Sir Maurice Bonham-Carter (11 October 1880 – 7 June 1960) was an English Liberal politician, civil servant and

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

er. He was H. H. Asquith's

Principal 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 ...

during Asquith's time as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

from 1910 to 1916 and later served in other government posts. He played

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

for

Oxford University Cricket Club Oxford University Cricket Club (OUCC), which represents the University of Oxford, has always held first-class status since 1827 when it made its debut in the inaugural University Match between OUCC and Cambridge University Cricket Club (CUCC). ...

in the early 20th century. The actress

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...

is his granddaughter.

Early life

Bonham-Carter, who was widely known by the nickname "Bongie," was born in Kensington, London, on 11 October 1880. He was the eleventh child born to Sibella Charlotte ('' née'' Norman) and Henry Bonham-Carter. His brothers included General Sir Charles Bonham-Carter, Governor of the Crown Colony of Malta from 1936 to 1940 and the lawyer Sir Edgar Bonham-Carter. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

and Balliol College, Oxford.Bonham-Carter, Sir Maurice
Obituaries in 1960. ''

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

'', 1961. Retrieved 2017-04-03. He was a right-handed batsman and

wicket-keeper The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. ...

for

, playing thirteen times for the side in

matches between 1901 and 1902.Maurice Bonham-Carter
CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-04-04. He was awarded his cricket Blue in 1902. His highest score in first-class cricket was 86 for Oxford versus H.D.G. Leveson Gower's XI at the Parks in 1902. Bonham-Carter also played one first-class match for Kent County Cricket Club in 1902.Carlaw D (2020) ''Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914'' (revised edition), pp. 80–81.
Available online
at the

Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) was founded in England in 1973 for the purpose of researching and collating information about the history and statistics of cricket. Originally called the Association of Cricket Statis ...

. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)

Career

He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1909.Maurice Bonham-Carter
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-04-03. Between 1910 and 1916, Bonham-Carter served as the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister H. H. Asquith during Asquith's tenure as

. He travelled around the country with Asquith at the start of

World War I 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 ...

and accompanied the Prime Minister when he visited the frontline at

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

in 1915.Lewis P (2014) ''For Kent and Country'', p.96. Brighton: Reveille Press. He also visited Italy and, following the Easter Rising, Ireland with Asquith in 1916. When Asquith was replaced as Prime Minister by

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

in 1916, Bonham-Carter moved to become Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Reconstruction and then, in 1918, joined the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

and Road Transport Board. He became a leading figure in the British Liberal Party and was a "keen supporter of new ideas and imaginative personalities." He was a partner in a firm of stockbrokers. He also held a number of business directorships with companies including: Aero Engine Ltd, Alpha Cement Ltd, Earls Court Ltd, Blackburn and General Aircraft, Hanworth Securities Ltd, Scophony Ltd, Power Jets Ltd and was a partner with merchant bankers O.T. Falk and Partners, and stockbrokers Buckmaster & Moore.

Honours

Bonham-Carter was made

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

(KCB) in 1916 in Asquith's resignation honours and in the

1917 Birthday Honours The 1917 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).

Personal life

On 30 November 1915, he was married to Violet Asquith, daughter of then-British prime minister H. H. Asquith. As she was later made a life peeress, he and his wife were one of the few couples both of whom held titles in their own right. Together, they had four children: *

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

(Helen Laura) Cressida Bonham-Carter (1917–1998), who married Jasper Ridley. * The Honourable Laura Miranda Bonham Carter (1918–1994), who married

Jo Grimond Joseph Grimond, Baron Grimond, (; 29 July 1913 – 24 October 1993), known as Jo Grimond, was a British politician, leader of the Liberal Party for eleven years from 1956 to 1967 and again briefly on an interim basis in 1976. Grimond was a lo ...

. * Mark Bonham Carter, Baron Bonham Carter of Yarnbury (1922–1994) * The Honourable Raymond Henry Bonham-Carter (1929–2004) He died in 1960 aged 79 and is buried in the churchyard at

St Andrew's Church, Mells St Andrew's Church is a Church of England parish church located in the village of Mells in the English county of Somerset. The church is a grade I listed building. History The current church predominantly dates from the late 15th century ...

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_ ...

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter Cressida, he was a grandfather to Sir Adam Ridley. Through his eldest son Mark, he was a grandfather of three girls, including: Jane Bonham Carter, Baroness Bonham Carter of Yarnbury, wife of Tim Razzall, Baron Razzall. Through his youngest son Raymond, he was a grandfather to three including:

and Edward Bonham Carter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonham Carter, Maurice 1880 births 1960 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford English barristers

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

Liberal Party (UK) politicians English cricketers Kent cricketers Oxford University cricketers Cricketers from Greater London Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Winchester College Principal Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister Spouses of life peers 20th-century English businesspeople