Sunday, 05 November 2006

Press release

left to right: Colin Fine-Thompson, Chairman of the Middleton Hall Trust, Dr Stuart Burch, The Hon. Georgina Stonor, J. Robert Peel and David Biggs, Curator Of the Peel Society.

The Tamworth based Peel Society held its end of season Sunday luncheon at Middleton Hall recently. This was to celebrate the end of the third season of the display of the Peel Museum Collection in the Hall. They welcomed two members of the Peel family. The Honourable Georgina Stonor is a great-great grand daughter of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, who founded the Metropolitan Police in 1829 and was twice Prime Minister as well as being MP for Tamworth and squire of Drayton Manor. Georgina Stonor is descended from Eliza Peel, who was the youngest daughter of Sir Robert. The other member of the family was J. Robert Peel, who is descended from one of Peel’s uncles. Both are Life members of the Society.

The members of the Society had a talk after the meal by Dr Stuart Burch, a senior lecturer in Heritage Studies and Museum Management at Nottingham Trent University on the subject of “Peel and Statue mania” Peel’s death in 1850 at the height of his fame, evoked a rash of statues around the country. This continued during the 2nd half of the 19th century with statues being erected to politicians such as Gladstone, Disraeli, 14th Earl of Derby and obscure generals of colonial wars. Dr Burch was particularly interesting about Peel’s statue in Parliament Square. Two examples were not considered good enough so were melted down. Finally, Matthew Noble , who sculpted the Tamworth statue, produced the one which now stands there.

The next major event for the Peel Society is an official visit to Bury, Peel’s birthplace and Knowsley Hall, the seat of the 14th Earl of Derby, who was in Peel’s cabinet. This takes place in April 2007.

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