John Passmore Edwards: newspaper owner and Liberal MP

Journalist, newspaper owner and editor, Liberal MP, reformer and philanthropist, John Passmore Edwards was someone who changed the look of Cornwall through his extraordinary benevolence. Twice turning down a knighthood, he did what he did because it was right

John Passmore Edwards’ (1823-1911) autobiography states he was born in Blackwater, a small village betwixt Truro and Redruth that has mining heritage and the Blackwater Lecture and Reading Room, a.k.a. the Blackwater Institute, which was established by Edwards in 1890. This would be just one of his many donated public buildings which ultimately totalled around seventy, all benefiting others.

The catalyst for the Blackwater Institute came from the Reverend of Mithian Church, Fursdon Rogers, who’d requested books for Blackwater’s residents and found a ready accomplice in Edwards who’d himself joined a reading society so he could access more books. The Institute building was erected a few hundred yards from the site of the cottage where he’d been born and raised.

Falmouth Library and Art Gallery with 'Passmore Edwards Free Library' clearly visible, commemorating the Cornish benefactor IMAGE: Vernon39 Edwards, born on March 24, 1823, was one of four brothers of a Cornish carpenter and Devonian mother whose maiden name was Passmore, hence John’s middle name. Born into a humble home and frustrated by lack of books when he was young, with those few being theological, Edwards bought his first book when he was twelve, Sir Isaac Newton’s Opticks (a treatise of the reflexions, refractions, inflexions and colours of light), first published in 1704. Edwards declared himself ‘none the wiser’, or words to that effect, having read it cover to cover.

In 1844 John worked for the London Sentinel but as its Manchester rep; he was 21. This was a newspaper opposing the Corn Laws, tariffs which blocked the import of cheap corn, keeping prices high, favouring domestic farmers but raising prices for British people. The paper failed within a year. Come 1845 Edwards was in London, paying the bills through freelance writing and lecturing on social reform; his liberal principles manifest. He was also a delegate to the international peace congresses held between 1848-50 in Brussels, Paris and Frankfurt, these being meetings of like-minded pacifists from around the world.

In 1850 Edwards bought a monthly magazine, Public Good, taking on almost all roles himself and even sleeping on the premises to try and make it pay, but it didn’t! His initial foray into publishing ended in bankruptcy in 1853 and he returned to freelancing.

The Passmore Edwards Institute in Hayle IMAGE: Mutney It was his purchase of The Building News and Engineering Journal in 1862 which saw his fortunes turn, followed by The English Mechanic and World of Science, founded in 1865 and purchased within a year by Edwards, then a shareholding in a London paper, The Echo, which he bought in 1876. It was this country’s first halfpenny evening paper, and it sold in droves. Having sold two-thirds to another philanthropist, the Scottish-born industrialist and benefactor of libraries, Andrew Carnegie, Edwards then bought the whole lot back when the two fell out, installing his own editor once more in 1886.

Edwards first stood for Parliament in 1868, unsuccessfully as an Independent for Truro, however, he had more success in 1880 when he won the Salisbury seat for the Liberals. He quickly became disenchanted with politics, however, dubious about the ability of the average constituency MP to competently represent his constituents. His opposition to the 2nd Boer War (1899-1902) lost him quite a bit of support at a time when most people wanted the war pursued as vigorously as possible. Apparently, he turned down a knighthood not once but twice, once from Queen Victoria and then from Edward VII. It was his frustration with politics and inability to effect change via the corridors of power that prompted his move into philanthropy.

Edwards was a true advocate for the working classes. Over a span of some 14 years, he endowed around 70 buildings that benefited ordinary folk, including hospitals, libraries, schools, art galleries and convalescent homes, many still serving their communities today. Bodmin, Camborne, Falmouth, Launceston, Liskeard, Penzance, Redruth, St Ives and Truro all gained libraries. The Public Library Act (1850) gave local authorities the power to create libraries, free and open to all, however, progress was slow. A frustrated Edwards put his money where his mouth was, giving the programme a much-needed boost.

Bodmin Library, another John Passmore Edwards bestowal IMAGE: Derek Harper There was also Mary Ward House, built in the Bloomsbury area of London between 1896-98, founded by Mary Augusta Ward (1851-1920), a Victorian novelist, but financed by Edwards. It’s today a conference centre, Grade I Listed building, and a masterpiece of both Arts and Crafts and late-Victorian architecture.

John Passmore Edwards died on April 22, 1911, in Hampstead aged 88. A freemason, teetotaller and vegetarian, he was never really mainstream, doing things his way. His benevolent legacy lives on and can be found all around, particularly in Cornwall. A bust of Edwards by the renowned sculptor Sir George Frampton (1860-1928) went on display in the Passmore Edwards Library in St Ives from 2007. The Times called it right in Edwards’ obituary: ‘He did more good in his time than almost any of his contemporaries’. This was despite his wealth not being as great as one might think, nor coming his way that easily. It all just serves to set him apart as a most remarkable person of his time, indeed of any time.

Camborne Library, built 1894-95 with money from John Passmore Edwards. At the front is a statue of Cornish steam loco inventor Richard Trevithick IMAGE: Mike Smith CHRONOLOGY