Robert Noton Barclay

{{Infobox officeholder

| name =

| image = 1930 Robert Noton Barclay.jpg

| caption = Barclay as Lord Mayor of Manchester in 1940

| constituency_MP = Manchester Exchange

| term_start = 6 December 1923

| term_end = 9 October 1924

| predecessor = Edwin Stockton

| successor = Edward Fielden

| birth_date = {{birth date|1872|5|11|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{death date and age|1957|11|24|1872|5|11|df=y}}

| occupation =

| education =

| party = Liberal Party

| spouse = {{marriage|Helena M. Bythell|1898}}

| children = 2 sons and 3 daughters

}}

Sir Robert Noton Barclay (11 May 1872 – 24 November 1957) was an English export shipping merchant, banker and a Liberal Party politician who served as Lord Mayor of Manchester, England

Family and education

Barclay was the son of Robert Barclay, a South America shipping merchant, with strong connections to the Lancashire cotton trade.The Times, 27 November 1957 p14 He attended Uppingham School and the Victoria University of Manchester. In 1898, he married Helena Margaret Bythell and they had two sons, John and Robbie and three daughters, Margaret, Elizabeth and Rosalind.Who was Who, OUP 2007 Barclay's sister, Mary Jane (1870–1939), married John Hope Simpson who was Liberal MP for Taunton from 1922 to 1924.Roger T Stearn, Sir John Hope Simpson in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography; OUP 2004-09

Career

Barclay was an export shipping merchant.The Times House of Commons, 1929; Politico’s Publishing 2003 p4 He succeeded his father in the family firm, Robert Barclay & Co in ManchesterThe Times, 27 November 1957 p14 but he also had other extensive business interests. He was director of the District Bank from 1913, being its Deputy Chairman from 1932 and chairman from 1936 to 1946.The Times, 2 September 1936 p16 He was also a director of the National Boiler Co.Who was Who, OUP 2007 and of the Manchester Ship Canal Company.The Times, 10 February 1931 p21

Public life

Barclay served as a Justice of the Peace for Manchester. He played a prominent role in the commercial life of Manchester, being President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce from 1914 to 1916 and in 1931 he was a member of a British trade delegation to Argentina led by Sir Robert Burton-Chadwick.The Times, 14 February 1931 p9 He served as High Sheriff of Cheshire for 1937–1938.The Times, 19 March 1937 p10 Barclay was active in several branches of social and philanthropic work in Manchester, notably as Chairman of the Manchester YMCA and as a member of the court and council of Manchester University.The Times, 27 November 1957 p14 He was knighted in 1936 for public and philanthropic services in Manchester.The Times, 20 February 1936 p17

Donations of property

In 1929 Barclay purchased land known as the Ings and Stable Hills on the shore of Derwent Water in the Lake District and presented them to the National Trust.The Times, 23 July 1929 p11 He later acquired Wray Castle on Windermere near Ambleside and made a gift of the castle and {{convert|64|acre|m2}} of the surrounding land to the National Trust.The Times, 27 November 1957 p14

In 1943 he presented his then home at Mobberley Hall, Cheshire to the Manchester Education Committee for use as a residential school.The Times, 21 December 1943 p2

Politics

=Manchester politics=

Barclay was first elected a member of Manchester City Council in 1917 and amongst the committees he served on, he was a member of the Finance Committee.Shena Simon, A Century of City Government: Manchester 1838-1938; G. Allen & Unwin, 1938 p403 He was later an Alderman of the City The Times, 6 April 1935 p10 and served as Lord Mayor of Manchester for the year 1929–1930.The Times, 7 April 1939 p11 In 1938 he was appointed as Chairman of the city's Air Raid Precautions special committee The Times, 24 September 1938 p7 and the following year he was elected to chair the Emergency committee, an important position while the country was preparing for war. He held the post into the Second World War.The Times, 9 January 1941 p2

He was High Sheriff of Cheshire for 1937.

=Parliament=

Barclay first stood for Parliament at the 1923 general election. In a straight fight in the Manchester Exchange constituency he defeated the sitting Conservative MP, Sir Edwin Stockton by a majority of 1,799 votes.F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949 p187

In 1924 he faced a new Tory opponent Edward Fielden. By 1924 the Conservatives had revived nationally and Fielden regained the seat with a majority of 2,507.F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949 p187 Barclay tried to win back Manchester Exchange at the 1929 general election but in a three-cornered contest he again came in second behind the Conservative, with Labour third. He did not stand for election to the House of Commons again.F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949 p187

Death

Barclay died in hospital following an accident on 24 November 1957 aged 85 years.The Times, 27 November 1957 p1 Lady Barclay survived until 27 October 1960 when she died at the family home, Far Hills, Alderley Edge, Cheshire.The Times, 28 October 1960 p17