James Losh
James Losh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Woodside, Wreay, Cumberland, England |
| Died | September 23, 1833 (aged 70) Greta Bridge, Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, reformer |
| Known for | Advocacy for reform, Unitarian beliefs, abolitionism, chairman of Newcastle and Carlisle Railway |
James Losh (1763–1833) was a prominent English lawyer, advocate for reform, and a committed Unitarian based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Within the political sphere, he served as a crucial liaison in the North East for the national Whig leadership.[1] The poet William Wordsworth referred to Losh in 1821 as "my candid and enlightened friend".[2]
Early life
James Losh was born on 10 July 1763 as the second son of John Losh from Woodside, Wreay, Cumberland. His elder brother, John Losh (1756–1814), was the father of Sara Losh,[3] while William Losh was his younger sibling.[4] His mother was Catherine, born née Liddell, and Joseph Liddell, an industrialist and banker, was his uncle.[4]
Losh received his early education alongside his brother John under the guidance of local curate William Gaskin and at John Dawson's academy. He attended school in Penrith before enrolling at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1782.[5][6] During his time at Cambridge, he developed strong friendships with John Tweddell, barrister John Bell,[7][8] and Charles Warren.[9]
He completed his B.A. in 1786 and proceeded to earn an M.A. in 1789. That same year, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn and called to the bar.[6] Although his family had hoped for him to pursue a career in the church, Losh adopted Unitarian beliefs while at Cambridge, influenced by reformer William Frend.[10]
Radical lawyer
In 1791, Losh attracted notice by publishing an edition of Areopagitica by John Milton. Holding republican ideals, he joined a like-minded club in Carlisle and briefly faced an arrest warrant on charges of disturbing the peace. Toward the end of 1792, he traveled to revolutionary Paris where he attended sessions of the National Convention and heard speeches by Danton. However, growing disillusioned with Robespierre and the escalating turmoil, he returned to England following the September Massacres.
Losh was a supporter of the Friends to the Liberty of the Press, established in December 1792, and endorsed their 1793 dinner honoring Frend, who had been expelled from Jesus College, Cambridge due to his pamphlet Peace and Union. That same year, he worked alongside George Tierney on a reform petition for the Society of the Friends of the People, which was submitted to parliament by Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. He revisited this subject in a pamphlet published in 1831.
After arrests were made at a meeting of the London Corresponding Society, treason accusations were directed at individuals such as Thomas Hardy and John Thelwall. In response, Losh, Frend, and others formed a committee dedicated to raising funds for their defense. When Joseph Priestley emigrated to America in 1793, Losh and his peers presented him with an inkstand as a token. Additionally, he assisted Edward Christian with inquiries into the Mutiny on the Bounty, conducting interviews with mutineers who had returned.
Losh belonged to William Godwin’s circle of radicals in London; it is believed they met at a 1794 dinner hosted by James Mackintosh. In 1795, he attended a notable tea party organized by Frend that introduced poet William Wordsworth to this group. Losh’s connection with Wordsworth was strengthened through family ties and their shared experience in Paris. While some accounts suggest Losh facilitated Wordsworth’s introduction to this radical circle, it is more probable that William Mathews played that role; nevertheless, Losh and Wordsworth developed a close friendship over time.
Bristol and Bath
In 1795, Losh departed London for Bristol, where he renewed his acquaintance with William Wordsworth and met Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey at a breakfast gathering hosted by Coleridge. Southey’s letters frequently mention Losh during this period.
At that time, Losh was afflicted with tuberculosis and possibly experienced a mental health crisis. He was both a patient and advocate of Thomas Beddoes, through whom he became acquainted with Humphry Davy. Although connected with radical circles in Bristol, Losh relocated to Bath. There, he translated Benjamin Constant's De la force du gouvernement actuel de la France et de la nécessité de s'y rallier (1796) into Observations on the Strength of the Present Government in France (1797), endorsing the French Directoire while criticizing the objectives of the First Coalition. In 1797, Losh participated in an anti-war assembly in Bath alongside figures such as Edward Long Fox and banker Joseph Edye, yet he also joined the loyalist Henry Harington's Catch Club.
Between 1796 and 1797, Losh traveled to the northeast to supervise the establishment of a family alkali enterprise at Scotswood-on-Tyne in collaboration with Archibald Cochrane, 9th Earl of Dundonald. He married in 1798 and spent some time at Shirehampton. That same year, Wordsworth revealed his plans for the long poem The Recluse to Losh and James Webbe Tobin. Finding Shirehampton detrimental to his well-being, Losh returned to Bath and dined with Wordsworth as guests of Richard Warner in July 1798. According to E. P. Thompson’s reading of Losh’s diary, he was retreating from radical politics during this time, feeling disheartened.
Newcastle radical and Whig
In 1799, Losh moved back to Newcastle upon Tyne, initially residing with his brother George before lodging with Thomas Bigge. Eventually, he purchased a residence named The Grove in Jesmond, where he and his wife Cecilia established their home.
He collaborated with Bigge on producing the anti-war periodical The Oeconomist, Or, Englishman's Magazine and supported the New Institution for Permanent Lectures. Additionally, Losh aligned himself with Unitarian minister William Turner in various reform efforts.
Losh thrived professionally in Newcastle as both a lawyer and entrepreneur; from 1812 onward, his diaries reflect successful legal engagements in bankruptcy cases and arbitration. He held partnerships in the family alkali business, invested in a brewery in Hexham, and co-owned coal mines. Through inheritance from his brother-in-law and an uncle, he acquired additional landholdings. However, the collapse of Sanders, Burdon & Co., a local bank in 1803, led to financial setbacks that he mitigated by divesting coal and brewing assets.
His moderate Whig political views combined with empathy for laborers motivated him to support industrial actions such as the 1819 keelmen's strike. In 1832, he was appointed recorder of Newcastle—a role that had been unavailable to Unitarians prior to legislative changes in 1828.
Reformer
Prior to the passage of the Great Reform Bill, Losh took part in public reform assemblies held in Newcastle and Durham. As a moderate reform advocate, he recognized widespread anti-bishop sentiment but sought to discourage it despite his Unitarian convictions. Notably, he chose not to speak at an October 31, 1831 meeting in Durham. His measured approach stood in contrast to more radical factions such as the Northern Reform Union, which he opposed during 1832.[11]
Abolitionist
During the mid-1820s, Losh actively endorsed petitions from the Anti-Slavery Society alongside John Ralph Fenwick M.D. In January 1833, after meeting William Knibb, they delivered joint speeches promoting the immediate end of slavery in British colonies; these addresses were subsequently published, underscoring Losh’s significant engagement in the abolition movement.
Education
Losh embraced forward-thinking perspectives on education, partnering with Thomas Beddoes to develop religious and vocational programs such as Sunday Schools and Schools of Industry. In 1814, he expressed skepticism toward educational reformers Andrew Bell and Joseph Lancaster, describing them as "very useful but very vain men," while expressing preference for Pestalozzi’s educational philosophy. By 1832, Losh openly condemned coal proprietors for failing to provide literacy opportunities to miners—a viewpoint partially reflected by Robert William Brandling amid growing labor union activity in the North-East coal sector.
Other interests
As the first chairman of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, Losh overcame opposition from proponents of a canal scheme led by Armorer Donkin and William Armstrong in 1824, successfully rallying support for the railway project. From 1825 onward, he held roles as chairman and shareholder, and in 1833 he headed a delegation to London which secured an exchequer loan to fund construction.
Losh was affiliated with The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne from 1799 until his passing in 1833, serving as vice-president beginning in 1802. The Society commemorated him with a bust crafted by David Dunbar the younger and later a statue by John Graham Lough in 1836. Additionally, he held a vice-presidential position at the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Between 1802 and 1833, Losh gathered extensive meteorological observations in Newcastle, compiling around one million records that have informed contemporary climate change research. His data notably recorded the River Tyne freezing over for an entire month in January 1814, an occurrence that drew considerable public interest.
Death and burial
Losh passed away at Greta Bridge, Yorkshire, on 23 September 1833. His burial took place at Gosforth on 3 October, where a large number of attendees honored him at the funeral.
Diary
From January 1797 until his passing, Losh kept a detailed diary, which is now compiled into 33 volumes housed at Carlisle Public Library. A selected edition focusing on the years 1811 to 1823 was released in two volumes by the Surtees Society in 1962. These journals provide insight into his viewpoint as a colliery proprietor who was critical of confrontational labor relations and the harsh exploitation practiced by owners and managers.
Family
Losh was wed to Cecilia Baldwin, the daughter of Roger Baldwin F.R.S., who served as rector of Aldingham. Their ties to William Wordsworth’s circle were established through Cecilia’s brother, John Baldwin. Together, they had eight children—five sons and three daughters—though one child passed away shortly after birth.
Their daughters included:
- Cecilia (1801–1866), who became the wife of her cousin William Gale;
- Margaret Catherine (1813–1894), who married Edmund Townson in 1836;
- Jemima Christophina (1817–1891), who wed Richard Blomley Postlethwaite in 1841.
Among their sons, William Septimus Losh (1810–1888) was the surviving heir; his son James Arlosh (1834–1904) represented the final male descendant. James Arlosh was known for his patronage of the arts, and upon dying without children, his estate provided support to Manchester College.