Frederick William Fane Hervey, 4th Marquess of Bristol MVO (8 November 1863 – 24 October 1951) was a British nobleman, naval officer and Conservative Party politician.

Background

Hervey was the son of Lord Augustus Henry Charles Hervey (1837–1875), the younger brother of the 3rd Marquess of Bristol. He was born in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, where his father was stationed. He was educated at

Tonbridge School Tonbridge School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for boys aged 13–18) in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the Eton Group and has clo ...

and Eastman's Royal Naval Academy before joining HMS ''

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

'' as a cadet in January 1877. He was a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

by the age of 15.

Naval and political career

In August 1901 he was appointed to command the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

, which was commissioned to serve in the Channel Squadron the following September. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 31 December 1901 and served in this rank for a decade, commanding the battleship ''Renown'' for two months in late 1907. He was placed on the Retired List at the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in May 1911. Hervey was elected at the general election in January 1906 as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

, but automatically resigned in August the following year when he succeeded his uncle in the peerages. He later became chairman of West Suffolk County Council from 1915 to 1934.

Family

The 4th Marquess married the heiress Alice Frances Theodora Wythes (1875–1957) in 1896. The couple had two daughters, Lady Marjorie Hervey and Lady Phyllis Hervey. Marjorie married

John Erskine, Lord Erskine John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine Order of the Star of India, GCSI, Order of the Indian Empire, GCIE (12 April 1895 – 3 May 1953) was a British soldier, Conservative Party politician and administrator who served as Member of Parliame ...

, while Phyllis’ daughter, Jean MacRae, married the 13th Earl of Northesk. In 1907 the family moved from the lodge into

Ickworth House Ickworth House is a English country house, country house at Ickworth, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. It is a Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building set in parkland. The house was the residence of the Marquess of Bristol, M ...

, the

family seat A family seat, sometimes just called seat, is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families t ...

, which like most pre-War

English country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

s, maintained a large retinue. Feudal traditions still held sway, and the estate's tenants did not dare complain of poor housing, according to a memoir by the village schoolmistress. The 4th Marquess's brother was Lord Manner Hervey, rector 1900–1944 of the nearby village of

Horringer Horringer, formerly also called Horningsheath, is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It lies on the A143 about two miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds. The population in 2011 was 1055. Herit ...

, who also took services at Ickworth Church, the younger brother preaching to the elder. Lord Bristol was succeeded by his youngest brother Lord Herbert Hervey.

References

External links

* 1863 births 1951 deaths 104 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Royal Navy rear admirals UK MPs 1906–1910 Bristol, M4 Frederick Hervey, 4th Marquess of Bristol People educated at Eastman's Royal Naval Academy People educated at Tonbridge School Members of West Suffolk County Council Members of the Royal Victorian Order {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1860s-stub