Colwyn Iestyn John Philipps, 3rd Viscount St Davids (30 January 1939 – 26 April 2009) was a British businessman,

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 and writer on music. Besides his viscountcy, he also held the older titles of

Baron Strange Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that ...

of Knockin (1299),

Baron Hungerford Baron Hungerford is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 7 January 1426 for Walter Hungerford, who was summoned to parliament, had been Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House and invested as Knight of the Order of the Garte ...

(1426), and

Baron de Moleyns Baron Hungerford is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 7 January 1426 for Walter Hungerford, who was summoned to parliament, had been Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House and invested as Knight of the Order of the Garter b ...

(1445), & the Baronetcy of Picton Castle (1621). He was also a co-heir to the barony of Grey de Ruthyn.

Background and education

Philipps was the son of

Jestyn Philipps, 2nd Viscount St Davids Jestyn Reginald Austin Plantagenet Philipps, 2nd Viscount St Davids , (19 February 1917 – 10 June 1991) was a British peerage, peer, the only surviving son of John Philipps, 1st Viscount St Davids, and his second wife, Elizabeth Philipps, Vis ...

and Doreen Guinness Jowett. He was educated at

Dulwich College Preparatory School Dulwich Prep London (DPL), formerly known as Dulwich College Preparatory School, is an independent preparatory school in Dulwich, south London, England for boys aged 3–13 years. The current Head Master is Louise Davidson. In 1938 headmaster ...

, Haverfordwest Grammar School,

Sevenoaks School Sevenoaks School is a highly selective coeducational independent school in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. It is the second oldest non-denominational school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432, only behind Oswestry (1407). Over 1,000 day pupils ...

and in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. He returned to the UK to pursue his career, later studying at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

where he took a Certificate in Advanced Musical Studies in 1989.

Career

Philipps was a 2nd Lieutenant in the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

before he became a partner in the London stockbroking firm of Scrimgeour Kemp-Gee, which was later absorbed by

Citicorp Citigroup Inc. or Citi (stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomer ...

. He had a keen interest in music, both historically and as a manuscript collector (at one point owning the largest private collection in existence). He specialized in the life and works of

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

, contributed to "Music & Letters" (along with various other musicological works) and was the bibliographer of the

Foundation in

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Lord St Davids succeeded his father in the viscountcy in 1991. He served under

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

from 1992 to 1994 and was a Deputy Speaker of 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 ...

from 1995. He was the only Conservative member of the Welsh National Assembly Advisory Group, and his work in relation to Welsh devolution was described by

Dafydd Elis-Thomas Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas (born 18 October 1946) is a Welsh politician who served as the Leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 1999 to 2021. Born in Carmar ...

(Welsh Assembly Presiding Officer) as "the most significant contribution of any Welsh Conservative politician to the cause of devolution; If Ron Davies was the architect of devolution, Colwyn was his enthusiastic draughtsman. His encouragement was unstinting". As a hereditary peer, he was excluded from the House by 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 ...

Family

Lord St Davids married Augusta Victoria Correa y Larraín Ugarte from

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...

in 1965. They had two children: * Rhodri Colwyn Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids (b. 16 September 1966) * Hon. Roland Augusto Iestyn Estanislao Philipps (b. 9 Apr 1970), better known as

Todd Sharpville Todd Sharpville (born 9 April 1970 as The Hon. Roland Augusto Jestyn Estanislao Philipps) is an English musician and the younger son of the 3rd Viscount St Davids. A British musician, singer-songwriter and lead guitarist, mainly in the blues ...

, a blues guitarist St Davids died in April 2009, aged 70, and was succeeded by his elder son. The requiem mass held at his funeral at St. Davids Cathedral on 6 May 2009 was believed to be the first Catholic Mass to be held there since the Reformation.

Arms

References

External links

*
Lord St Davids
at

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great Br ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:St Davids, Colwyn Philipps, 3rd Viscount 1939 births 2009 deaths People educated at Sevenoaks School Alumni of King's College London Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Welsh Guards officers Barons Strange Barons Hungerford 3 20th-century English nobility

St Davids St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...