Bentham, Frank Holdsworth JP

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Portrait of Frank Holdsworth Bentham JP Chairman of the Board of Guardians.

From John Sowden's notes:

Was born at Thornton August 6, 1858, until the age of 14 years he went to school first at Saint Andrews and later Listerhills Congregational day school.
He commenced work with Mr Nathan Drake who was his Sunday school teacher and afterwards with Mr Thomas Winterburn. At 16 years of age he was apprenticed to his trade as a machine will comb maker. On attaining his majority, he commenced on his own account and devoted his energies to the development of the concern which is styled the West End Comb Works. In 1894 Mr Bentham entered public life as a member of the Bradford Board of Guardians, and gave a great deal of time and energy to the work of Poor Law Administration. He has served continually on the Board up to the present time. In his second year of service he was appointed one of the vice chairmen, and in 1899 was made chairman. He continued in that position for eight years, a length of service that has not fallen to the lot of any other Chairman of the Board since its foundation 60 years ago.
Mr Bentham’s ability was recognised by all political parties. He was appointed in 1905 a member of the Royal Commission on Poor Law Administration. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1906. In the course of three years sitting of the Royal Commission Mr Bentham devoted no fewer than 200 days to the work and travelled more than 50,000 miles. In recognition of eight years service as chairman of the Bradford Board of Guardians he was made the recipient of a handsome silver centrepiece at a public dinner presided over by Mr James Hill.
A tribute was paid to Mr Bentham in 1905 when Mr Gerald Balfour, the President of the Local Government Board, visited Bradford to open the new hospital pavilion at the Bradford Workhouse.
Mr Balfour paid Mr Bentham a high compliment. He said that among the many things on which Bradford was entitled to congratulate itself was the Board of Guardians and particularly its chairman, Mr Bentham. “The policy of your Guardians,” said Mr Balfour, “is represented by the motto ‘Thorough’”. He went on to commend the Guardians for that work in relation to classification, the treatment of the sick poor children and the aged poor, and he identified Mr Bentham very closely with the new and humane spirit which has come over the administration of the Poor Law (unclear, added to the bottom of the page “and in 1905 completed 21 years continued service as Poor Law Guardian) in Bradford. Mr Bentham is a member of the Council of the Bradford Royal infirmary, and a member of the building committee, he is on the executive of the Bradford City Guild of help, and the executive of the Central Poor Law Conference and a representative of the Yorkshire Conference and he is a member of the Bradford Charity Organisation Society.
Mr Bentham has been connected with the Listerhills Congregational Sunday School all his life, having held all offices and being particularly interested in the young men's class, of which he was the leader for many years. He has also held office as deacon of the church and in other capacities.
In his connection with the Liberal Party Mr Bentham has rendered active service. Long before the question of the taxation of land values became a popular feature he was prominently identified with the movement.
He is one of Hon. secretarie of the Bradford Liberal Association. Mr Bentham has been married twice and has six children. He retired from the Board of Guardians in 1916.
He was Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Bradford Liberal Federation for many years, and relinquished this office in 1929 when he was elected President of the Federation.
Mr Bentham died at the Borrowdale Hotel, near Keswick, on April 4, 1931, whilst on the annual excursion of the Bradford Straddlebugs”.

Year

1905

Creator

John Sowden

Image filename

sowden-11