Richard de Aquila Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge, (28 January 1837 – 18 May 1912), styled Lord Richard Grosvenor between 1845 and 1886, was a British politician and businessman. Initially a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

, he served under

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is usually a senior government whip in the British House of Commons ranking third or fourth after the Chief Whip and ...

between 1872 and 1874 and as

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is the official title of the most senior whip of the governing party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Today, any official links between the Treasury and this office are nominal and the title ...

between 1880 and 1885. However, he broke with Gladstone over

Irish Home Rule The Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of ...

in 1886 and joined the

Liberal Unionists The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

Background and education

Grosvenor was the fourth but second surviving son of

Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (27 January 1795 – 31 October 1869), styled The Honourable Richard Grosvenor from 1795 to 1802, Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Grosvenor from 1831 to 1845, was an English polit ...

, and Lady Elizabeth Mary, daughter of

George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland Order of the Garter, KG, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (9 January 175819 July 1833), known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as t ...

Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, (13 October 1825 – 22 December 1899), styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845, Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869, and known as The Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an ...

, was his elder brother.thepeerage.com Richard de Aquila Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge
/ref> He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and admitted on 24 January 1849 to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 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 ...

, matriculating in 1855, he was awarded MA graduation in 1858. During an adventurous youth, he toured the western United States and was present at the sack of the

Summer Palace The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden during the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quar ...

during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

. On 20 April 1858, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the

Dorsetshire Yeomanry The Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army founded in 1794 as the Dorsetshire Regiment of Volunteer Yeomanry Cavalry in response to the growing threat of invasion during the Napoleonic wars. It gained its first ro ...

and promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 19 July 1866. He succeeded

Lord Digby Baron Digby is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Ireland and once in the Peerage of Great Britain, for members of the same family. Robert Digby, Governor of King's County, was created Baron Digby, of Geashill in the ...

as lieutenant-colonel commandant on 20 September 1870.

Political career

Grosvenor was

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

Member of Parliament for

Flintshire Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...

from 1861 until 1886. On 19 March 1872 he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed

, a post he held until the government fell in 1874. When the Liberals returned to power in 1880 under Gladstone, Grosvenor was made Patronage Secretary to the Treasury, as the Chief Whip was known. He remained in this post until 1885, but disagreed with Gladstone over

and resigned his seat in protest (by accepting appointment as a

Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds Appointment to the position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds (or the Three Hundreds of Chiltern) is a procedural device to allow members of Parliament (MPs) to resign from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Since ...

in 1886. He was subsequently raised to the peerage on 22 March 1886 as Baron Stalbridge, of Stalbridge in the County of Dorset, and became a leader of the

Liberal Unionist Party The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

from the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

Later life

On 15 April 1882, Grosvenor resigned his command of the Dorsetshire Yeomanry Cavalry and was appointed honorary colonel of the regiment, a post he held until 1895. In 1891, he was appointed chairman of the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

, of which he had been a director since 1870 and had eagerly promoted. In 1867 he was prompted by Emperor Napoleon III to head an international committee to promote a populist view of a

Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (), sometimes referred to by the Portmanteau, portmanteau Chunnel, is a undersea railway tunnel, opened in 1994, that connects Folkestone (Kent, England) with Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais, France) beneath the English Channel at ...

, which contemplated a submarine railway between England and France. In 1895 he established the LNWR Savings Bank, which became the main sponsor of a new ambulance centre for the St John's Ambulance Association in Manchester. He had inherited Motcombe House in 1891. The house was demolished after he contracted

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

in 1894 and a new house built in 1895. However, much of the estate was sold off in 1905 to raise money, when the family moved to London. Lord Stalbridge had, in 1887, agreed to pay off some of the debts of Liberal peer, Lord Sudeley, and the resulting financial entanglement severely reduced his wealth.

Family

Lord Stalbridge married at Westminster Abbey on 5 November 1874, as his first wife the Hon. Beatrice Charlotte Elizabeth Vesey, third and youngest daughter of

Thomas Vesey, 3rd Viscount de Vesci Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Vesey, 3rd Viscount de Vesci and 4th Baron Knapton (21 September 1803 – 23 December 1875), was an Anglo-Irish peer and Conservative politician. Background de Vesci was the son of The 2nd Viscount de Vesci and Franc ...

, by Emma, youngest daughter of the 11th Earl of Pembroke. She died of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

in Brook Street in 1876, shortly after the birth of their only child: *Hon. Elizabeth Emma Beatrice Grosvenor (1875–1931), who on 1 June 1899 married Aubrey Clare Hugh Smith, RN, who later became an admiral. Stalbridge married his second wife on 3 April 1879, Eleanor Frances Beatrice (d.1911), younger daughter of Robert Hamilton-Stubber of Moyne, Queens County, by Olivia, daughter of the Rev Edward Lucas. They had five children: *Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Baron Stalbridge (1880–1949), twin *Hon. Blanche Grosvenor (1880–1964), twin, married Lieutenant-Colonel James Holford *Hon. Gilbert Grosvenor (1881–1939), married Effie E. Cree; no issue *Captain Hon. Richard Eustace Grosvenor, MC (1883–1915), killed in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

*Hon. Eleanor Lilian Grosvenor (1885–1977), married Major Josceline Grant; mother of

Elspeth Huxley Elspeth Joscelin Huxley CBE (née Grant; 23 July 1907 – 10 January 1997) was an English writer, journalist, broadcaster, magistrate, environmentalist, farmer, and government adviser. She wrote over 40 books, including her best-known lyri ...

Lady Stalbridge died on 21 March 1911 at 22 Sussex Square, and was buried on 25 March at Motcombe. Lord Stalbridge survived her by about a year and died at his London home on 18 May 1912, aged 75. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, Hugh. His will was probated in July 1912 at £5,863 gross, and £2,849 net.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stalbridge, Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Grosvenor, Richard Grosvenor, Richard Liberal Unionist Party MPs for Welsh constituencies Grosvenor, Richard Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge Richard de Aquila Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge, (28 January 1837 – 18 May 1912), styled Lord Richard Grosvenor between 1845 and 1886, was a British politician and businessman. Initially a Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, he served under ...

Grosvenor, Richard 1837 births 1912 deaths Grosvenor, Richard Grosvenor, Richard Grosvenor, Richard Grosvenor, Richard Grosvenor, Richard Grosvenor, Richard UK MPs who were granted peerages Directors of the London and North Western Railway People educated at Westminster School, London Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry officers Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria