Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke, (23 April 1836 – 18 May 1897), styled Viscount Royston until 1873, and nicknamed Champagne Charlie for his love of the high life, was a British aristocrat,

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 i ...

politician,

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...

and bankrupt.

Background

Hardwicke was the eldest son of Admiral Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke, and the Hon. Susan, daughter of

Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth Thomas Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (8 February 1775 – 7 March 1855), known as Sir Thomas Liddell, 6th Baronet, from 1791 to 1821, was a British peer and Tory politician. Early life Liddell was the son of Sir Henry Liddell, 5th Ba ...

. Elliot Yorke was his younger brother.thepeerage.com Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke
/ref>

Cambridge

While studying at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, Hardwicke played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

on four occasions for

Cambridge University Cricket Club Cambridge University Cricket Club, first recorded in 1817, is the representative cricket club for students of the University of Cambridge. Depending on the circumstances of each individual match, the club has always been recognised as holding ...

in 1856 and 1857. He was also a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, initiated into Lodge of Himalayan Brotherhood No. 459 and was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Cambridgeshire in 1872.

Political career

Hardwicke was returned to Parliament for

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

in 1865 (succeeding his uncle Eliot Yorke) and served under the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end ...

and

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of t ...

between 1866 and 1868. He was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1866.

In 1873 he succeeded his father in the earldom and to his estates, including

Wimpole Hall Wimpole Estate is a large estate containing Wimpole Hall, a country house located within the civil parish of Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, England, about southwest of Cambridge. The house, begun in 1640, and its of parkland and farmland are owned b ...

in Cambridgeshire, and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. The following year he was appointed

Master of the Buckhounds The Master of the Buckhounds (or Master of the Hounds) was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. The role was to oversee a hunting pack; a ...

under Disraeli, and continued in this post until the government fell in 1880. In 1879 Lord Hardwicke had a

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

, the

Hardwicke Stakes The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and ...

, named after him.tbheritage.com Gazeteer: Race Courses of Great Britain and Ireland
/ref> An inveterate gambler, the 5th Earl racked up huge debts with the Agar-Robartes Bank and was obliged to put the Wimpole Hall Estate up for sale by auction in 1891. When it failed to raise the reserve price Lord Robartes, as Chairman of Agar-Robartes Bank, accepted the estate in settlement.

Family

Lord Hardwicke married Lady Sophia Georgiana Robertina, daughter of

Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley, (17 June 1804 – 15 July 1884), known as The Lord Cowley between 1847 and 1857, was a British diplomat. He served as British Ambassador to France between 1852 and 1867. Background and educati ...

, in 1863. They had one son and two daughters. *Lady Feodorowna (1864 - 27 June 1934) married

Humphrey Sturt, 2nd Baron Alington Humphrey Napier Sturt, 2nd Baron Alington, KCVO (20 August 1859 – 30 July 1919) was a British peer and Conservative politician. Career Sturt was the son of Henry Sturt, 1st Baron Alington. He was elected a Member of Parliament for the East ...

on 27 June 1934. They had two sons, and three daughters. *Lady Magdalen (1865 - 27 Jan 1940) married Sir Richard Henry Williams-Bulkeley, 12th Baronet on 10 December 1885. They had two sons, and two daughters. * Albert Edward Philip Henry Yorke, 6th Earl of Hardwicke (14 Mar 1867 - 29 Nov 1904) He died in May 1897, aged 61, and was succeeded in the earldom by his only son, Albert. The Countess of Hardwicke died in June 1923.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardwicke, Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of 1836 births 1897 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Deputy Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire 5 Royston, Charles Philip Yorke, Viscount Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Royston, Charles Philip Yorke, Viscount Royston, Charles Philip Yorke, Viscount UK MPs who inherited peerages Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

English cricketers Cambridge University cricketers Masters of the Buckhounds Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers People from Wimpole British Freemasons Members of Isaac Newton University Lodge