Robert "Robin" Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown, (5 January 1927 – 24 November 2013) was a British
Peer
Peer may refer to:
Sociology
* Peer, an equal in age, education or social class; see Peer group
* Peer, a member of the peerage; related to the term "peer of the realm"
Computing
* Peer, one of several functional units in the same layer of a net ...
and banker, who served as
Governor of the Bank of England from 1983 to 1993.
Education and career
Leigh-Pemberton was educated at
St Peter's Court
St Peter's Court was a prep school for boys at Broadstairs in Kent, U.K. In 1969 it merged with the nearby Wellesley House School and its site was redeveloped for housing.
History
The school was established during the 19th century and came to p ...
, then at
Eton College.
He attended
Trinity College,
Oxford,
[ graduating in 1950. In 1954, he was called to the Bar, and he practised law for several years before returning to Kent to manage the family estate of ]Torry Hill
Torry Hill, in Kent, England, is the family estate of the Leigh-Pemberton (formerly Pemberton Leigh) line. It is on the boundary of Frinsted and Milstead, approximately 3 km due southwest of Kingsdown hamlet.
The estate typifies a style of ...
.Kent County Council
Kent County Council is a county council that governs most of the county of Kent in England. It is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council h ...
.
Honours
He was appointed to the Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in 1987, and created a life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
on 14 July 1993, as Baron Kingsdown, of Pemberton in the County of Lancashire. He became a Knight of the Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...
in 1994,Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry
The Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry was a unit of the Territorial Army ('TA') that was formed in 1961 as the Kent and County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) by the amalgamation of 297 (Kent Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery and 3rd/4th Cou ...
and between 1977 and 1984 he served as Pro Chancellor of the University of Kent.[ He also served on the board of directors of the Bank of International Settlements
]
Personal life
His family has a long association with Kingsdown and Torry Hill, near Doddington, Kent, where he rebuilt the family mansion in the 1960s. It features a striking view north towards the Isle of Sheppey, the Swale and the Thames estuary. On the grounds of the estate, there is also what is believed to be the only Eton Fives court attached to a private dwelling; it was built in 1925. Lord Kingsdown's father also built a private miniature railway in the 1930s. This still runs for several miles on his estate.
One of his sons, James Leigh-Pemberton, continues the family's association with the Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...
(beginning with its Chancellor, the 1st Baron Kingsdown) as Receiver-General. His brother, Jeremy Leigh-Pemberton is a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent and is the parish chairman for the neighbouring parish of Wormshill.
His younger brother is the opera singer Nigel Douglas.
Arms
See also
* Kingsdown and Torry Hill
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsdown, Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron
1927 births
2013 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford
Crossbench life peers
Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford
Governors of the Bank of England
Knights of the Garter
Knights of the Order of St John
Lord-Lieutenants of Kent
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Leigh-Pemberton, Robin
People educated at Eton College
People educated at St Peter's Court
NatWest Group people
People from Kingsdown, Swale
20th-century English businesspeople