Charles Lyell, 3rd Baron Lyell, DL (27 March 1939 – 11 January 2017) was a British politician and

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 the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. Lord Lyell was the son of

Charles Lyell, 2nd Baron Lyell Captain Charles Antony Lyell, 2nd Baron Lyell, VC, 2nd Bt (14 June 1913 – 27 April 1943) was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British ...

and Sophie Mary Trafford (1916–2012). He succeeded to the peerage in 1943 at the age of 4 when his father was killed in action during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and was posthumously awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniq ...

. On the formation of a Conservative government after the 1979 general election, Lord Lyell was made a House of Lords whip, serving until 1984. He was then moved to the

Northern Ireland Office The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; ga, Oifig Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for N ...

as a

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (or just Parliamentary Secretary, particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State) is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister ...

where he remained until he left the government in 1989. With the passage of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

, Lord Lyell along with almost all other hereditary peers lost his automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. He was however elected as one of the 92 elected hereditary peers to remain in the House of Lords pending completion of House of Lords reform. He was a supporter of

Everton Football Club Everton Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Liverpool that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club was a founder member of the Football League in 1888 and has compe ...

and a shareholder. He said

"I have been a great supporter, all round the world, of Everton Football Club. I am 200 miles from there now and 300 miles away when I am in Scotland. But thanks to the BBC World Service, when I have been in, for example, Seattle or elsewhere around the world, great happiness, or perhaps sometimes sadness, has been caused by Everton's results. I declare an interest also in that I am a shareholder."

However, his true football love was Forfar Athletic F.C. He was Honorary Patron of the Angus League Two side and had been a supporter since a young age. He was a regular visitor to Station Park, always sponsoring the last home game of the season. He died on 11 January 2017. At that time, he was the third longest serving member of the House of Lords, after Lord Carrington and Lord Denham. The barony became extinct on his death.

References

Ministerial posts
*

External links

The Telegraph obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyell, Charles 3rd Baron Lyell Lyell, Charles Lyell, Charles People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Lyell, Charles Lyell, 3rd Baron Lyell, Charles Deputy Lieutenants of Angus Schuyler family Van Cortlandt family English people of Dutch descent Northern Ireland Office junior ministers Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999