Walter FitzUryan Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor (17 August 1873 – 8 June 1956) was a British military

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, civil servant 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 in ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. He was the only son and heir of the 6th Baron Dynevor.

Early life and family

He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. On graduating from Oxford, he served in the Carmarthen Artillery for twelve years, rising to the rank of captain. On 12 October 1898, he married Lady Margaret Child Villiers (8 October 1875 – 1 April 1959), daughter of

Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey Victor Albert George Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, (20 March 1845 – 31 May 1915) was a British banker, Conservative politician and colonial administrator from the Villiers family. He served as Governor of New South Wales between 1891 and ...

, and Margaret (née Leigh), Countess of Jersey. The 7th Baron had the following children: * Charles Arthur Uryan Rhys, 8th Baron Dynevor (1899–1962) *The Honourable David Reginald Rhys (19 December 1900 – 10 January 1966), married Diana Stanley *Hon. Imogen Alice Rhys (27 August 1903 – March 2001), married

David Brand, 5th Viscount Hampden Lieutenant Colonel David Francis Brand, 5th Viscount Hampden (14 June 1902 – 4 September 1975) was an English peer, cricketer, army officer and banker. Family and early life David Brand was the second son of Thomas Brand, who succeeded to ...

. *Captain Hon. David Reginald Rhys (18 March 1907 – 1991), married

Anne Rhys, 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

. He became

Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo ( es, Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. It was conferred by Ferdinand VII on the British General Arthur Wellesley, then 1st Viscount Wellingt ...

and

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

Political career

From 1899 to 1903, the Hon. Walter Rice was assistant

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

Lord George Hamilton Lord George Francis Hamilton (17 December 1845 – 22 September 1927) was a British Conservative Party politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who served as First Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of State for India. Backgroun ...

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India Secretary or the Indian Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of th ...

. From 1903 to 1905, he was assistant secretary to the

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

Lord Selborne Earl of Selborne, in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1882 for the lawyer and Liberal politician Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Wo ...

. After the

government resigned in 1905, Rice travelled extensively in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and the Orient. In January 1910, he was elected MP for Brighton, being re-elected in December. His majority of 4,000 was, he was to comment later, unusually high in a period when average electorates were not large. In 1911, the Hon. Walter Rice became 7th Baron Dynevor on the death of his father. Thereafter, he became increasingly involved with the politics of his native

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

. Vice-president of the Carmarthenshire Conservatives in 1912, he was also President of the West

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

Conservatives to 1914, when Conservative re-organisation saw him become President of the South Wales Conservatives, a post he held until 1938. During the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Lord Dynevor served in the

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

from 1916. Thereafter, he served on the Unionist Devolution Committee, considering the recommendations of the Speaker's Conference on Devolution. In his locality, he served as a member of Llandeilo Rural District Council representing Llandyfeisant, a very small parish which sat largely within the Dynevor Castle estate. In 1919, he was elected to the

Carmarthenshire County Council Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The counc ...

for

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the ...

, capturing a traditionally Liberal seat as an independent. He retained this seat until increasing deafness forced him to resign in 1935. Throughout the inter-war years, Lord Dynevor was a key figure in Welsh Conservative politics, as well as the Carmarthenshire territorials. In 1928, Lord Dynevor became Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire. Forced to resign from his offices in 1938 due to increasing deafness, Lord Dynevor was praised for his record of public service.

Writings

In addition to his public duties, Lord Dynevor wrote two books, ''My Reminiscences'', published in 1937, which comprises a short memoir, and a book on the trees in the park at Dynevor.

Legacy

* Walter Street, in

Ammanford, Carmarthenshire Ammanford ( cy, Rhydaman) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with a population of 5,411 at the 2011 census. It is a former coal mining town. The built-up area had a population of 7,945 with the wider urban area even bigger. Acco ...

is named for the 7th Baron. Margaret Street was named for his wife. * In 1916 displaying Welshness had become sufficiently fashionable for Lord Dynevor to adopt (by royal licence) the older, Welsh form of his surname, "Rhys". In 1906 Rice Street in Betws had been named after him.

Death

Lord Dynevor died on 8 June 1956, aged 82. He was succeeded by his son, the Hon. Charles Arthur FitzUryan Rhys as 8th Baron.

Sources

References

Bibliography

;Records * Carmarthenshire Record Office, Dynevor Papers Add Mss 4, polling figures for Llandeilo election * CRO Dynevor Papers, Box 114 * Dynevor Papers, Box 266/9, 'The Home-Coming of the Hon. Walter Rice and His Bride' * Conservative election address, Brighton, January 1910 ;Newspapers *''Lord Dynevor's Address to the electors of Llandeilo'', February, 1919; *''South Wales Evening Post'', 26 February 1938 * Taliaris Papers, box 441 * Lord Dynevor, ''My Reminiscences'' (Carmarthen, 1937)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dynevor, Walter Rice, 7th Baron 1873 births 1956 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British Militia officers Rice, Walter 07 Councillors in Wales Lord-Lieutenants of Carmarthenshire People educated at Eton College Rice, Walter Rice, Walter Dynevor, B7 Walter