Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet

Rankin in 1895.

Bryngwyn Manor, the seat commissioned and built by Sir James Rankin 1868–1870

Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet (25 December 1842 – 17 April 1915) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for Leominster from 1880 to 1885, and from 1886 until the general election of 1906, losing the seat by only 28 votes to the Liberal candidate. He regained the seat in January 1910 and resigned in March 1912. He was made a Baronet on 20 June 1898, of Bryngwyn (Bryngwyn Manor, near Wormelow Tump), Herefordshire. He was a senior partner of the family timber and shipbuilding company, Pollok, Gilmour and Company.^[1] The Rankin Constitutional Club, in Corn Square, Leominster, is named after him.

Personal

Close up of a trophy, presented by Rankin to the Leominster Air-Gun League in 1909, and now in Leominster Museum

Born on 25 December 1842, he was the eldest son of Robert Rankin (1801–1870) the timber merchant and shipowner and his wife Ann née Strang (1812–1875).^[2] On 12 January 1865, he married Annie Laura, the daughter Christopher Bushell J.P. (1810–1886) and Margaret née Easton of Hinderton Hall, Cheshire.^[3] He had four sons and four daughters. His Baronetcy was created in 1898. He earned a first-class degree in the Natural Science Tripos at Trinity College, Cambridge.^[1]

References

1. "Sir James Rankin", The Times, (London), Monday, Apr 19, 1915, page 4, Issue 40832
2. John Rankin, A history of our firm: being some account of the firm of Pollok, Gilmour and Co. and its offshoots and connections, 1804–1920, publ. 1921, page 304
3. John Rankin, op cit., page 82

Bibliography

• John Rankin, A history of our firm: being some account of the firm of Pollok, Gilmour and Co. and its offshoots and connections, 1804–1920, publ. 1921

External links

• "England and Wales Census, 1881 for James Rankin" at familysearch.org
• Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir James Rankin
• Sir James Rankin (1842–1915), Bt, portrait painted in 1907 by Herman Herkomer
• Portraits of Sir James Rankin at the National Portrait Gallery, London