Henry Birchenough

Sir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet, GCMG (7 March 1853–12 May 1937) was an English businessman and public servant.

Early life and education

Birchenough was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, the second son of John Birchenough, a silk manufacturer. He was educated at the University of Oxford, University College, London and in Paris.

Family silk business

In the mid-19th century, Macclesfield had a thriving silk industry, and Birchenough joined the family silk business, John Birchenough & Sons, as a partner with his father and two brothers, Walter Edwin Birchenough (the father of the Very Reverend Godwin Birchenough) and William Taylor Birchenough. The latter was married to Jane Peacock, daughter of Richard Peacock MP, the locomotive manufacturer. The Birchenoughs, who were Methodists, were a prominent business family in Macclesfield, and Henry's father, a Liberal, served as mayor of the town in 1876.

Birchenough became a close friend of Alfred Milner, the future Lord Milner, and the two shared lodgings in London prior to Birchenough's marriage. Their friendship was to endure until Milner's death.

outh Africa

After the South African War, and at the suggestion of Lord Milner, the British Government sent Birchenough to South Africa as Special Trade Commissioner to enquire into prospects for British trade in the country. For this he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). He became a director of the British South Africa Company in 1905 and soon became prominent in the company, being knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1916 for services to Rhodesia. He became president of the BSAC in 1925 and held the post until his death.

Government committees

In 1906 Birchenough was appointed to the Royal Commission on Shipping Rings, and was also a member of the Advisory Committee to the Board of Trade. He worked with the Board of Trade during the First World War and then with the Ministry of Reconstruction. For these services he was created a Baronet in the 1920 New Year Honours. [LondonGazette |issue=31712 |date=30 December 1919 |startpage=2 |supp=yes] He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1935.

Beit Railway Trust

Birchenough was also chairman of the Beit Railway Trust from 1931 until 1937. After his death his ashes were interred in a pillar of the Birchenough Bridge, which had been constructed with the support of the Beit Trust and which spans the Save River in Zimbabwe.

Marriage

Birchenough was married to Mabel Charlotte, third daughter of the Very Reverend George Granville Bradley, Dean of Westminster, herself a writer and the author of "The Popular Guide to Westminster Abbey" (1885), "Disturbing Elements" (1896), "Potsherds" (1898), and "Private Bobs and the New Recruit" (1901). Birchenough had two daughters, but no sons, and so the baronetcy became extinct on his death.

Works

*"Do Foreign Annexations Injure British Trade?", article published in "Nineteenth Century", 1897
*"England's Opportunity", article published in "Nineteenth Century", July 1897
*"The Expansion of Germany", article published in "Nineteenth Century", February 1898
*"The future of Egypt: The Niger and the Nile, a warning", article published in "Nineteenth Century", 1898
*"The Imperial Function of Trade", article published in "Nineteenth Century", 1899
*"Local Beginnings of Imperial Defence: an Example", article published in "Nineteenth Century", 1900
*"A Civilian View", article published in "Nineteenth Century", 1900
*"A Business View of South African Pacification", article published in "Nineteenth Century and After", 1901
*"Mr Chamberlain as an Empire Builder", article published in "Nineteenth Century and After", 1902
*"Preferential Tariffs within The Empire - A Reply to Sir Robert Giffen", article published in "Nineteenth Century and After", 1902
*"Commercial mission to South Africa: report received from Mr. Henry Birchenough, the special commissioner appointed by the Board of Trade to inquire into and report upon the present position and future prospects of British trade in South Africa", HMSO, 1903
*"Compulsory Education and Compulsory Military Training", article published in "Nineteenth Century and After", July 1904
*"Some Effects of The War upon British and German Trade in South Africa", article published in the "Journal of the African Society", 1915
*"Report of the Departmental Committee appointed by the Board of Trade to consider the position of the textile trades after the war", 1918 (Birchenough chaired the committee)
*"Report of the Empire cotton growing committee", HMSO, 1920 (Birchenough chaired the committee)

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, "The Times", 13 May 1937