Christopher William Vane, 10th Baron Barnard (28 October 1888 – 19 October 1964
) was a British
peer and military
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
.
Education
Lord Barnard was born on 28 October 1888,
the second son of
Henry de Vere Vane, 9th Baron Barnard
Henry de Vere Vane, 9th Baron Barnard FSA, JP, Hon. DCL (10 May 1854 – 28 December 1918) was a British peer and Senior Freemason.
Education
He was born, on 10 May 1854, as the son of Sir Henry Morgan Vane at Durham. In his youth he was ...
, and his wife, the Lady Catharine Sarah Cecil, who was daughter of
the 3rd Marquess of Exeter at
Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automato ...
in
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly About North East E ...
.
Following in the footsteps of his father, he attended
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
,
but unlike many of his ancestors studied 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 ...
for a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
rather than attending the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. It was at Cambridge that he joined
the Freemasons, being initiated into
Isaac Newton University Lodge
Isaac Newton University Lodge No 859 is a Masonic Lodge based at the University of Cambridge for matriculated members of the university. As of 2013 there were approximately 200 members. This is about half the 397 subscribing members in 1955. The ...
.
Career
Military
Upon the completion of his degree, he entered the armed services, participating in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
as a
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the
Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry
The Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry was a Yeomanry Cavalry regiment of the British Army with its origins in 1798. The regiment provided troops for the Imperial Yeomanry during the Second Boer War and served on the Western Front in World War I ...
in which he was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
and wounded in action twice.
His eldest brother, the Hon.
Henry Cecil Vane
Major Hon. Henry Cecil Vane (19 September 1882 – 9 October 1917) was the son and heir apparent of Henry de Vere Vane, 9th Baron Barnard of Raby Castle. He was wounded in World War I and died of those wounds shortly after, leaving his younger brot ...
,
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
to the barony of Barnard, also served in the Great War
but was subsequently wounded and died of those wounds shortly thereafter,
leaving his younger brother heir apparent to the title of
Baron Barnard
Baron Barnard, of Barnard Castle in the Bishopric of Durham, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1698 for Christopher Vane, who had previously served as a member of parliament for County Durham and Boroughbridge. Vane was ...
.
In 1922, Lord Barnard gained the rank of
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the 6th Battalion of the
Durham Light Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...
and served with distinction in the battalion until 1931.
Civilian
Upon his retirement from the armed services, Lord Barnard took a number of roles, mostly in the service of County Durham.
Between 1920 and 1963 he was Master
and, subsequently, Joint Master
of the
Zetland Hunt and between the years 1958 and 1964 the
Lord Lieutenant of Durham
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Durham.
*Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland 1552–?
* Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon 2 August 1586 – 1595
*''vacant''
*Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 4 February ...
.
He was also a
County Commissioner
A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...
for the Durham
Boy Scouts Association
The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...
.
He was a keen
horticulturist
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
.
He was a member of
Brooks's
Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world.
History
In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...
gentleman's club
and resided at
Raby Castle
Raby Castle () is a medieval castle located near Staindrop in County Durham, England, among of deer park. It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390. Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Ed ...
.
Unlike his father, he did not keep a
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
season home at 20
Belgrave Square
Belgrave Square is a large 19th-century garden square in London. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and its architecture resembles the original scheme of property contractor Thomas Cubitt who engaged George Basevi for all of the terraces for t ...
, SW.
Marriage and issue
On 14 October 1920 he married Sylvia Mary Straker
the daughter of Hubert Straker, at St Agatha's,
Gilling West
Gilling West is a village about north of Richmond in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located in the civil parish of Gilling with Hartforth and Sedbury. It is named "West" to distinguish it from Gilling East in Rye ...
, and had three children:
* The Hon. Rosemary Myra Vane (1921–1999)
*
Harry John Neville Vane, 11th Baron Barnard (1923–2016)
* The Hon. Gerald Raby Vane (born 1926)
Honours and accolades
Lord Barnard received many honours. In 1930 he was
invested as a Commander of the
Order of St. Michael and St. George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
and gained the honorary rank of Colonel in the service of the 6th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, his former unit.
He was invested as an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
in 1955.
Decline and death
In 1964 he gave up the Lord Lieutenancy of County Durham. Notably, a few years before his death
he divested himself of all but of the Raby estate.
He also resigned from the presidency of the County
Territorial Army and
Air Force Association
The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional military association for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, its declared mission is " ...
.
He died on 19 October 1964
at the
Royal Victoria Infirmary
The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) is a 673-bed tertiary referral hospital and research centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with strong links to Newcastle University.
The hospital is part of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Tru ...
,
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
.
External links
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Christopher Vane, 10th Baron
1888 births
1964 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Durham Light Infantry officers
Lord-Lieutenants of Durham
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Recipients of the Military Cross
Christopher
Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry officers
Barons Barnard
British Freemasons
British Army personnel of World War I
Military personnel from County Durham
Members of Isaac Newton University Lodge