Major Sir Richard Whieldon Barnett (6 December 1863 – 17 October 1930) was an Irish barrister, sportsman, volunteer officer and freemason who sat as a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom House of Commons. He also competed at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

Family grave of Sir Richard Barnett in Highgate Cemetery

Early life and education

He was the eldest son of Richard Barnett, a doctor of medicine of Ardmore, Holywood, County Down and his wife Adela ''née'' Whieldon. He was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, where he studied classics and law. He graduated with a BA Honours in jurisprudence in 1887 and an MA and Bachelor of Civil Law in 1889. While at university he joined the Oxford University Volunteers, a volunteer unit of the

Oxfordshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

, obtaining the rank of captain. From 1889 to 1897 he held a commission in the 22nd Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (The Rangers), acting as musketry instructor.

Career

In 1889 he moved to London where he was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

at the Middle Temple in 1889 and practiced on the South-Eastern Circuit. An expert sport shooter, Barnett represented Ireland in the contest for the Elcho Shield on 37 occasions, and twice made the record score. He was one of twelve competitors for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the

He finished fourth in the 1000 yard free rifle competition. A member of the council of the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

, he was the captain of the winning team in the Lords vs Commons shooting team at Bisley in 1921–28. He was also Irish Chess Champion from 1886 to 1889. At Oxford he was president of the Oxford University Chess Club, competing in a number of varsity matches against Cambridge. On the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he was appointed musketry officer of the 41st Infantry Brigade. In November of the same year he became Staff Officer for Musketry for the

36th (Ulster) Division The 36th (Ulster) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitchener's New Army, formed in September 1914. Originally called the ''Ulster Division'', it was made up of mainly members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, wh ...

. In October 1915 he moved to the 40th Division, ending the war with the

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

rank of major. In 1916 he was elected unopposed at a by-election as Conservative & Unionist MP for St Pancras West. Following the war a general election was held in 1918: Barnett was elected as MP for the new seat of St Pancras South West. While in parliament he introduced the Nursing Registration Bill 1919. He joined the House of Commons Chess Circle, serving as its president from 1923 to 1929. He was involved in hosting World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca on a visit to the UK in 1919. Knighted in 1925, Barnett resigned from the House of Commons at the 1929 general election. Outside of parliament Barnett had a number of business interests, particularly in oil companies. He was vice-president of the Institution of Petroleum Technologists and president of British Controlled Oilfields Limited. He was also a prominent freemason and a member of the Court of Assistants of the Worshipful Company of Turners.

Later life

In 1892 he married Maud Emmeline Cawsey, of Sidmouth, Devon. She died in 1920. He died on the 17th October 1930, aged 66, following complications after an operation and is buried in a family vault on the eastern side of Highgate Cemetery. Barnett had been churchwarden of Christchurch, Albany Street from 1918, and in June 1931 a tablet to his memory was also erected there.

References

External links

list of Irish shooters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnett, Richard 1863 births 1930 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery British male sport shooters Irish male sport shooters ISSF rifle shooters Olympic shooters for Great Britain Shooters at the 1908 Summer Olympics Irish chess players Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple Sportspeople from London British sportsperson-politicians Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers People of the National Rifle Association