Obituary

1907, June 5th

As announced in a portion of our issue of yesterday, Sir Charles Mark Palmer, M.P. died a few minutes before 1 o'clock yesterday morning at his London residence, 37, Curzon Street W. He had been ill for a long time, and only recently it was made known that he would not again offer himself for re-election for the Jarrow Division of Durham.

Sir Charles Mark Palmer, the famous builder of warships and founder of the renowned Jarrow shipyard, was born in South Shields in 1822, and received his baronetcy in 1886. At a very early age he became connected with the coal-mining industry of the county of Durham. He joined the firm of John Bowes and Partners, well-known north country colliery owners, and ultimately became chairman. As a coalmaster Sir Charles found the greatest difficulty in competing with other English coal-owners owing to his inability to reach the London markets within a reasonable time. It was this difficulty that proved a great opportunity for him. He snatched it, and, as an outcome, rapidly rose to a foremost position in the commercial world. He determined that transit by sea was the only method by which he could hope to cope with his competitors. An expeditious, regular, and economic over-sea service to London from the Tyne was needed, and he was convinced that the only way to secure that was by building his own boats. He, therefore, along with his brother George, established in 1851, on the southern bank of the river Tyne, a shipyard, which bordered on the pit village of Jarrow. This yard, from small beginnings, had become, by reason of its naval output, famous the world over. The site of the yard was formerly occupied by a business from which, in the early part of the 18th century, wooden frigates for the British Government were turned out. The first iron vessel which Palmer's launched from their yard was a paddle tug, the Northumberland. For his London coal trade Sir Charles shortly afterwards completed the John Bowes, the first iron screw collier that had been built. It carried 690 tons of coal from the Tyne to London and proved a great success. To this enterprise of Sir Charles Palmer's is attributed the important development of iron-shipbuilding which afterwards took place on the north-east coast of England.

Firmly established as a builder of colliery vessels, Sir Charles looked ahead for new worlds to conquer. Vessels of more pretentious dimensions were contracted for, and large paddle mail steamers and screw passenger steamers were turned out from Jarrow. The battleship-building of the Jarrow firm dates from the outbreak of the Crimean war. This disastrous epoch of the 19th century created the first demand for armour-plated vessels. Sir Charles Palmer hazarded a tender, which was accepted by the British Government, and the Terror, a floating battery, intended for the destruction of the forts of Kronstadt, was built. The building and launching of the Terror created a record. She was built, armour-plated, and launched within three months, a smart performance, which was entirely due to the inventive genius of the late baronet. He conceived the idea of rolling instead of forging armour-plates, and by putting this idea into practical use the firm were enabled to do the work with a despatch such as had not hitherto been known. "Palmer's Rolled Plates" fully demonstrated the utility of the invention. A further contribution to the British Navy followed in 1862, when the ironclad frigate Defence was built, and in 1865 was launched the Indian troopship Jumna, which joined a series of vessels constructed for the Indian and European sides of the Isthmus of Suez before the opening of the canal. Atlantic liners were contracted for and built by Sir Charles, and before the close of the American Civil War he built the Ranger and Grapeshot, two blockade runners.

From 1872 down to the present day Jarrow shipyard has turned out scores of ships for the British Navy, Palmer's battleships include the Cererns, Gorgon, Revolution, Revenge, Russell, and Lord Nelson ; cruisers — Surprise, Alacrity, Orlando, Undaunted, Retribution, Pique, Pegasus, Pyramus, and Saphire ; torpedo-boat destroyers — Janus, Lightning, Porcupine, Star, Whiting, Crane, Flying Fish, Chamois, Bat, Fawn, Flirt, Spiteful, Peterel, Syren, Myrmidon, and others. Foreign and Colonial Governments have also had important order executed at Palmer's and it is estimated that, placed in a line, the naval vessels turned out from Jarrow would form a wall of defence extending over three miles long.

Sir Charles Palmer early saw the necessity of introducing the co-operative principle into the work of shipbuilding, and year after year he steadily extended his business at Jarrow, until he was able to boast the possession of manufactories by which he could receive the raw material and turn it out on the river Tyne in the shape of fully-equipped vessels of all grades. Jarrow works include, beside shipyards, blast furnaces, steel works, boiler and engine shops, pig and iron wharves, rolling mills and gas works. They cover an area of over 100 acres, and have a frontage on the Tyne of fully three-quarters of a mile. A special fleet of steamers conveys the iron ore from the Cleveland district of Yorkshire to Jarrow blast furnaces. Sir Charles Palmer had had little or nothing to do in later years with the great firm which he founded. It was turned into a limited liability company several years ago, and the present chairman of Palmer's Shipbuilding and Iron company (Limited) is Sir C. B. McLaren, M.P.

Grinkle-park, Yorkshire, a pleasant estate of a few thousand acres, became in later years the chief residence of the late baronet, although he never ceased to take a warm and almost paternal interest in the town of Jarrow, which sprang, mushroom like, from a pit village to a borough of 40,000 inhabitants, entirely through is enterprise. Jarrow's 40,000 people depend almost entirely upon Palmer's works. Sir Charles Palmer was the first mayor of the borough in 1875, and very many of the public institutions of the town, including the Mechanics' Institute and the Jarrow Memorial Hospital, owe their existence to his benefactions.

He entered Parliament as a Liberal for North Durham in 1874, having previously contested unsuccessfully his native town of South Shields. He sat for North Durham until 1885, when he became the first member for the newly-created division of Jarrow, a set which he held in the Liberal interest for the remainder of his days. Jarrow Conservatives never opposed him, and Labour candidates, who entered the lists, were very badly worsted.

Sir Charles was three times married, and is survived by his third wife. He held many public honours in the North of England, was a Commander of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus of Italy, and is succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Mr. George Palmer, who was born in 1849. Messages of sympathy from all parts of the country, particularly from Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire, were received at 37, Curzon Street yesterday by Lady Palmer and members of the family. It has been arranged that the funeral shall take place on Friday, at 2:30 at Easington Church, Yorkshire, which is the parish church on the estate. The body will be removed to Yorkshire to-morrow, leaving King's-cross by the 10:35 train. Members of the family will go down at 10:10. They will include Lady Palmer, Mr. George Palmer, now on his way back from Italy, Mr. Claude Palmer, Mr. Godfrey Palmer, and Miss Hilda Palmer. It is expected that a memorial service will be held in London at the same time as the funeral.

Source: The Times