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Sir George Elliot, Bart., M.P.

1815 - 1893
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December 23rd 2007 is the 114th anniversary of the death of Sir George Elliot. Sir George, or Geordie as he was known, was born in Gateshead in 1815, the son of a miner. He started work at the age of 10 as a trapper boy at Whitfield Pit, Penshaw, and eventually owned this colliery later in his life. In 1849 he became a wire rope manufacturer and his company laid one of the first Atlantic cable. Sir George became an MP on November 26th 1868 and he was created a Baronet on May 15 1874. In his capacity as an MP made arrangements for the new tongue of Big Ben, in Westminster, London, to be forged at Hopper’s Iron Foundry in Houghton. His local residence was Houghton Hall, and he resided at London in the last years of his life. The vault, which dates from 1862, was vandalised and resealed in 1957 and is described as once having an outer door which lead into a large, shelved cavity. Sir George also advised Prime Minister Disraeli to buy shares in the Suez Canal, resulting in England having control over the sea route to India. His funeral was held at the Hillside Cemetery on December 28 1893. It is believed that the vault was created circa 1862 (possibly after his daughter's death) and it has been suggested that three other Elliot family members were interred there.

 

GRAVE I.D: G00025
TYPE: Tomb
LOCATION: AG
CONDITION: Good
DATE RECORDED: 29 March 2003

INSCRIPTION: A small inscription on the brick mortar read as follows: R.H 1957 ... No other inscription or mounted stone can be found.

NOTES: This ivy covered tomb is well hidden and is located to the far-right of the Standish-Standish tomb in section AG. A small inscription on the brick mortar read as follows: R.H 1957 which may suggest when it was last used or resealed. This tomb was further protected with metal sheeting on April 16 2003. A map (dated August 2 1873) accompanying the original consecration deeds from 1853, labels this tomb as "Elliot's vault" The said tomb has since been vandalised beyond recognition. Local residents who witenessed the vandalised tomb in 1957 described it as having an outer door (where the brickwork is now) leading to a large, shelved cavity, with four coffins inside. The vault floor is said to be ornately tiled.

NAME	ABODE	AGE	DATE OF BIRTH	DATE OF DEATH	DATE OF FUNERAL	GRAVE LOCATION	CEREMONY PERFORMED BY
Sir George Elliot - Bart.	19 Portland Place, London	78 yrs	March 18 1815	3:10pm Dec 23 1893	Dec 28 1893	G0025	CGO Griffith
George William Elliot	Folkstone, Essex	57 yrs	May 13 1844	Nov 15 1895	Nov 20 1895	G0025	(Funeral cost £10 0s 0d. He lived at Scruton Hall near Northallerton.)
Elizabeth Elliot	Houghton Hall, Houghton-le-Spring	20 yrs	c 1841	Sept 29 1861	Oct 3 1861	G0025	(Her dress caught fire as she dressed for a party)
Sir George Elliot	Hanover Square, London	36 yrs	May 30 1867	Oct 14 1904	Oct 18 1904	G0025	(Sir George's grandson, he inherited the title)

 

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Sir George Elliot: Fiendish colliery owner or a generous man who never forgot his humble start in life?

1815 – George Elliot was born in Gateshead, the eldest son of Ralph Elliot, a miner. Some records suggest he was born on March 18th 1814.

1824 – George left school, aged nine, and started work at Whitefield Colliery, Penshaw, as a trapper boy. He lived at Chandler’s Row, Shiney Row.

1836 – George married Margaret Green of Shiney Row.

1840 – George entered into a partnership and purchased Washington Colliery.

1849 – George purchased Kuper & Co, wire rope and telegraph cable manufacturer and formed a partnership with R.A. Glass.

1862 – October 30th – a Church of England faculty was issued for the Elliot Vault at Hillside Cemetery.

1866 – George Elliot’s Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company laid the first Atlantic cable.

1864 – George purchased Whitefield Colliery, where he had worked as a boy. The pit closed in 1879.

1868 – November 26th - George Elliot became a Member of Parliament for North Durham until 1880.

1868 – George was president of the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers.

1873 - Sir George Elliot and William Hunter, of Sandhoe, Northumberland, opened Kimblesworth Colliery.

1878 – Sir George erected a stone tomb in the churchyard of All Saints’ Church, Penshaw. The inscription read as follows: To his father, mother and brothers Sir George Elliot Bart MP In token of he reverent love and affection Also to Ralph Elliot, his dearly beloved son

1874 – George was created a Baronet (Bart) in recognition of his work for public services. He advised Benjamin Disraeli to invest in the Suez Canal, which resulted in England having control of the shipping route to India. He was a financial advisor to the Egyptian Khedive (the viceroy under the Ottomans), and also received an honour from the King of Portugal – the grand cross of the military order of Our Lady of Villa Viciosa.

1874 – Sir George’s eldest son, Ralph of Chester Square, London, died aged 35 at the Cape of Good Hope.

1874/5 - Sir George was president of Durham University Society.

1876 - Sir George was Provincial Grand Master of the Freemasons.

1877 - Sir George gifted the 130 foot tall tower and spire to St Mary’s Church, West Rainton, in memory of his daughter, Elizabeth.

1882 – Sir George purchased land in Aberaman as a gift in memory of Lady Margaret Elliot and his daughter Elizabeth. Work commenced on the construction of St Margaret’s Church and was completed in 1883.

1883 - Sir George was president of the Association of Mining Engineers.

1886 – George Elliot became a Member of Parliament for Monmouth District until 1892.

1886 - The Elliot Home for Seamen, in Temple Street, Monmouthshire, is a stone building, erected in 1886 by the late Sir George Elliot, Bart. M.P. for Monmouth district, 1886-92; attached is an institute and modern church for the seafaring population, with residence for the chaplain, established and maintained under the auspices of the Mission to Seamen Society.

1889 - Sir George gifted the stained glass window of the Baptism, Resurrection and Ascension to All Saint’s Church, Penshaw, in memory of his brothers and son.

1890 – Bram Stoker visited Sir George’s residence at the Royal Crescent in Whitby. Sir George owned an Egyptian princess mummy and this inspired Bram Stoker to write the ‘Jewel of the Seven Stars’ horror novel in 1903. Modern day CT-scans revealed the mummy to have a penis!

1893 – December 23rd - Sir George Elliot died. He had exhausted himself working on a plan to amalgamate the entire coalfields of Great Britain. Sir George had proposed that, to improve the working conditions of the miners, a proportion of the coal industry profits should be paid into a fund for retired miners. Mr and Mrs R Clayton-Swan, the tenants of Solberge Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, attended the funeral of Sir George Elliot Bart, grandfather to Mrs Swan. Fire swept through Solberge Hall while they were away. Sir George was buried at Houghton Hillside Cemetery on December 28th 1893. His title became extinct in 1911 upon the death of his great-grandson, Charles Elliot.

1973 – The railings around the Elliot Vault were removed when the headstones at Houghton Hillside Cemetery were bulldozed by Houghton Urban District Council.

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A monument to Sir George Elliot's family in the Church of All Saints at Penshaw.

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Thanks go to the Bennetts of the Bahamas, Alan Vickers and Sunderland Library Local Studies Section for the provision of information on Sir George Elliot. Thanks are also extended to Tim Hall-Wilson, Sir George's g-g-g-grandson. Research by Paul Lanagan into Sir George and the Hillside Cemetery connection is ongoing. Any contributions are greatly appreciated.

 

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