Sir Charles Thomas Dyke Acland, 12th Baronet,
DL,
JP (16 July 1842 – 18 February 1919), of
Killerton in Devon and of
Holnicote in the parish of
Selworthy in Somerset, was a large landowner and a
British politician and
Barrister-at-Law. He was known to family and friends as "Charlie", but demanded to be known in public as "Sir Thomas", not only because that was the traditional name of the Aclands, there having been a "Sir Thomas Acland" at Killerton for 170 years, but also because following the creation of a second and much newer
Acland Baronetcy ("of St Mary Magdalen in Oxford") in 1890, for his uncle
Sir Henry Wentworth Acland, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Wentworth Dyke Acland, 1st Baronet, (23 August 181516 October 1900) was an English physician and educator.
Life
Henry Acland was born in Killerton, Exeter, the fourth son of Sir Thomas Acland and Lydia Elizabeth Hoare, and educate ...
(the fourth son of the tenth Baronet), he wished people to know "which was the real head and owner of Killerton".
Origins
Born in
Queen Anne Street
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it merge ...
in
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 ...
, he was the son of
Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 11th Baronet
Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 11th Baronet, FRS (25 May 1809 – 29 May 1898) was a British educational reformer and a politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1837 and 1886 initially as a Tory and later, after an eighteen-year gap, as a Li ...
and Mary Mordaunt.
Education
Dyke Acland was 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 ...
in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
and at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, where he graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1866 and a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in 1868.
Career
In 1869 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 ...
by the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
. In 1898 he succeeded to his father's
baronetcy. He served in the
1st Devon Yeomanry Cavalry, reaching the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. He was
Deputy Warden of the Stannaries and
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for
East Cornwall from 1882 to 1885 and for
Launceston from 1885 to 1892. In 1886, he was
Church-estates Commissioner
The Church Commissioners is a body which administers the property assets of the Church of England. It was established in 1948 and combined the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Eccle ...
and
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade in the United Kingdom was a member of Parliament assigned to assist the Board of Trade and its President with administration and liaison with Parliament. It replaced the Vice-President of the Board o ...
. Dyke Acland was a
Deputy Lieutenant of
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
and
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
and a
Justice of Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for Somerset and Devon. In 1903, he became
High Sheriff of Devon.
Marriage
On 1 November 1879 in
All Saints' Chapel in
Uffculme, he married Gertrude Walrond, a daughter of
Sir John Walrond, 1st Baronet
Sir John Walrond Walrond, 1st Baronet (1 March 1818 – 23 April 1889), of Bradfield House, Uffculme in Devon (known as John Walrond Dickinson until 22 April 1845), was a British Conservative Party politician.
Origins
He was born on 1 March 1818 ...
, of
Bradfield House,
Uffculme in Devon, The marriage was childless.
Gift to National Trust
In February 1917 he granted a 500-year lease of almost 8,000 acres of the picturesque and virtually pristine
Holnicote Estate
Holnicote (pronounced "Hunnicutt") in the parish of Selworthy, West Somerset, England, is a historic estate consisting of 12,420 acres (5,026 hectares) of land, much situated within the Exmoor National Park.
There have been several hous ...
on
Exmoor, "one of the most beautiful pieces of wild country to be found in England" to the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
, in order to preserve it from future development. This more than doubled the extent of the lands controlled by the National Trust, then only recently created. His brother and successor Arthur and nephew Francis, 13th & 14th Baronets respectively, co-operated in the negotiations concerning the gift. The lease was converted into an outright gift 35 years later by his great-nephew
Sir Richard Thomas Dyke Acland, 15th Baronet
Sir Richard Thomas Dyke Acland, 15th Baronet (26 November 1906 – 24 November 1990) was one of the founding members of the British Common Wealth Party in 1942, having previously been a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP). He joined the Labour Pa ...
(1906-1990), who also donated Killerton.
[Acland, A., p. 150]
Death and succession
He died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother
Sir Arthur Dyke Acland, 13th Baronet
Sir Arthur Herbert Dyke Acland, 13th Baronet, PC (13 October 18479 October 1926) was a Liberal politician and political author. He is best remembered for his involvement in education, serving as Vice-President of the Council of Education under ...
(1847-1926).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acland, Thomas Dyke, 12th Baronet
1842 births
1919 deaths
Thomas Dyke 1842
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Baronets in the Baronetage of England
Deputy Lieutenants of Somerset
Deputy Lieutenants of Devon
High Sheriffs of Devon
People educated at Eton College
UK MPs 1880–1885
UK MPs 1885–1886
UK MPs 1886–1892
Politicians from Cornwall
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Cornwall
Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry officers
Members of the Inner Temple
English Anglicans
19th-century English politicians
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Launceston
Church Estates Commissioners
English barristers