Edward Parrott

Who was Edward Parrott?

Sir James Edward Parrott, MP, was a British teacher and author, who served as the Liberal Member of Parliament from Edinburgh South for 1917-1918.

He was born in Marple, Cheshire, the eldest son of a schoolteacher. He was educated at St. Paul's College, Cheltenham and then became an elementary schoolteacher, studying for a MA degree at Trinity College, Dublin at the same time. In 1891, he married Elizabeth Shirley, with whom he would have three daughters; she later became the Inspectress of Schools in Liverpool. He worked in education in Sheffield and then Liverpool for several years, during which time he began to write schoolbooks; as a result of this work, he was appointed educational editor at Thomas Nelson & Sons in 1898, and moved to Edinburgh. In 1900, he was awarded the degree of LLD by Trinity College, Dublin, ranked at the head of the examination list.

He was elected chairman of the South Edinburgh Liberal Association in 1904, and the chair of Edinburgh United Liberal Committee in 1908. He was knighted in 1910 for services to the Liberal Party.

In 1917, the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South, Charles Henry Lyell, stood down.