Erskine ("Eric") Arthur Nicolson, 3rd Baron Carnock DSO, JP (26 March 1884 – 2 October 1982), styled The Honourable from 1916 until 1952, was a British peer and sailor.

Background and education

Born in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Nicolson was the second son of Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock, at that time chargé d'affaires at the British legation. His mother was Mary Catharine, the daughter of Archibald Rowan-Hamilton, a soldier in the

5th Dragoon Guards The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially formed in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse. Following a number of name changes, it became the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) ...

. In 1952, Nicolson succeeded his older brother Frederick Archibald Nicolson, 2nd Baron Carnock, in the peerage title of

Baron Carnock Baron Carnock, of Carnock in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1916 for the former Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign Office, Sir Arthur Nicolson, 11th Baronet. The Nicolson famil ...

, who had inherited their father's titles in 1928. A third brother was the author Harold Nicolson.Burke (2001), p. 1109 When

James Lees-Milne (George) James Henry Lees-Milne (6 August 1908 – 28 December 1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses, who worked for the National Trust from 1936 to 1973. He was an architectural historian, novelist and biographer. His extensi ...

was writing his biography of Harold Nicolson, he visited Lord Carnock, at this point in his mid-nineties and living in a Devon nursing home; he "opined that Harold was a liar and a coward and not worth a biography".

Military career

Nicolson entered the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and was educated at the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

, called HMS ''Britannia''. In 1912, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy for his participation in the British rescue mission after the

1908 Messina earthquake The 1908 Messina earthquake (also known as the 1908 Messina and Reggio earthquake) occurred on 28 December in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epice ...

. He went to the

Royal Naval Staff College The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

in 1913 and afterwards became a war staff officer in a light cruiser squadron, fighting in the

First World War 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 ...

.Who's Who (1963), p. 492 For his services in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Nicolson was appointed a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

on 15 September 1916. After the war he was decorated with the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

in 1919 and received also the Order of St Anne of Russia. He retired as a commander in 1924 and was nominated a Justice of the Peace for the county of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

Family

On 9 October 1919, Nicolson married Katharine Frederica Albertha, eldest daughter of

Henry Lopes, 1st Baron Roborough Henry Yarde Buller Lopes, 1st Baron Roborough (24 March 1859 – 14 April 1938), known as Sir Henry Lopes, 4th Baronet from 1908 to 1938, of Maristow in the parish of Tamerton Foliot, Devon, was a British Conservative Party politician. Life Lo ...

.Dod (1982), p. 47 They had three children, one daughter and two sons. His wife died in 1968 and Nicolson survived her until 2 October 1982. He was succeeded in the barony by his older son

David Nicolson, 4th Baron Carnock David Henry Arthur Nicolson, 4th Baron Carnock (10 July 1920 – 26 December 2008) was a British peer and solicitor. The son of the 3rd Baron Carnock and Hon. Katharine Frederica Albertha Lopes, he was educated at Winchester College and Balliol C ...

.Burke (2001), p. 1108

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carnock, Erskine Nicolson, 3rd Baron 1884 births 1982 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Royal Navy officers of World War I