Sir Gervais Squire Chittick Rentoul KC (1 August 1884 – 7 March 1946) was a British

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. He was the eldest son of Judge James Alexander Rentoul, M.P. for East Down 1890–1902, and his wife, Florence Isabella Young. James Rentoul was something of an eccentric and one contemporary newspaper reported of him that "no man, woman or child wished to see him return to East Down." He was born in Plumstead and educated at the

City of London School , established = , closed = , type = Public school Boys' independent day school , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Alan Bird , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair = Ian Seaton , founder = John Carpenter , special ...

, the

Royal University of Ireland The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the ''University Education (Ireland) Act 1879'' as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the University of London. A Royal Charter was issued on 27 Apri ...

and Christ Church, Oxford, where he obtained first class honours in Jurisprudence and was President of the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...

Society. While at Oxford he was active in the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University ...

(OUDS). Among the stage roles he played was Angelo in '' Measure for Measure'' (1906)''This is My Case'' and Petruchio in ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' (1907), a production including the professional actresses

Lily Brayton Elizabeth "Lily" Brayton (23 June 1876 – 30 April 1953) was an English actress and singer, known for her performances in Shakespeare plays and for her nearly 2,000 performances in the First World War hit musical ''Chu Chin Chow''. Early life ...

as Katherine (and her real-life sister Agnes as her character's sister, Bianca). After leaving Oxford he acted with the

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along with fellow barrister and OUDS alumnus C.W.Mercer, who subsequently acted as his best man. In 1912, he married Christian Muriel Smart (b. 1884); they had one daughter, Sylvia (b. 1916) who married Ferenc Gallo. In 1924, he was Master of the

Guild of Freemen of the City of London The Guild of Freemen of the City of London is an association of those who hold the Freedom of the City of London. Membership of the Guild is open to all freemen, regardless of whether they are also members of a City livery company.

. He was elected Conservative

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Lowestoft in 1922. He was founding chairman of the

1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench member ...

(1923–1932) and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the

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(1925–1929). He became a barrister and took silk in 1930, becoming

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. He was knighted in 1929 and retired from Parliament in 1934. He was portrayed on television by

Robin Sachs Robin Sachs (5 February 1951 – 1 February 2013) was an English actor, active in the theatre, television and films. He was also known for his voice-over work in films and video games. Born to a theatrical family, Sachs studied at the Royal Acad ...

in the play ''The Root of all Evil'' (1981),''The Root of All Evil''
ftvdb.org.uk. Accessed 8 January 2023. a dramatisation of the Seddon murder case in 1912 in which Rentoul had appeared for the defence.

Selected publications

*''Sometimes I Think'' (Hodder & Stoughton, 1940) *''This is My Case'' An Autobiography (Hutchinson, 1944)

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rentoul, Gervais 1884 births 1946 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Chairmen of the 1922 Committee Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English barristers English King's Counsel Knights Bachelor Members of Kensington Metropolitan Borough Council People educated at the City of London School Presidents of the Oxford Union 20th-century King's Counsel UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 20th-century English lawyers Stipendiary magistrates (England and Wales)