Francis Richard Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

DL (pronounced ''weems'', rhyming with seems)

(4 August 1818 – 30 June 1914), styled as Lord Elcho between 1853 and 1883, was a British Whig politician. He founded the

Liberty and Property Defence League The Liberty and Property Defence League (LPDL) was a historic organisation, founded in 1882 by Lord Elcho, for the support of ''laissez-faire'' trade. It served as a lobby group for industrialists and land-owners who were alarmed by Georgism ("Sin ...

Early life

He was the eldest son and heir of

Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss, 5th Earl of March (14 August 1795 – 1 January 1883), was a Scottish peer. Early life Wemyss-Charteris was born 14 August 1795, the son of Francis Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss and the former Margar ...

and Lady Louisa Bingham. Among his siblings was younger brother

Richard Charteris The Hon. Richard Charteris (25 July 1822 – 16 March 1874) was a Scottish first-class cricketer and British Army officer. Life The son of Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss, he was born in July 1822 at Aberlady, East Lothian. He e ...

(who married Lady Margaret Butler, a daughter of

Richard Butler, 2nd Earl of Glengall The Rt Hon. Richard Butler, 2nd Earl of Glengall (17 May 1794 – 22 June 1858), styled Viscount Cahir between January 1816 and January 1819, was an Irish Tory politician and peer. The son of The 1st Earl of Glengall and Emily Jefferys, on 17 ...

) and sister Lady Louisa Wemyss-Charteris (wife of William Wells, MP for

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

and

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

). His paternal grandparents were Francis Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss and the former Margaret Campbell (daughter of Scottish landowner Walter Campbell, 3rd of Shawfield and Islay and 9th of Skipness). His maternal grandparents were

Richard Bingham, 2nd Earl of Lucan Richard Bingham, 2nd Earl of Lucan (4 December 1764 – 30 June 1839), styled The Honourable from 1776 to 1795 and subsequently Lord Bingham until 1799, was an Irish peer and Tory politician. Background He was the only son of Charles Bingham, 1 ...

and Lady Elizabeth Belasyse, third daughter of

Henry Belasyse, 2nd Earl Fauconberg Henry Belasyse, 2nd Earl Fauconberg (13 April 1742 – 23 March 1802) was a British politician and peer. Family Fauconberg was the son of Thomas Belasyse, 1st Earl Fauconberg and Catherine Betham. Career He served as the Member of Parliament fo ...

and former wife of

Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk Bernard Edward Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, (21 November 1765 – 16 March 1842) was a British peer. Early life Howard was the son of Henry Howard (1713–1787) by his wife Juliana Molyneux, daughter of Sir William Molyneux, 6th Baronet (die ...

. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and graduated from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

with a B.A. degree.

Career

As Lord Elcho he was commanding officer of the London Scottish Rifles Volunteers regiment for 17 years from its formation in 1859, gaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He is credited with the design of the Elcho

sword bayonet A sword bayonet is any long, knife-bladed bayonet designed for mounting on a musket or rifle. Its use is thought to have begun in the 18th century and to have reached its height of popularity throughout the 19th and into the early 20th centuries. W ...

, which saw limited use in the Ashanti campaign of 1895-6. Charteris was a member of the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Canterbury, with its capital to be known as Christchurch. ...

from 27 March 1848, and belonged to the management committee. He developed an interest in the alternative medical practice of

Homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dis ...

, even becoming President of the

London Homeopathic Hospital The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (formerly the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital) is a specialist alternative medicine hospital located in London, England and a part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. ...

until his death. The strength of his belief is evidenced by his writing in March 1914:

I wish all success to Homoeopathy, to which I attach my physical well-being in great measure. When I was 90 I was asked to what I attributed my well-being at that late period of life. My answer was, "To parentage and moderation". I should have added "AND HOMOEOPATHY," with which I have been treated since I was 20.

Between 1836 and 1866, he was trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Upon his father's death in 1883, he succeeded to the Earldom of Wemyss and March. Prior to then he was known as Lord Elcho. From 1881 to 1901, he was '' aide-de-camp'' to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, followed by ''aide-de-camp'' to King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

from 1901 to 1910. He also held the office of Deputy Lieutenant of Haddington and Selkirk. File:Lordelcho.jpg, Lord Elcho File:10th Earl of Wemyss.png, Lord Elcho by Carlo Pellegrini, 1870.

Personal life

On 29 August 1843, he married Lady Anne Frederica Anson, the second daughter of

Thomas Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield Thomas William Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield PC (20 October 1795 – 18 March 1854), previously known as The Viscount Anson from 1818 to 1831, was a British Whig politician from the Anson family. He served under Lord Grey and Lord Melbourne as ...

and the former Louisa Barbara Catherine Phillips (youngest daughter of Nathaniel Phillips of

Slebech Slebech was a community (prior to 1974, a civil parish) in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which is now part of the combined community of Uzmaston and Boulston and Slebech, a sparsely populated community on the northern shore of the Eastern River Cleddau. ...

Hall). In

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, they lived at 64 Queen Street, the only four-bay townhouse on this prestigious street in Edinburgh's First New Town. Together, they were the parents of six sons and three daughters, including: * Francis Charteris (1844–1870), who died unmarried. * Arthur Charteris (1846–1847), who died in infancy. * Alfred Walter Charteris, (1847–1873), a Lieutenant in the 71st Foot who fought in the

Ashanti War The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan interior of the Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African allies. Though the Ashanti emerged victori ...

and died at sea. * Lady Evelyn Charteris (1849–1939), who married

John Vesey, 4th Viscount de Vesci The Rt Hon. John Robert William Vesey, 4th Viscount de Vesci, 5th Baron Knapton and 1st Baron de Vesci (21 May 1844 – 6 July 1903), "Yvo", was an Anglo-Irish peer and British Army officer. Biography He was the eldest son and heir of the 3rd ...

, in 1872. * Lady Lilian Harriet Charteris (1851–1914), who married Sir Henry Pelly, 3rd Baronet in 1872. After his death, she married Sir Henry Francis Redhead Yorke in 1882. * Lady Hilda Charteris (1854–1901), who married, as his first wife

William Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton, KP, PC, DL (14 December 185613 February 1942), styled as St John Brodrick until 1907 and as Viscount Midleton between 1907 and 1920, was a British Conservative and Irish Unionist Alli ...

, in 1880. *

Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March Deputy Lieutenant, DL (25 August 1857 – 12 July 1937), styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Early life He was t ...

(1857–1937), who married

Mary Constance Wyndham Mary Constance Charteris, Countess of Wemyss and March (''née'' Wyndham; 3 August 1862 – 29 April 1937), styled Lady Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was an English society hostess and an original member of The Souls, an exclusive social and intell ...

, eldest daughter of Hon.

Percy Scawen Wyndham The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

. * Alan Dudley Charteris (1860–1901), a Lieutenant in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

who died unmarried. * Sir

Evan Edward Charteris The Hon. Sir Evan Edward Charteris (29 January 1864 – 16 November 1940, Jesmond Hill, Pangbourne) was an English biographer, barrister and arts administrator. He published notable biographies of his friend John Singer Sargent and of Edmund Gosse. ...

(1864–1940), a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery,

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

and the

Wallace Collection The Wallace Collection is a museum in London occupying Hertford House in Manchester Square, the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Hertford. It is named after Sir Richard Wallace, who built the extensive collection, along w ...

, who in 1930 married Lady Dorothy (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Browne) Grosvenor, widow of Lord Edward Arthur Grosvenor (youngest son of the

Duke of Westminster Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...

) and eldest daughter of

Valentine Browne, 5th Earl of Kenmare Valentine Charles Browne, 5th Earl of Kenmare (1 December 1860 – 14 November 1941), styled Viscount Castlerosse from 1871 to 1905, was an Irish peer who served in the Senate of Southern Ireland, and was Lord Lieutenant of Kerry. Public life ...

and the former Elizabeth Baring (eldest daughter of

Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke Edward Charles Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke (13 April 1828 – 17 July 1897), was a British banker. Early life A member of the Baring banking family, "Ned" Baring was born on 13 April 1828. He was the second son of Henry Baring from his second ma ...

). After the death of his first wife on 22 Jul 1896, he remarried, to Grace Blackburn (–1946) in December 1900. Grace was the third daughter of Major John Blackburn and the former Maria Warburton (a daughter of

The Very Reverend The Very Reverend is a Style (manner of address), style given to members of the clergy. The definite article "The" should always precede "Reverend" as "Reverend" is a style or fashion and not a title. Catholic In the Catholic Church, the style i ...

Charles Warburton,

Archdeacon of Tuam The Archdeacon of Tuam ( ) was a post held in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuam, Diocese of Tuam, from the creation of the diocese at the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111. Background In the Catholic Church, the post of archdeacon, generally a ...

). Lord Wemyss died on 30 June 1914. The Dowager Countess of Wemyss died on 13 February 1946.

Descendants

Through his daughter Lady Evelyn, he was a grandfather of Mary Gertrude Vesey, the second wife of Aubrey Herbert (second son of

Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, (24 June 1831 – 29 June 1890), known as Lord Porchester from 1833 to 1849, was a British politician and a leading member of the Conservative Party. He was twice Secretary of State for the C ...

), whose daughter Laura Herbert married the writer

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

, and was the mother of

Auberon Waugh Auberon Alexander Waugh (17 November 1939 – 16 January 2001) was an English journalist and novelist, and eldest son of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was widely known by his nickname "Bron". After a traditional classical education at Downside ...

.John Howard Wilson, ''Evelyn Waugh: A Literary Biography'' (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2001), p. 111 ff.: see als
"Lady Evelyn Charteris"
''The Peerage'', 30 May 2008.

Honours and legacy

Charteris Bay Charteris Bay, officially Te Wharau / Charteris Bay, is a large inlet on the southern coast of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, New Zealand. It abuts Diamond Harbour to the east and Teddington to the west. The boundary of the bay also includes � ...

Lyttelton Harbour Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other is Akaroa Harbour on the southern coast. It enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a pred ...

was chosen as a locality name to commemorate his role in the settlement of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

in New Zealand.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wemyss, Francis Charteris, 10th Earl of 1818 births 1914 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies 10 Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 London Scottish officers UK MPs who inherited peerages Volunteer Force officers Members of the Canterbury Association Earls of March (Scotland) People of the National Rifle Association