Bertram Godfray Falle, 1st Baron Portsea (21 November 1859 – 1 November 1948), known as Sir Bertram Falle, Bt, between 1916 and 1930, was a Jersey-born

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and politician in the United Kingdom.

Background and education

Falle was born on Jersey in the Channel Islands, the son of Joshua George Falle (1820–1903),

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of Saint Helier and later Jurat of the Royal Court of Jersey, and Mary Elizabeth (née Godfray; died 1917). He was educated at

Victoria College, Jersey Victoria College is a Government of Jersey, Government-run, Independent school, fee-paying, academically selective day school

,thepeerage.com Bertram Godfrey Falle, 1st and last Baron Portsea
/ref> and graduated in 1886 from

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

with a

Master of Law A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

s (LL.M.) degree, having been

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

, Inner Temple, in 1885. In 1901 he graduated from the University of Paris with a Bachelor en droit degree.

Legal and political career

Falle was a Judge of the Native Court in Egypt from 1901 to 1903. Standing as a Liberal Unionist, he was elected as one of the two members of parliament for the Portsmouth constituency in Hampshire at the

January 1910 general election The January 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The government called the election in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the rejection of the People's Budget by the Conservative-dominat ...

. He joined the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

when the two parties formally merged in 1912, although the Liberal Unionists had long been indistinguishable from the Conservatives. During the First World War he served in the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

, gaining the rank of Major. When the Portsmouth constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election, he was returned as a Coalition Conservative for the new single-seat Portsmouth North constituency. Re-elected as a Conservative in 1922, he held the seat until his elevation to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

in 1934. Falle was made a Baronet, of Plaisance in the Island of Jersey, on 7 July 1916. In 1934 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Portsea, of Portsmouth in the County of Southampton. The title was apparently purchased for £50,000 by his wife.

Personal life

Falle married Mary, daughter of Russell Sturgis and widow of Lt.-Col. Leopold Richard Seymour, in 1906. Russell Sturgis had made his fortune in the

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

trade before joining Barings Bank and later becoming head of the bank. There were no children from the marriage. Mary died in February 1942. Lord Portsea survived her by six years and died in November 1948, aged 88. The baronetcy and barony became extinct on his death. In accordance with his wishes, his sister Albina (who died in 1957) made a bequest to the

States of Jersey The States Assembly (french: Assemblée des États; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable of each of the twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of Jersey lie in the system o ...

which became the "Lord Portsea Gift Fund". The fund assists people from the Channel Islands who are unable to obtain sufficient financial support for additional training, re-training or specialised equipment to benefit their careers in the employment of the States of Jersey or of Guernsey, or of the United Kingdom.Lord Portsea Gift Fund

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Falle, Bertram 1859 births 1948 deaths People from Saint Helier People educated at Victoria College, Jersey Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge University of Paris alumni Portsea, Bertram Falle, 1st Baron Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Liberal Unionist Party MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs who were granted peerages Politics of Portsmouth Barons created by George V British expatriates in France