The Rt Hon Lord Sanderson of Bowden, Sir Charles Russell
Conservative Peer who has enjoyed an extensive
career in textiles, finance and politics, Lord
Sanderson, studied Textiles at Bradford Technical
College in 1954.
Lord Sanderson began his career in the textile
industry and was a Director of both Johnston of
Elgin and Illingworth Morris plc. He is currently
Chairman of Hawick Cashmere Company and
a Director of Develica Deutschland plc. He is a
former Chairman of Edinburgh Financial Trust,
Shires Investment Trust, The Scottish Mortgage
Trust plc and Clydesdale Bank . He has served on
the boards of numerous companies including
Yorkshire Bank plc, National Australia Bank
(Europe), Morrison Construction, United Auctions,
and Edinburgh Woollen Mills Ltd. He is the former
Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party and
served as Minister of State at the Scottish Office
between 1987 and 1990. He was made a life peer
in 1985.
“I came to Bradford Technical College to learn
primarily about worsted spinning. I had done
National Service and came straight to Bradford
from Catterick Camp!
I studied for City and Guilds
and then came up home to Galashiels to learn
about design and weaving, which I did.
My time
at Bradford Tech was good and I thoroughly
enjoyed it. Mr Wilson taught us worsted spinning.
He was a hard task master but I recall him saying
- and I have never forgotten it – ‘Gentlemen, I am
teaching you worsted spinning so that you can
make money. That is why you are here and never
forget it!’
My business career then was working in a mill in
Scotland and then succeeding my father selling
Illingworth Morris worsted yarn in Scotland. Along
with other textile products that business went on
till the mid 1980s by which time I had become
fairly involved with politics and had also been
appointed to the boards of Illingworth Morris,
including Woolcombers etc and also Johnston
of Elgin. That had to stop when I went to
Government as Minister of State for the Scottish
Office in 1987. Since then I have been able to
go back to textiles and am still Chairman of our
own company, Hawick Cashmere Co, making fine
quality knitwear, and I have also been Master of
the Framework Knitters Livery Company recently.
Kingston Macaulay and I were direct
contemporaries at the Tech studying part-time
there when I worked at Robertshaws at Odsal
Top. We have kept up ever since and his sister is
my wife!”
Photograph supplied by the Rt Hon Lord Sanderson of Bowden, Sir Charles Russell