I am delighted with the number of people who read my DRAFT text for In The Footsteps of Sammy Leon as I wrote about my lovely visit to Leon Rec. WOULDN’T IT BE NICE IF ALL PARKS WERE LIKE LEON REC.
Two things today.
I want to visit the location of the old Fenny Stratford Magistrates Court then write about Sammy Leon’s role as a JP.
That done I am going to Ian Stewart’s constituency office to give him a DRAFT I am working on telling of Herbert Leon MP.
In writing this story of the heritage given to Bletchley and Fenny Stratford, now proudly part of THE CITY OF MILTON KEYNES I am inviting Iain Stewart Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South to write the foreword to the book. Iain is walking directly in Sir Herbert (Sammy) Leon’s footsteps as he was also our local MP.
SIR HERBERT LEON Liberal
Sammy was elected as MP for Buckingham in 1891 in a by-election called when Sir Edmund Verney was expelled from the House of Commons. He was re-elected in 1892 but was defeated in the 1895 general election.
Sammy served as High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1909. He was created a baronet in the 1911 Coronation Honours. That being the coronation of King George V.
When he was elected in 1891 he was an opposition member. The Conservatives were in power with Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquis of Salisbury as Prime Minister. In 1892 Sammy was re-elected serving in government under William Gladstone as Prime Minister. And then until he lost his seat in the 1895 general election under Prime Minister Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery.
When he died in 1926 Sir Herbert Leon’s funeral was held at Golders Green Crematorium.
WILLIAM CARLISLE Conservative
Serving from 1895 to 1906 as conservative member of parliament for Buckingham North. I need to do more research on this gentleman.
Frederick Verney Liberal
Serving from 1906 to 1910 as liberal member of parliament for Buckingham. I need to do more research on this gentleman. The Verney Family, of course, was significant in Buckinghamshire. In the early 1980’s when I served on the jury for three cases at Aylesbury Crown Court the judge was a Verney.
The dates I have do not add up ! There must be a missing MP and even then there is a gap. There was a Liberal member of parliament for Buckingham from 1910 to 1915 but I am not yet sure who this was.
George Bowyer
Elected as Member of Parliament for Buckingham in the 1918 general election. . I need to do more research on this gentleman.
Aiden Crawley I am not able to find anything about this gentleman.
In the 1950 general election Frank Markham stood as the conservative candidate in the Buckingham Constituency but failed to beat the sitting labour member Aiden Crawley. In the 1951 general election he beat Crawley with a slender majority of fifty-four votes. With further narrow majorities he held the seat in 1955 and 1959 elections. He stood down before the 1964 general election.
He was given a Knighthood on 30th June 1953 by Queen Elizabeth in her Coronation Honours list.
When Frank Markham entered the House of Commons in 1951 Winston Churchill was Prime Minister. When Churchill stood down in April 1955 Sir Frank Markham served under Sir Anthony Eden until 1957 and then under Harold McMillan until 1963 and then Sir
Alec Douglas Home until the 1964 general election.
I twice met Sir Frank Markham in the early 1970’s when I attended lectures he gave at the time of his publishing The History of Milton Keynes and District. I briefly knew his wife, Lady Markham when I served as the student governor of Milton Keynes Teacher Training College. We used to sit together at meetings. Later when I began my own writing about the heritage of our new city Lady Frances Markham gave me permission to use her late husband’s work.
Sir Frank Markham died on 5th October 1975. He and Lady Frances are buried in Calverton Road Cemetery Stony Stratford.
ROBERT MAXWELL – Labour
The now infamous publisher Robert Maxwell was labour member of parliament for Buckingham from 15th October 1964 until 29th May 1970. He ran for election in the March 1974 general election which overturned the conservative government of Edward Heath and put Harold Wilson back in Downing Street. However, Maxwell failed to unseat the conservative Bill Benyon.
I was a student at Milton Keynes Teacher Training College in 1974. Maxwell came to the junior common room to say that Prime Minister Edward Heath was going to visit the Conservative Club in Queensway so would we students please stand outside a boo the prime minister. Some did but most of us went to cheer Edward Heath. I clearly remember Robert Maxwell dressed in a white jacket standing with a loud speaker hurling political abuse at Prime Minister Heath. Heath ignored the gathering and went straight from his car into the club.
Under suspicious circumstances Robert Maxwell died on 5th November 1991. He is buried in the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem.
BILL BENYON – Conservative
Benyon was elected as member of parliament for Buckingham in 1970. He held on to his seat for the next three elections. At the 1983 election he stood for the new Milton Keynes Constituency. He then retired in 1992. At that election the seat was divided into two: Milton Keynes North East and Milton Keynes South West. He died on 2nd May 2014 at the age of eighty-four. I have not been able to find where he is buried.
In May 1993 Benyon was awarded an honorary doctorate at the Open University in Milton Keynes. This university was co-founded by Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
A very wealthy man Benyon was not regarded as a good constituency MP with many saying he did not relate to the ordinary man and woman. However, the ordinary men and women of Milton Keynes voted for him as their parliamentary member for twenty-two years making him the longest serving MP for the area.
I did meet him once. When I lived in Sutton Coldfield before coming to Milton Keynes I had a friend who was the great-great nephew of Howard Carter who discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun. When the teacher training college held a special lecture marking the fiftieth anniversary of the tomb’s discovery I invited my friend to come along. The front row was filled with signatories including MP Bill Benyon. My friend and I slipped in near the rear of the hall but when the college principal Doctor Garwood learned of my guest he rearranged the front row so we took place of honour. Bill Benyon was not amused !
BARRY LEGG – Conservative
Who ? Until I began researching this chapter I had forgotten all about him. Barry Legg was member of parliament for Milton Keynes South East from1992 until he was defeated in 1997 by Doctor Phyllis Starkey.
DOCTOR PHYLLIS STARKEY - Labour
Phyllis Starkey served as MP for Milton Keynes South West from 1st May 1997 to 12th April 2010. She was regarded as a good constituency MP. In May 1997 she served under Tony Blair as prime minister then under Gordon Brown when he moved into Downing Street on 27th June 2007.
I met her briefly when she was canvassing in the 2010 general election. She was standing outside Melrose Avenue shops when she engaged me. I explained that in my opinion Gordon Brown did not understand the lives of ordinary people living in Milton Keynes. To this she replied: he does understand and it is my job to make sure he understands. When it became clear I would not be voting for her she firmly brought our conversation to and end and moved to engage with someone else.
IAIN STEWART – Conservative
Sammy Leon, William Carlisle, Frederick Verney, George Bowyer, Aiden Crawley, Sir Frank Markham, Robert Maxwel, Bill Benyon, Barry Legg, Phyliss Starkey and now we come to our present incumbent Iain Steweart.
To be continued ?
What next ?
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