as the 1st Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham EV, with Palmer as commanding officer. Palmer retired from the Volunteers in 1888 with the rank of Colonel. The same year, the 1st Newcastle & Durham was split into three separate units: the 1st Durham Royal Engineers (Volunteers), at Jarrow, and the Tyne Division RE (V), Submarine Miners at North Shields, with Palmer as Honorary Commandant of both units, together with a new 1st Newcastle upon Tyne RE (V). Palmer's younger brother, Alfred Septimus Palmer (1834–1910), a Newcastle mining engineer who had been a major in the 1st Newcastle and Durham, became commanding officer of the third unit. Political career At the 1874 general election, Palmer was elected as Liberal Party Member of Parliament (MP) for North Durham, and held the seat until its abolition for the 1885 general election. He was then elected for the new Jarrow constituency, and sat for the constituency until his death in London in 1907. He had a London home in Grosvenor Square. He was twice Mayor of Jarrow, in 1875 and again in 1902–03. Palmer was in 1902 President of the Newcastle and Gateshead Chamber of Commerce (he probably held this position for several years). Baronetcy In 1886, Palmer's services in connection with the settlement of the costly dispute between British ship-owners and the Suez Canal Company (of which he was then a director) were rewarded with a baronetcy, as Sir Charles Palmer, 1st Baronet of Grinkle Park, County York. He was lord of the manor of Hinderwell which was inherited by his widow Gertrude. Family Palmer married, firstly, on 29 July 1846, Jane, daughter of Ebenezer Robson of Newcastle. They had two sons: George Robson Palmer, later 2nd Baronet (1849–1910) Alfred Molyneux Palmer, later 3rd Baronet (1853–1935) Jane Palmer died on 6 April 1865. Palmer married, secondly, on 4 July 1867, Augusta Mary, daughter of Alfred Lambert, of Paris and Massa di Carraca, Italy. They had two further sons: Lt-Col Claude Bowes Palmer, CBE, Royal Army Medical Corps (Volunteers) (1868–1949) Capt Lionel Hugo Palmer, 3rd Bn West Yorkshire Regiment and Royal North-West Mounted Police, Canada (1870–1914) Augusta Palmer died 2 December 1875. Palmer married, thirdly, on 17 February 1877, Gertrude, daughter of James Montgomrey of Brentford, Middlesex. They had two children: Major Godfrey Mark Palmer, MP for Jarrow (1878–1933) Hilda Gertrude Montgomerie Palmer (1884–1946) Sir Charles Palmer died on 4 June 1907, when he