Richard Greville Verney, Vanity Fair, 1905-11-23

Richard Greville Verney, 19th Baron Willoughby de Broke (29 March 1869 (

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

) – 16 December 1923) was a British peer 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 i ...

politician.

Life

Verney was the son of Colonel

Henry Verney, 18th Baron Willoughby de Broke Colonel Henry Verney, 18th Baron Willoughby de Broke and de jure 26th Baron Latimer (14 May 1844 – 19 December 1902) of Compton Verney in Warwickshire, was a British peer. Origins He was born ''Henry Barnard'' at Kineton, next to Compton Vern ...

and Geraldine Smith-Barry and educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

. He married Marie Frances Lisette Hanbury, daughter of Charles Addington Hanbury, on 2 July 1895. They had one son, John Henry Peyto Verney, who succeeded him as 20th Baron Willoughby de Broke. The historian

George Dangerfield George Bubb Dangerfield (28 October 1904 in Newbury, Berkshire – 27 December 1986 in Santa Barbara, California) was a British-born American journalist, historian, and the literary editor of '' Vanity Fair'' from 1933 to 1935. He is known prima ...

described Verney as "a genial and sporting young peer, whose face bore a pleasing resemblance to the horse. ... He had quite a gift for writing, thought clearly, and was not more than two hundred years behind his time." He wrote a book on foxhunting called "Hunting the Fox", which was published in 1921. Verney represented Rugby, Warwickshire as an MP from 1895–1900. In 1902 he succeeded his father as 19th

Baron Willoughby de Broke Baron Willoughby de Broke is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ in 1491 for Sir Robert Willoughby, of the manor of Broke, part of Westbury, Wiltshire, who according to modern doctrine was ''de jure'' 9th Baron Latime ...

and is considered to have succeeded as ''de jure'' 26th and 27th

Baron Latimer The title Baron Latimer or Latymer has been created, by the definitions of modern peerage law, four times in the Peerage of England. Of these, one (of Snape) was restored from abeyance in 1913; one (of Braybrook) is forfeit; the other two (both ...

of Corby but did not claim those titles. In the House of Lords, he and

Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury Hardinge is a surname. People with the surname include: *Viscount Hardinge, UK peerage, including: **Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge (1785–1856), British Army field marshal, Governor-General of India **Charles Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardi ...

led the "Die-Hards" or Ditchers in opposition to the

Parliament Act 1911 The Parliament Act 1911 (1 & 2 Geo. 5 c. 13) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is constitutionally important and partly governs the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two Houses of Parlia ...

. In 1921, Verney sold the family seat,

Compton Verney House Compton Verney House () is an 18th-century country mansion at Compton Verney near Kineton in Warwickshire, England. It is located on the west side of a lake north of the B4086 about north-west of Banbury. Today, it is the site of the Compton V ...

, to Joseph Watson (d. 1922), a soap manufacturer from

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, who was elevated to the peerage in 1922 as 1st Baron Manton of Compton Verney. He retained an estate cottage in Kineton called Fox Cottage, which became his country residence.

Debrett's Peerage Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company, publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John Deb ...

, 1968, p. 1156, Baron Willoughby de Broke. Upon his death, on 16 December 1923, his title passed to his son, John Henry Peyto Verney. His autobiography, ''The Passing Years'', was published posthumously in 1924. According to P. J. Waller, the book is "rightly valued for the picture they present of county society. They colour for historians an otherwise empty abstraction, the deferential community, and divest it of unnecessarily scornful associations of the hubristic and menial kind."P. J. Waller, ''Town, City, and Nation: England, 1850-1914'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983), p. 211. M. K. Ashby wrote that "in the whole volume of ''The Passing Years'' there is not one metaphor which is not drawn from sport or game or weather or the table."

References

Publications

* Lord Willoughby de Broke, 'The Tory Tradition', ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...

'' (October, 1911), pp. 201–13. * Lord Willoughby de Broke, ''The Passing Years'' (London: Constable, 1924). * Richard Greville Verney, Lord Willoughby de Broke. ''Hunting the Fox'' (Houghton Mifflin Co, 1921)

External links

*
Compton Verney House websiteParliamentary Archives, Papers of Richard Greville Verney, 19th Lord Willoughby de Broke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willoughby De Broke, Richard Verney, 19th Baron 1869 births 1923 deaths Politicians from London People educated at Eton College Alumni of New College, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Masters of foxhounds in England UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs who inherited peerages

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...

Life

References

Publications

Further reading

External links