George William Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton, 4th Baron Westcote, (31 March 1817 – 19 April 1876) was an English aristocrat 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 ...

politician from the

Lyttelton family The Lyttelton family (sometimes spelled Littleton) is a British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Lyttelton family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Lyttelton family include the viscountc ...

. He was chairman of the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Canterbury, with its capital to be known as Christchur ...

, which encouraged British settlers to move to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

Early life

Lyttelton was the eldest son of

William Henry Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton William Henry Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton MP (3 April 1782 – 30 April 1837) was an English Whig politician from the Lyttelton family. Early life and education Born on 3 April 1782, William Lyttelton was the son of William Henry Lyttelto ...

, and Lady Sarah Spencer, daughter of George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer. He was educated at Eton and

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

. He succeeded his father as fourth Baron Lyttelton in 1837 and took his seat in 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 Westminster ...

on his 21st birthday a year later. The Lyttelton seat is Hagley Hall in Worcestershire.

Political career

In January 1846 Lyttelton became

Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. In 1801 the offices of Under-Secretary of State for War and Und ...

in the Conservative government of

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

, a post he held until the government fell in June of the same year. Lyttelton was also Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire from 1839 to 1876 and the first President of the

Birmingham and Midland Institute The Birmingham and Midland Institute (popularly known as the Midland Institute) (), is an institution concerned with the promotion of education and learning in Birmingham, England. It is now based on Margaret Street in Birmingham city centre. It ...

in 1854. Moreover, he promoted the settlement (1850 onwards) of

Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current f ...

with Anglican colonists. The port town Lyttelton, New Zealand bears his name. He served as president of the British Chess Association at the time of the Staunton–Morphy controversy in 1858. He was appointed a Knight 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 hono ...

(KCMG) in the

1869 Birthday Honours The 1869 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of the Queen, and wer ...

Family

Lord Lyttelton married, firstly in 1839, Mary Glynne, daughter of Sir Stephen Glynne, 8th Baronet, and sister-in-law of

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

. They had eight sons and four daughters: *The Honourable Meriel Sarah Lyttelton (1840–1925) married John Gilbert Talbot and was the mother of

Meriel Talbot Dame Meriel Lucy Talbot, (16 June 1866 – 15 December 1956) was a British public servant and women's welfare worker. During the First World War, she organised the Women's Land Army and edited their magazine ''The Landswoman''. Talbot was bo ...

. * The Honourable Lucy Caroline Lyttelton (1841–1925), married

Lord Frederick Cavendish Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish (30 November 1836 – 6 May 1882) was an English Liberal politician and ''protégé'' of the Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone. Cavendish was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland in May 1882 but was m ...

and the Lucy Cavendish College at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

is named after her. *

Charles Lyttelton, 8th Viscount Cobham Charles George Lyttelton, 8th Viscount Cobham (27 October 1842 – 9 June 1922), known as The Lord Lyttelton from 1876 to 1889, was a British peer and politician from the Lyttelton family. He was a Liberal Member of Parliament. Biography Cobham ...

(1842–1922) succeeded his father. *The Honourable Rev Albert Victor Lyttelton (1844–1928), Headmaster of St Andrew's School, Bloemfontein (1884–1885). * The Honourable Neville Gerald Lyttelton (1845–1931), became a

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

. * The Honourable George William Spencer Lyttelton (1847–1913), was a British civil servant and private secretary to

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

. *The Honourable Lavinia Lyttelton (1849–1939), married Right Rev

Edward Stuart Talbot Edward Stuart Talbot (19 February 1844 – 30 January 1934) was an Anglican bishop in the Church of England and the first Warden of Keble College, Oxford. He was successively the Bishop of Rochester, the Bishop of Southwark and the Bishop of W ...

and is the great-great-grandmother of adventurer Bear Grylls. *The Honourable May Lyttelton (1850–1875), whom

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, (, ; 25 July 184819 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour, was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the L ...

had hoped to marry. Balfour remained a bachelor thereafter. * The Honourable Arthur Temple Lyttelton (1852–1903), became an Anglican Bishop * The Honourable Robert Henry Lyttelton (1854–1939), cricketer. * The Honourable Edward Lyttelton (1855–1942), became headmaster of

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 ...

* The Honourable Alfred Lyttelton (1857–1913), sportsman and politician. After Mary's death in 1857 Lyttelton married, secondly, Sybella Harriet Clive, daughter of George Clive MP, in 1869. They had three daughters: *The Honourable Sarah Kathleen Lyttelton (12 May 1870 – 1 October 1942); she married John Bailey on 26 April 1900. They had children. *The Honourable Sybil Lyttelton (17 February 1873 – 2 October 1934); she married Sir Lionel Cust on 16 July 1895. They had one son: **Sir Lionel George Arthur Cust (6 June 1896 – 22 May 1962) *The Honourable Hester Margaret Lyttelton (26 December 1874 – 26 March 1958); she married Very Reverend Cyril Argentine Alington on 5 April 1904. They had six children: **Patrick Alington ( -1943) **Giles Alington (1914–1956) **Kathleen Alington **Elizabeth Hester Alington (6 November 1909 – 3 September 1990) **Joan Argentine Alington (5 November 1916 – 1999) **Lavinia Alington

Death

In 1876 Lyttelton took his own life at the age of 59 by throwing himself down the stairs in a London house.Sheila Fletcher, Victorian Girls: Lord Lyttelton's Daughters He was succeeded by his eldest son

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

, who later also inherited the viscounty of Cobham. Lady Lyttelton died in December 1900.

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *
George Lyttelton profile
CricketArchive.com; accessed 2 April 2016.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyttelton, George Lyttelton, 4th Baron 1817 births 1876 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Great Britain Lord-Lieutenants of Worcestershire English cricketers Cambridge University cricketers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People educated at Eton College Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Canterbury Association Lyttelton, New Zealand George Lyttelton British politicians who committed suicide English cricketers of 1826 to 1863 Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Westcote of Ballymore, George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Suicides by jumping in England Presidents of the Royal Archaeological Institute