was claimed by theIndependent Labour Party,who fieldedBradfordborn Russell Smart as their primary contender.[38]

Footnotes

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  1. ^"Featured Articles: Terry's Chocolate Dynasty".The Genealogist.Retrieved27 October2016.
  2. ^abcdefgCorley, T. A. B."Terry, Joseph".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.Retrieved19 January2016.
  3. ^Strevens 2014,p. 23
  4. ^abStrevens 2014,p. 24
  5. ^Chrystal & Crossley 2012,p. 29
  6. ^abcdWhite 2000,p. 215
  7. ^Strevens 2014,p. 93
  8. ^Chrystal 2013a,p. 27
  9. ^abcdLewis, Stephen (16 November 2009)"The early history of Terry's of York".York Press.16 November 2009.Retrieved18 June2015.
  10. ^"Joseph Terry & Sons: Chocolate Manufacturers: History of York".History of York.Retrieved20 January2016.
  11. ^Opie 2008,p. 112
  12. ^abcdefWhite 2000,p. 216
  13. ^Chrystal 2013b,p. 18
  14. ^abcKightly & Semlyen 1980,p. 58
  15. ^abcWebb 2009,p. 67
  16. ^abcDobson & Smith 2006,p. 147
  17. ^Palliser 1985,p. 12
  18. ^"Our History".York Cricket Club. Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2015.Retrieved20 January2016.
  19. ^Cobb 1989,p. 86
  20. ^abcOtte & Readman 2013,p. 3
  21. ^abcKightly & Semlyen 1980,p. 96
  22. ^Peacock & Joy 1971,p. 21
  23. ^"The Title of Lord Mayor – Use of the Prefix" Right Honourable "".The Times.7 July 1932. p. 16.
  24. ^abKelly 1910,p. 1621
  25. ^Ormrod 2000,p. 208
  26. ^Venn 2011,p. 590
  27. ^"Charles Wright".ESPN Cricinfo.Retrieved30 April2016.
  28. ^"Presentation to Sir Joseph & Lady Terry".York Herald.27 August 1888. p. 5.Retrieved26 August2015– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
  29. ^Kightly & Semlyen 1980,p. 35
  30. ^Kelly 1899,p. 1275
  31. ^"The Terry Trail"(PDF).dlhg.weebly.Retrieved25 October2022.
  32. ^"Langford Villa - Our History".Langford Villa, Filey. January 2015.Retrieved25 October2022.
  33. ^Historic England(October 2001)."Details from listed building database (1296721)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved12 July2015.
  34. ^"The Representation of York".York Herald.15 October 1890. p. 5.Retrieved26 August2015– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
  35. ^abCraig 1974,p. 216
  36. ^ab"Sir Joseph Terry".Genealogy atYork Cemetery.11 July 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2015.Retrieved7 June2015.
  37. ^"City of York PBCon through time | Political Life Statistics | Groupings of Political Parties".University of Portsmouth. Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2015.Retrieved16 July2015.
  38. ^Howell 1984,p. 466
  39. ^Bell, Alan"Raine, James".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.Retrieved19 January2016.
  40. ^Benn 1898,p. 122
  41. ^abKnight 1944,p. 697
  42. ^abTillott 1961,p. 427
  43. ^Historic England(April 2002)."Details from listed building database (1256605)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved17 June2015.
  44. ^"Sir Joseph Terry Alms Houses – Coat of Arms – Picture of Middletons York, York".TripAdvisor. February 2014.Retrieved9 June2015.
  45. ^Fox-Davies 1895,p.965

References

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