This is the face of the man who saw something in William Hoodless (1776-1855) and enable him to transition from the rural grind of a life of farming to the professional status of a man about town. John Christian Curwen was born John Christian on 12 July 1756 to John Christian of Ewanrigg and Jane Curwen. His father had been High Sheriff of Cumberland and died when he was 11 years old in 1767. His mother was daughter of Eldred Curwen and the Curwen’s are an ancient family with lineage back to pre-Norman conquest times in the Cumberland region and landowners in Workington since those times.
JCC’s upbringing was typical of the landed gentry of the day.
- In 1773 he went to Peterhouse, Cambridge.
- 1775 he married Margaret Taubman, the daughter of the Speaker of the House of Keys, Isle of Man. The had a son, John Christian, but she died in 1778.
- In 1779-1782, widowed and without clear direction, he went on the Grand Tour of Europe. The standard rite of passage for gentlemen of a certain class at the time.
- Upon returning home he married his cousin Isabella Curwen, daughter and heiress of his uncle Henry Curwen on 5th October 1782. In this way he controlled the Curwen manors and estates from 1783 and inherited them in 1790 upon his uncle’s death. He added the Curwen to his name at the time of his marriage.
JCC was a busy man. He was obviously a smart thinker, a business man and proactive in trying to improve the economic and social status of Workington as well as improve the day to day life for the working class. Between 1783 and his death in 1828
JCC was elected to parliament for the Carlisle district (1796-1812) and (1816-1820) and then as an MP for the county 1820-1828
JCC campaigned to reform the Corn Laws and for other agrarian reforms helping to create a fairer market and lower food prices.
JCC campaigned for Roman Catholic Emancipation – the right for Catholics to participate fully in public life in the UK.
JCC was twice offered a peerage but turned it down. He didn’t want to be a lord? Did he not think he deserved it?
JCC was super interested in farming and everything agriculture. He founded the Workington Agricultural Society and set up Schoose farm as an experimental farm to try out his progressive ideas.
JCC was heavily involved in mining, one of the main industries of the area and an extremely dangerous one to work in. He introduced mutual benefit insurance schemes for his mine workers to give security for their families.
Despite all his efforts, his forward thinking and inventive mind, things did not go to plan for JCC. He died on 11th December 1828 and was buried without fanfare or even a memorial. His debts outweighed his assets by a whopping £100,000. He was a man who gave far more than he received. He and Isabella had five sons and three daughters to carry on the Curwen legacy.