Colwyn Iestyn John Philipps, 3rd Viscount St Davids (30 January 1939 – 26 April 2009) was a British businessman,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician and writer on music. Besides his viscountcy, he also held the older titles of

Baron Strange Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that ...

of Knockin (1299), Baron Hungerford (1426), and Baron de Moleyns (1445), & the Baronetcy of Picton Castle (1621). He was also a co-heir to the barony of Grey de Ruthyn.

Background and education

Philipps was the son of Jestyn Philipps, 2nd Viscount St Davids and Doreen Guinness Jowett. He was educated at

Dulwich College Preparatory School Dulwich Prep & Senior (DPS), formerly known as Dulwich Prep London (2011-2024) and Dulwich College Preparatory School (1885-2011), is an independent school in Dulwich, south London, England for boys aged 2 - 16 years, with a co-educational Nurser ...

, Haverfordwest Grammar School,

Sevenoaks School Sevenoaks School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school. It is co-educational, a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school, located in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. Established in 1432, it ...

and in

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, Australia. He returned to the UK to pursue his career, later studying at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

where he took a Certificate in Advanced Musical Studies in 1989.

Career

Philipps was a 2nd Lieutenant in the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WLSH GDS; ), part of the Guards and Parachute Division, Guards Division, is one of the Foot guards, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the World War I, First ...

before he became a partner in the London stockbroking firm of Scrimgeour Kemp-Gee, which was later absorbed by

Citicorp Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...

. He had a keen interest in music, both historically and as a manuscript collector (at one point owning the largest private collection in existence). He specialized in the life and works of

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

, contributed to ''

Music & Letters ''Music & Letters'' is an academic journal published quarterly by Oxford University Press with a focus on musicology. The journal sponsors the Music & Letters Trust, which makes twice-yearly cash awards of variable amounts to support research in t ...

'' (along with various other musicological works) and was the bibliographer of the

Foundation in

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

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. Lord St Davids succeeded his father in the viscountcy in 1991. He served under

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

from 1992 to 1994 and was a Deputy Speaker of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

from 1995. He was the only Conservative member of the Welsh National Assembly Advisory Group, and his work in relation to Welsh devolution was described by

Dafydd Elis-Thomas Dafydd Elis Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, (; 18 October 1946 – 7 February 2025) was a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 199 ...

(Welsh Assembly Presiding Officer) as "the most significant contribution of any Welsh Conservative politician to the cause of devolution; If Ron Davies was the architect of devolution, Colwyn was his enthusiastic draughtsman. His encouragement was unstinting". As a hereditary peer, he was excluded from the House by the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

Family

Lord St Davids married Augusta Victoria Correa y Larraín Ugarte from

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

in 1965. They had two children: * Rhodri Colwyn Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids (b. 16 September 1966) * Hon. Roland Augusto Iestyn Estanislao Philipps (b. 9 Apr 1970), better known as Todd Sharpville, a blues guitarist St Davids died in April 2009, aged 70, and was succeeded by his elder son. The requiem mass held at his funeral at

St Davids Cathedral St Davids Cathedral () is a Church in Wales cathedral situated in St Davids, Britain's smallest city, in the county of Pembrokeshire, near the most westerly point of Wales. Early history Monastery of Saint David, Wales, A monastic community was ...

on 6 May 2009 was believed to be the first Catholic Mass to be held there since the Reformation.

Arms

References

External links

*
Lord St Davids
at

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:St Davids, Colwyn Philipps, 3rd Viscount 1939 births 2009 deaths People educated at Sevenoaks School Alumni of King's College London Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Welsh Guards officers

216 __NOTOC__ Year 216 ( CCXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Anullinus (or, less frequently, year 969 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 216 f ...

Barons Hungerford 3 20th-century English nobility

St Davids St Davids or St David's (, , "David's house”) is a cathedral city in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies on the River Alun and is part of the community of St Davids and the Cathedral Close. It is the resting place of Saint David, Wales's ...

20th-century British Army personnel