Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy (27 February 1845 – 11 November 1918), styled The Honourable from 1878, was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

. Gathorne-Hardy was the third son of

Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook, (born Gathorne Hardy; 1 October 1814 – 30 October 1906) was a prominent British statesman, Conservative politician and key ally of Benjamin Disraeli. He held cabinet office in every Conservati ...

, and Jane Orr. Born Alfred Hardy, he assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Gathorne in 1878 like the rest of his family. The same year he was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, a seat he held until 1880, when the constituency was suspended. He returned to Parliament in 1886 when he was returned for East Grinstead, and continued to represent this constituency until 1895. An observant naturalist he was also a keen shot and fisherman. In 1900 Longmans published his "Autumns in Argyle with Rod and Gun", which is a collection of reminiscences of 30 years worth of sporting visits to his brother-in-law's estate at Poltalloch in Argyll. This estate included historic

Dunadd Dunadd (Scottish Gaelic ''Dún Ad'', "fort on the iverAdd") is a hillfort in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, dating from the Iron Age and early medieval period and is believed to be the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata. Dal Riata was a ki ...

as well as

Castle Sween Castle Sween, also known as Caisteal Suibhne, and Caistéal Suibhne, is located on the eastern shore of Loch Sween, in Knapdale, south of the forestry village of Achnamara on the west coast of Argyll, Scotland. Castle Sween is thought to be o ...

Carnasserie Castle Carnasserie Castle (also spelled Carnassarie) is a ruined 16th-century tower house, noted for its unusual plan and renaissance detailing. It is located around north of Kilmartin, in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland, at . History The castle was ...

, and Duntrune - the family seat of the

Clan Malcolm The Clan Malcolm, also known as the Clan MacCallum, is a Highland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Counci ...

. The book has recently been reissued in a facsimile edition. Gathorne-Hardy died in November 1918, aged 73.

Notes

References

* Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (eds.) ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * Williamson, David (ed.), ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (107th ed.) (London 2002) *

External links

* * 1845 births 1918 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 Younger sons of earls Politics of Canterbury Gathorne-Hardy family {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1840s-stub