Edward John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby (21 April 1918 – 28 November 1994), styled Lord Stanley from 1938 to 1948, was a British

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

, landowner and businessman.

Background and education

The eldest son of Edward, Lord Stanley, and his wife, the Hon. Sibyl Cadogan, daughter of Viscount Chelsea, his grandfather was Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, a British Ambassador to Paris. He was educated at Eton and

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. His father having died in 1938, he succeeded his grandfather in the earldom and other family titles. Military Cross

Military service

John Stanley served with the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in the Second World War, being promoted to Major, and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

for gallantry during the Italian Campaign. After the war, he was appointed, in 1947, Lieutenant-Colonel of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) in the Territorial Army (TA), and then as Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool), the fifth Earl of Derby to hold that appointment. He continued in that position with its successors in the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) (5th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion, King's Regiment; 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Queen's Lancashire Regiment; Lancastrian Volunteers) until 1975, and as Colonel of the 1st Battalion, Liverpool Scottish (TA) from 1964. He was also honorary Captain of the Mersey Division of the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original ...

Civilian career

A Deputy Lieutenant of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

between 1946 and 1951, Lord Derby was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire in 1951 in which capacity he served until 1968. Knowsley Village benefited from his gift of St Mary's Church of England school, playing fields and cottage to the Church Commissioners in 1949, followed by the transfer of the parish

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

to the diocese of Liverpool. Stanley High School, Southport, which he opened in 1952, was named after him. He held the honorary titles of Constable of Lancaster Castle between 1972 and 1994, and Pro-Chancellor of

Lancaster University Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

between 1964 and 1971. A director of Martins Bank and of Granada Television, Lord Derby created Knowsley Safari Park in 1971 on his ancestral estate. The Earl of Derby Scout Troop planted a tree and erected a stone plaque in the grounds of

Knowsley Hall Knowsley Hall is a stately home near Liverpool in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. It is the ancestral home of the Stanley family, the Earls of Derby. The hall is surrounded by of parkland, which contains the Knowsley S ...

in celebration of the quincentenary (1985) of the earldom's creation. Stanley was an active freemason. He is named as someone who lost a significant amount of money gambling in fast-paced Chemie games at John Aspinall's gambling clubs.

Family

Lord Derby married Isabel Milles-Lade, daughter of the Hon. Henry Milles-Lade, in 1948. Their marriage was childless. Lady Derby, who survived a deliberate attempt on her life in 1952, died in 1990; Lord Derby survived her by four years and died in 1994, aged 76, being succeeded in the family titles by his nephew, Edward Stanley as the 19th Earl.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Following family tradition, Lord Derby was an owner of thoroughbred racehorses: his

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

''Teleprompter'' won the 1984 Arlington Million at

Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

* Epsom Derby

Arms

References

External links

* *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. {{DEFAULTSORT:Derby, Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of 1918 births 1994 deaths Liverpool Scottish officers D D S S D D S D D 18 John Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England British Army personnel of World War II Grenadier Guards officers Queen's Lancashire Regiment officers Royal Naval Reserve personnel