Sir Cuthbert Morley Headlam, 1st Baronet, (27 April 1876 – 27 February 1964) was a British

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.

Career

Born in Barton upon Irwell,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

, the third of the five sons of Francis John Headlam (1829–1908), stipendiary magistrate of Manchester, and his wife, Matilda Ann, ''née'' Pincofts. The Headlams were a minor gentry family with roots in north Yorkshire. Headlam was educated at

King's School, Canterbury The King's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year old pupils) in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain ...

, and then read modern history at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he received his BA in March 1900. He was a Clerk in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

1897–1924 and became a barrister,

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 W ...

in 1906. He served with the Bedfordshire Yeomanry from 1910–1926, was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

in the

First World 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 fig ...

and awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typi ...

and appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, retiring as lieutenant colonel. Headlam was elected as

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 Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

(MP) for

Barnard Castle Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automa ...

at the 1924 general election. After the loss of his seat in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...

, he stood in the Gateshead by-election in June 1931, coming a close second in what had been a

safe seat A safe seat is an electoral district (constituency) in a legislative body (e.g. Congress, Parliament, City Council) which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combinat ...

for Labour. He regained the Barnard Castle seat at the general election in October 1931, but was defeated again at the 1935 general election. He was returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

for a third time at a by-election in June 1940 as MP for

Newcastle upon Tyne North Newcastle upon Tyne North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Catherine McKinnell of the Labour Party. History Parliament created this seat under the Representation of the People Act 191 ...

, after standing as an "Independent Conservative" and beating the official Conservative Party candidate.Craig, page 203 He held the seat until he retired from

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

at the 1951 general election. Headlam served in government as Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty from 1926–1929; as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions from 1931–1932; and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport from 1932–1934."Headlam, Lt-Col Rt Hon. Sir Cuthbert Morley, (27 April 1876–27 Feb. 1964), PC 1945"
''Who's Who & Who Was Who'', Oxford University Press, 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2020 Headlam was a

Durham County Council Durham County Council is a local authority administering all significant local government functions in the unitary authority area of County Durham in North East England. The council area covers part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, ...

or from 1931–1939, and Justice of the Peace for the County of Durham. He was Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations in 1941. He was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in the

1935 Birthday Honours The 1935 Birthday Honours for the British Empire were announced on 3 June 1935 to celebrate the Birthday and Silver Jubilee of King George V. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged b ...

and appointed a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

in 1945. He died in 1964 at his home in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

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 , lor ...

aged 87.Ball, Stuart
"Headlam, Sir Cuthbert Morley, baronet (1876–1964), politician and diarist"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2020

References

Sources

* ''Parliament and politics in the age of Churchill and Attlee: the Headlam diaries, 1935–1951'' (1999), edited by Stuart Ball

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Headlam, Cuthbert 1876 births 1964 deaths People educated at The King's School, Canterbury Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford British Yeomanry officers British Army personnel of World War I Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in County Durham Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire UK MPs 1924–1929 Military personnel from Lancashire UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 Clerks English barristers Members of the Inner Temple Deputy Lieutenants of Durham Bedfordshire Yeomanry officers