John Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth

John Davenport Siddeley, Baron Kenilworth (August 5, 1866-November 3, 1956), was a captain of the automobile industry in the United Kingdom.

Siddeley was born in Longsite in the parish of Cheadle, , Manchester. In 1892, the young bicycle racer and designer was hired by the Humber Cycle Company. The next year he went to Dunlop. He married Mary Goodier and lived in Ireland for a short time. In August, 1894, the family was living in Meriden, Coventry where a son, Cyril, was born. In 1918 they moved to Crackley Hall, Kenilworth.

Siddeley founded the Siddeley Autocar Company in 1902, after beginning to import Peugeots from France. The new firm had Peugeot-based demonstration cars at the Crystal Palace in 1903. By 1905, the company had a dozen models for sale, and it was purchased by Wolseley of Coventry. Siddeley became the manager of the newly-independent company, renaming it Wolseley-Siddeley. He resigned in 1909 to manage the Deasy Motor Company, also of Coventry.

By 1912, Deasy had become Siddeley-Deasy. It grew rapidly using Rover chassis and Daimler and Aster engines. During World War I, Siddeley-Deasy grew to have 5,000 workers producing ambulances and aircraft engines.

After the war, Siddley-Deasy was merged with Armstrong-Whitworth to become Armstrong Siddeley who continued producing automobiles until 1960. Siddeley remained in charge until 1935.

He and Mary had two more sons Ernest and Norman and two daughters Joan and Nancy.

He was knighted in 1932 in which year he served as High Sheriff of Warwickshire. In 1937 he purchased Kenilworth Castle and the same year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Kenilworth, of Kenilworth in the County of Warwick. After his retirement he moved to Jersey where he died. He was succeeded in the barony by his son Cyril.

External links

* [http://www.siddeley.com/people_01_JDS.html The Armstrong Siddeley Owners Club]