Tin: MASTKRS. 63 



nioveniciit in 1859, as described on a pi-evious page. Fioui this lime to the 

 day ot' liis death he continued to he one of the most prominent men in 

 W'irral. and in 1S60 was appointeti a l)eputy-Lieulen:int ol" Ciiesrhire. 



As a churclniian, King was a profound tlieologian of tlie higli-cliurch 

 schooh engaging readily in all ]<o]emical discussions. He was a lay-repre- 

 sentative at the 1 )iocesan Conferences, and a liberal supi^orter of all the 

 charitable and religious institutions of the diocese. At various times he 

 made many strong and effective speeches on the religious and controversial 

 subjects of the day : — in favour of the " tree and open church movement'" ; 

 national schools as opposed to board schools ; and the union of Church and 

 State. He held i)road views on Sunday observance, expressing them frcjly 

 when the subject was mooted at the conferences. At the Chester Diocesan 

 Conference in 1874, the Dishop had iirvited King to read a paper on '• Sys- 

 tematic Almsgiving." Being a liberal and unostentatious giver, he was well 

 (pialified to speak on the subject, and a most exhaustive speecli lie made, 

 occujning two columns of a closely-printed newspaper report. At another 

 conference King read a paper on the " Iniluence of Cathedrals." Tiiis was 

 a subject after his own heart, as he was well read and intensely interested in 

 all mediaeval matters, and an autliority on ecclesiastical arcliitecture. 



Colonel King was treasurer of the Church Ikiilding Committee of 

 Jlirkenhead, and besides being a generous contributor, he succeeded by his 

 influence in collecting a large sum. He was mainly instrumental in the 

 building and endowment of Higher Ikbington Church; and as a fitting 

 monument to his memory, his wife and daughter added a tower and spire to 

 that edifice. For many years, King was in the habit of going to I>iverpool 

 every Sunday morning to attend St. Nicholas' Church, as he much appreciated 

 its excellent musical service. 



As a politician, King iiad taken no active part in tlie affairs of the 

 nation until the first election of a ?\Iember of Parliament for the newly 

 created Borough of Birkenhead. Previous to tiiat time he had interested 

 himself in local matters, had been a Poor- Law Guardian, and was a noted 

 speaker at all local events and cerenionies. 



On ?*Iarch 5th, 1861, he presided at the meeting of the late Mr. John 

 Laird's supporters, and made, as he himself described it, "his maiden political 

 "speech in this maiden borough." He described himself as "a Tory, a real 

 "Tory, a fossil Tory, if you like." A verse from one of the election squibs 

 of the period reads : — 



God bless you, pretty maiden ; your speech, in cv'ry part, 

 Betrays, if not a Tory head, a right good Lib'ral heart. 

 And, if these be the principles in which a fossil glories. 

 Long life to fossil Tory King — the King of all the Tories. 



