Alexander Peckover, 1st Baron Peckover

Alexander Peckover, 1st Baron Peckover FRGS, FSA, FLS (16 August 1830 – 21 October 1919), was an English Quaker banker, philanthropist and collector of ancient manuscripts.

Alexander Peckover
Bank House (now Peckover House) in Wisbech, the seat of Lord Peckover
Born	16 August 1830 Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Died	21 October 1919
Nationality	British
Occupation	banker, philanthropist

Early years

Peckover was born at Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, the son of Algernon Peckover, of Bank House, Wisbech, by Priscilla Alexander, daughter of Dykes Alexander, a banker, of Ipswich, Suffolk. He was educated at Grove House School, Tottenham, London.[1]

Career

The Peckovers were a Quaker banking family and owners of the Peckover Bank, which later merged into Gurney, Peckover and Company, he started as a clerk in 1847 and worked his way up and became a partner in 1866 Retiring in 1894.[1][2] His sister Priscilla Hannah Peckover was a pacifist and linguist.[3] Peckover was also an active peace campaigner, chairing annual meetings of the Wisbech Local Peace Association.[4]

Retirement

In his retirement he devoted himself mainly to meteorological studies and the collection of ancient manuscripts.[5] He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Linnean Society of London[1] and a member of the Hakluyt Society, Spalding Gentlemen's Society and the British Numismatic Society. In 1893, he was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, a post he held until 1906.[1] The following year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Peckover, of Wisbech in the County of Cambridge.[6]

Family

Peckover married Eliza Sharples, daughter of Joseph Sharples, a banker, of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in 1858. They had three daughters. He is said to have declined the offer a special remainder that would have allowed the title to descend through his daughter to his grandson, stating that "if my grandson wants the title he must earn it".[5] Eliza died in August 1862, only a year after the birth of her youngest child. Lord Peckover remained a widower until his death in October 1919, aged 89. His title died with him.[1] His daughter Elizabeth married the artist J. Doyle Penrose.

References

1. thepeerage.com Alexander Peckover, 1st and last Baron Peckover
2. Day-Coombes, Molly (2019). "The life and work of Alexander Peckover". The Fens - Wisbech & Surrounding. 19: 12–13.
3. "Peckover, Priscilla Hannah". Det Danske Fredsakademi. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
4. "Peace Association". Stamford Mercury. 10 December 1897. p. 6.
5. The New York Times: "Lord Peckover died at 89."
6. "No. 28043". The London Gazette. 23 July 1907. p. 5029.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Peckover
• "The Peckovers"- The Wisbech Society and Preservation Trust Limited