Lord Angus Holden of Alston

This item is active and ready to use

Watercolour portrait of a gentleman said to be Lord Angus Holden by John Sowden.

from John Sowden's notebooks -

Lord Holden was the was the eldest son of Sir Isaac Holden and he was born at Cullingworth in 1833. He was educated in Edinburgh and at Wesley College, Sheffield. At the age of 14 he began his business career and afterwards to France to join his father, who with Lord Masham (then Mr S. Cunliffe Lister) had opened a wall coming business at St Denis near Paris. Lord Holden filled a large place in local public affairs. He first entered the Bradford Town Council in 1868, representing the West Ward, and remained on the Council six years. Subsequently, I've just three years interval, he was again returned to the Council in 1877 and remained until January 1886. In 1879 he was made Alderman and elected Mayor, which office he held until November 1881.
He continued as an older man until 1886, when he was elected member of Parliament for the Eastern Division of Bradford, in the Liberal interest. The Parliament was a very short one, being dissolved on the Home Rule question, and Lord Holden was defeated in the election of 1886. Few men have taken more interest in municipal matters than Lord Holden. He was Mayor for three years in succession 1878, 1879 and 1880. During his Mayoralty the Art Gallery was opened by him in 1886 the laying of the foundation stone of the Bradford Technical College took place.
In 1886 the Council adopted the unusual course of electing Lord Holden with the Mayoralty although he was not a member of the Council.
It was felt that the Queen’s Jubilee year 1887 would entail upon the Mayor extraordinary labours and great expense and Lord Holden being a man of great wealth and great liberality with much official experience he was thought most eligible to undertake the onerous duties of the Jubilee year.
Lord Holden accepted the office and discharged the duties, dispensing his hospitality in a most lavish manner. Some 20,000 poor persons were provided with a dinner at Lord Holden's expense.
Lord Holden contributed £1500 to the Imperial Institute, £1000 to the Technical College, £250 to the Nutter Orphanage and £250 to the Children's Hospital.
He was made Justice Of The Peace for Bradford in 1871 and was one of the members of the first Bradford School Board 1870-3.
In 1885 he was returned as Liberal representative of the Eastern Division of Bradford, but was not successful in the next election, transferring his candidature to the Buckrose Division. Mr Holden was returned as member, and retained the seat until his retirement in 1900.
Mr Holden returned to Bradford from France in 1858. Mr Isaac Holden, having parted company with Mr S. Cunliffe Lister, then took into partnership his sons, Angus and Edward, and the firm of Isaac Holden and Sons was formed.
In 1890 Mr Holden was presented with an address and a portrait of himself by W.W. Oules R.A. and a silver dinner service weighing 640 ounces was presented to Mrs Holden as a token of appreciation of their work for the town. He was created a baron in 1908 on the occasion of the birthday of King Edward VII taking the name of Lord Holden of Alston. Lord Holden married in 1860 Margaret daughter of Mr Daniel Illingworth and he had issue one son and one daughter. He died in 1912 leaving £448,000 from estate.

Image filename

Sowden-Angus-Holden