Person    | Male  Born 10/4/1851  Died 1/6/1905

Henry Charles Richards

Henry Charles Richards

Born Hackney, youngest son of Frederick Richards. Barrister, Queen's Counsel from 1898, Treasurer of Gray's Inn 1904 - 1905. MP for East Finsbury 1895 - 1905. Educated at the City of London School and College. For over twelve years with a large City firm (Munt Brown and Co.) and Bacon Scholar Gray's Inn, 1879. Made Barrister in 1881 and Queen's Counsel in 1898. Bencher Gray's Inn. Was counsel to Postmaster-General at Central Criminal Court, 1887. Chairman City Branch Church Defence Institution, 1887. Formed the City Church and Churchyard Preservation Society, 1880. Elected member of Council London Chamber of Commerce, 1902. Chosen Conservative candidate for Northampton against Mr. Bradlaugh (founder of the National Secular Society), and stood for the borough three times (1884, 1885, 1892). Member of Parliament for East Finsbury 1895 - 1905. Engaged in the Tower Bridge case and for and against the London School Board and L.C.C. Argued the Incense case before the two Primates at Lambeth. He was very keen on army reform and middle class representation in the Cabinet and believed in an altered Tariff for old age pensions but not in favour of taxing food stuffs.

He also provided much support and sponsorship for improvements at St Peter's Church at Newlyn, Cornwall in memory of his brother. Spent the happiest hours of a busy life as a frequent worshipper within the walls of St Paul's Cathedral. An amateur archaeologist, in his will he left money for the re-erection of Paul's Cross at St Paul's. Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society; Fellow Society of Antiquarians; Middlesex Archaeological Society; St Paul's Ecclesiological Society.

Amongst his achievements the plaque lists "baker and turner". We take this to mean that he was a member of both the Bakers and the Turners City companies.

Dr Hugh Field-Richards, great-grandson of Frederick Field-Richards, has kindly allowed us to publish his research work, above.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Henry Charles Richards

Commemorated ati

Paul's Cross and the Richards family

The figure on top is St Paul, of course.

Read More

Other Subjects

Thomas Charles Hudson

Thomas Charles Hudson

Thomas Charles Hudson was born on 2 September 1816 in Harrow, Middlesex, a son of William and Anne Hudson. He was baptised on 27 October 1816 in St Mary's Church, Church Hill, Harrow, where the bap...

Person, Benefactor

1 memorial
Silver Thimble Fund

Silver Thimble Fund

Miss {Elizabeth} H. E. Hope-Clarke of Wimbledon, inspired by her own damaged silver thimble, started collecting damaged or unwanted thimbles and other trinkets to contribute to the war effort.  She...

Group, Benefactor

2 memorials
John Harvard

John Harvard

A plaque inside the library provides the following: “John Harvard was born in Southwark in 1607 and was baptized in St Saviour’s Church, the present Southwark Cathedral.  He was the son of Robert H...

Person, Benefactor, Education, USA

2 memorials

Previously viewed

Robert Edward Ryder, VC

Robert Edward Ryder, VC

In 2009 we were contacted by Alexander Ferguson Moran (Fergus), saying his granddaughter’s husband’s great grandfather was Robert Ryder, VC.  Fergus could not easily get to London to investigate th...

Person, Art, Artists' Model

War served, WW1
2 memorials
Robert Milligan

Robert Milligan

Merchant. Born in Dumfries. He grew up on his family's sugar plantation in Jamaica, and moved to London in 1779. He headed a group of powerful businessmen, who planned and built the West India Dock...

Person, Commerce, Race Issues, Caribbean Islands, Scotland

2 memorials