John Ailwyn Fellowes, 4th Baron de Ramsey (born 27 February 1942) is a British landowner, agriculturalist, and the first chairman of the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

Career

Lord de Ramsey farms the family's 6,000 acre estate around the village of

Abbots Ripton Abbots Ripton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Abbots Ripton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England. Abbots Ripton lies ap ...

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...

. He has a longstanding interest in fenland drainage, acting as a commissioner for the

Middle Level Commissioners The Middle Level Commissioners are a land drainage authority in eastern England. The body was formed in 1862, undertaking the main water level management function within the Middle Level following the breakup of the former Bedford Level Corporati ...

, president of the

Association of Drainage Authorities The Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA) is a membership body for internal drainage boards and other stakeholders in water level management in the United Kingdom. ADA obtains and disseminates information on matters of importance and interes ...

1991-1994 and 2001–present, and a director of the Cambridge Water Company from 1974 to 1994. He was president of the

Country Landowners Association The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is a membership organisation for owners of land, property and businesses in rural England and Wales. It was until quite recently called the Country Landowners' Association. Membership CLA members ...

(1991–1993), a

Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priva ...

commissioner 1994–2002, and president of the

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840. RASE is bas ...

2002–03. Other roles include Chairman of the Cambridgeshire Farmers Union (1982), Director of the Shuttleworth Trust (1982–1995), Member of the Governing Body of the Institute of Plant Science Research (1984–1989), Director of Strutt and Parker (Farms) Limited (from 1993), and Director of the Lawes Agricultural Trust (from 1996). He is chairman of the Lawes Trust which owns the estate on which

Rothamsted Research Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. It is located at Harp ...

is based. In 1995, Lord de Ramsey became the first chairman of the

Family and personal life

John Ailwyn Fellowes was born in 1942, the elder son of Ailwyn Edward Fellowes, 3rd Baron de Ramsey. He was educated at Maidwell Hall, Northampton,

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and Writtle Institute of Agriculture. In 1973 he married Phylida Forsyth. They had one son: * Hon. Freddie John Fellowes (born 31 May 1978), who as Fred Fellowes runs the

Secret Garden Party The Secret Garden Party, often colloquially shortened to the SGP, is an independent arts and music festival which takes place in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon in England. This location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse and has its ...

music festival each year. He married secondly Alison Birkmyre, daughter of Sir Archibald Birkmyre, 3rd Baronet, in 1984. The couple has three children: * Hon. Charles Henry Fellowes b. 1986 *Hon. Daisy Lilah Fellowes b. 1988 *Hon. Flora Mary Fellowes b. 1991. The family lives at Abbots Ripton Hall, Huntingdonshire. In 1997 Lord de Ramsey was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the School of Agriculture, Food and Environment of

Cranfield University , mottoeng = After clouds light , established = 1946 - College of Aeronautics 1969 - Cranfield Institute of Technology (gained university status by royal charter) 1993 - Cranfield University (adopted current name) , type = Public research uni ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Ramsey, John Ailwyn Fellows, 4th Baron 1942 births Living people Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom British farmers Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Deputy Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire