Lord Justice Sir George Farwell of Knowle Manor, as caricatured by Frederick Thomas Dalton in Vanity Fair, 1900 and as photographed in The Graphic, 1906
Title
Lord Justice Sir George Farwell of Knowle Manor, as caricatured by Frederick Thomas Dalton in Vanity Fair, 1900 and as photographed in The Graphic, 1906
Subject
Description
A watercolour caricature of the Lord Justice Sir George Farwell, a member of the England's High Court. He and his family also leased Knowle House, a manor house on the northeastern edge of Timberscombe, from Mrs. Jessie Battersby, owner of the property after the death of her husband, Mr. Worsley Battersby, in 1896 (1).
Sir George Farwell was born the 22nd of December 1845 at Codsall, Staffordshire, the second son of Frederick Cooper Farwell, an agent of the Duke of Cleveland and Louisa Whitbread (nee Michell) Farwell, daughter of Admiral Sir Frederick Michell (2). Farwell attended Rugby School and then Balliol College, Oxford (3).
He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1871. In 1874 Farwell published "A Concise Treatise on the Law of Powers", which quickly became a standard in its field (4) and remains in print. By 1891 he was made an honorific member of the Queen's Council, in 1895 a bencher at Lincoln's Inn (a recognition of a lifetime of achievement as a judge) and in 1899, was raised to the High Court, in the Chancery Division. In October of that same year, Farwell was knighted (5).
In 1906, Sir George Farwell was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal, the highest court within the senior courts of England and Wales. Pictured above are photographs published in The Graphic on 16 June 1906, over an article about Farwell's promotion, entitled "CHANGES ON THE JUDGES' BENCH". Sir James Stirling, pictured on the left, had resigned his position as a Lord Justice of Appeal. Sir George Farwell, seen in the centre-- and certainly looking more stern than his caricature-- succeeded Stirling. Mr. Ralph Neville, K.C., on the right, had been appointed to replace Farwell at the Chancery Division (6).
At the time Farwell was appointed a Lord Justice, he was also engaged in the War Stores Commission, a Royal Commission which condemned the conduct of certain officers in South Africa (7). In 1913 Sir George Farwell resigned as a Lord Justice of Appeal (8) and served as a member of His Majesty's Privy Council (9).
Sir George Farwell is best remembered for his decision on the 1900 Taff Vale Judgement, upheld by the House of Lords in 1901, which made possible the Trades Disputes Act in 1906. Basically his decision ensured that unions could be held liable for damages incurred during a strike (10). This was a factor during momentous changes in British politics with the angered trade unions forming a committee that became a foundation of the Labour Party which emerged in 1906 (11).
The watercolour caricature seen above was painted by Frederick Thomas Dalton (1855-1927) and published in the 15 November 1900 edition of Vanity Fair. It is part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, numbered NPG3273 and was licensed to the St. Petrock's History Group in June 2020.
In 1873 Sir George Farwell married Mary Erskine Wickens at All Saints, Paddington, Westminster, London (12). They had six children, Maud, Joan, Margaret, Christopher John, Ursula and Euphemia (13). Christopher John Farwell followed his father as a member of the High Court, sworn in on 13 October 1929 (14).
After coming to live between Knowle House and London, the Farwell's were active participants in the local community. Sir George Farwell was elected a churchwarden at St. Petrock's Church in 1905 and was nominated again in 1909 (15) . Timberscombe had been struggling to raise funds to build a village Reading Room, only having half of the money needed. At a meeting on the 1st of September 1913, the church vicar, the Rev. Henry Herbert Bell was able to announce that Sir George Farwell, Lady Farwell and Miss Farwell were providing the balance of the funds needed. "Miss Farwell" was Maud Farwell who officially opened the Reading Room by the end of the year (16). Maud Farwell and her father also served as Foundation Managers of the Governors of The Timberscombe School (17).
Sir George Farwell died on 30 September 1915. Dame Mary Erskine Farwell died 17 March 1925. Both are buried together near the North Porch at St. Petrock's Church (18).
Sir George Farwell was born the 22nd of December 1845 at Codsall, Staffordshire, the second son of Frederick Cooper Farwell, an agent of the Duke of Cleveland and Louisa Whitbread (nee Michell) Farwell, daughter of Admiral Sir Frederick Michell (2). Farwell attended Rugby School and then Balliol College, Oxford (3).
He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1871. In 1874 Farwell published "A Concise Treatise on the Law of Powers", which quickly became a standard in its field (4) and remains in print. By 1891 he was made an honorific member of the Queen's Council, in 1895 a bencher at Lincoln's Inn (a recognition of a lifetime of achievement as a judge) and in 1899, was raised to the High Court, in the Chancery Division. In October of that same year, Farwell was knighted (5).
In 1906, Sir George Farwell was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal, the highest court within the senior courts of England and Wales. Pictured above are photographs published in The Graphic on 16 June 1906, over an article about Farwell's promotion, entitled "CHANGES ON THE JUDGES' BENCH". Sir James Stirling, pictured on the left, had resigned his position as a Lord Justice of Appeal. Sir George Farwell, seen in the centre-- and certainly looking more stern than his caricature-- succeeded Stirling. Mr. Ralph Neville, K.C., on the right, had been appointed to replace Farwell at the Chancery Division (6).
At the time Farwell was appointed a Lord Justice, he was also engaged in the War Stores Commission, a Royal Commission which condemned the conduct of certain officers in South Africa (7). In 1913 Sir George Farwell resigned as a Lord Justice of Appeal (8) and served as a member of His Majesty's Privy Council (9).
Sir George Farwell is best remembered for his decision on the 1900 Taff Vale Judgement, upheld by the House of Lords in 1901, which made possible the Trades Disputes Act in 1906. Basically his decision ensured that unions could be held liable for damages incurred during a strike (10). This was a factor during momentous changes in British politics with the angered trade unions forming a committee that became a foundation of the Labour Party which emerged in 1906 (11).
The watercolour caricature seen above was painted by Frederick Thomas Dalton (1855-1927) and published in the 15 November 1900 edition of Vanity Fair. It is part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, numbered NPG3273 and was licensed to the St. Petrock's History Group in June 2020.
In 1873 Sir George Farwell married Mary Erskine Wickens at All Saints, Paddington, Westminster, London (12). They had six children, Maud, Joan, Margaret, Christopher John, Ursula and Euphemia (13). Christopher John Farwell followed his father as a member of the High Court, sworn in on 13 October 1929 (14).
After coming to live between Knowle House and London, the Farwell's were active participants in the local community. Sir George Farwell was elected a churchwarden at St. Petrock's Church in 1905 and was nominated again in 1909 (15) . Timberscombe had been struggling to raise funds to build a village Reading Room, only having half of the money needed. At a meeting on the 1st of September 1913, the church vicar, the Rev. Henry Herbert Bell was able to announce that Sir George Farwell, Lady Farwell and Miss Farwell were providing the balance of the funds needed. "Miss Farwell" was Maud Farwell who officially opened the Reading Room by the end of the year (16). Maud Farwell and her father also served as Foundation Managers of the Governors of The Timberscombe School (17).
Sir George Farwell died on 30 September 1915. Dame Mary Erskine Farwell died 17 March 1925. Both are buried together near the North Porch at St. Petrock's Church (18).
Creator
Frederick Thomas Dalton /
Elliott and Fry, Baker Street, London (portraits of Sir James Stirling and Mr. Neville) /
Bolak (portrait of Sir George Farwell)
Elliott and Fry, Baker Street, London (portraits of Sir James Stirling and Mr. Neville) /
Bolak (portrait of Sir George Farwell)
Publisher
The National Portrait Gallery
The Graphic
The Graphic
Date
1900
16 June 1906
16 June 1906
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
1900 Caricature of Sir George Farwell of Knowle House --northeast of village / photographic portraits of Sir George Farwell and his contemporaries, Sir James Stirling and Mr. Neville / Timberscombe
Acquisition Date
2020
2020
2020
Acquisition Method
licensed from The National Portrait Gallery, NPG 3273
Gift (James Bowley)
Gift (James Bowley)
Category
PEOPLE: Named / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2020
2022
2022
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12 X 7 (PHOTOGRAPHS)
14.5 X 8 (ARTWORK)
7.5 X 16 (PHOTOGRAPHS)
14.5 X 8 (ARTWORK)
7.5 X 16 (PHOTOGRAPHS)
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (2) from Encyclopedia Britannica, Gluedideas.com (3) Oxford dnb.com/odnb-9780198614128-e-33081 (4) National Portrait Gallery, npg.org.uk/ collections/ search/ person/ mp01543/sir-george-farwell (5) National Portrait Gallery, npg.org.uk (6) as published in The Graphic, June 1906, a British weekly illustrated newspaper published from 1869 to 23 April 1932, en. wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graphic (7) "CHANGES ON THE JUDGES' BENCH". The Graphic , 16 June 1906, paperspast.natlib,govt.n2 and api.parliament.uk (8) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George-Farwell.(judge) (9) as engraved on Sir George Farwell's gravestone at St. Petrock's Churchyard, Timberscombe, observed by Tom Sperling, 17 June 2020 (10) en. wikipedia.org (11) TimberscombeVillage.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Past Residents/ Sir George Farwell, written by Lesley Webb (12) London, England, Church of England Marriages and Burials, 1754-1932 (13) 1881, 1901 and 1911 England Census (14) alamy.com (15) SHC Churchwardens Accounts, 1808-1943 reTRO D/P/ Tim/4/1/2 (16) TimberscombeVillage.com (17) Timberscombe School MINUTES BOOK, 15 July 1903-11 October 1929 (18) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
2022
2022
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
St. Petrock's History Group ARTWORK
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
St. Petrock's History Group ARTWORK
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-120
Technique
Copies
Citation
Frederick Thomas Dalton /
Elliott and Fry, Baker Street, London (portraits of Sir James Stirling and Mr. Neville) /
Bolak (portrait of Sir George Farwell), “Lord Justice Sir George Farwell of Knowle Manor, as caricatured by Frederick Thomas Dalton in Vanity Fair, 1900 and as photographed in The Graphic, 1906,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 16, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3418.
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