Hamar Bass

Hamar Alfred Bass (30 July 1842 – 8 April 1898) was a British brewer, race horse breeder and a Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1878 to 1898. Early life Bass was born in Burton upon Trent, the second son of brewer Michael Thomas Bass and his wife Eliza Jane Arden, daughter of Major Samuel Arden of Longcrofts Hall, Stafford. Bass was the great-grandson of William Bass, the founder of the brewery firm of Bass & Co, and his elder brother became Lord Burton. Bass was educated at Harrow School and became a Director of the family firm of Bass, Ratcliff, Gretton and Co., although his father barred him from brewery affairs because of Hamar's gambling problems. Cricket career Bass played cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), making a single first-class appearance for the MCC against Sussex in 1865. He was dismissed in the MCC's first-innings by James Lillywhite, while in their second innings he was dismissed for 3 runs by George Wells. The match ended in a draw. Militia career He was commissioned into the part-time King's Own (3rd Staffordshire) Rifle Militia on 15 June 1860 and rose to be the regiment's commanding officer, when it had become the 4th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment. After retirement from the command he was appointed the battalion's Honorary Colonel on 8 July 1893.