Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

George Charles Bingham, 5th Earl of Lucan, 1st Baron Bingham, (13 December 1860 – 20 April 1949), known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

of Lord Bingham from 1888 to 1914, was a British soldier and

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.

Early life

Lucan was the son of

Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan Charles George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan, KP (8 May 1830 – 5 June 1914), styled Lord Bingham from 1839 to 1888, was an Irish peer and soldier. Early life He was the eldest son of George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan and Lady Anne Brudenell. His ...

, and Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox, one of the three daughters of

Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, (''né'' Lennox; 3 August 179121 October 1860), styled the Earl of March from 1806–19, was a Scottish peer, soldier and prominent Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Upon the death of ...

.The Peerage
/ref> He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and then at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

Career

In 1881, from Sandhurst, Lucan was commissioned into the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

. He fought in the

Bechuanaland Expedition The Bechuanaland Expedition or Warren Expedition, of late 1884/1885, was a British military expedition to the Tswana country, to assert British sovereignty in the face of encroachments from Germany and the Transvaal, and to suppress the Boer stat ...

(1884–1885) and was awarded the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sulta ...

3rd Class. He first retired with the rank of

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 ...

in 1896. In 1900 he joined the 1st London Rifle Volunteers (territorial army) as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, rising to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and commanding officer. He fought again in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, during which he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) 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 of t ...

. He commanded the 2nd London Brigade from 1912–1914 and gained the temporary rank of brigadier general in August 1914 and retired as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1923.

Political career

Lucan was for eighteen months a Member of Parliament (MP) for the

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, southwest of central London. It grew up around Chertsey Abbey, founded in AD 666 by Earconwald, St Erkenwald, and gained a municipal charter, market charter from Henry I of Engla ...

constituency in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. He was the successful

candidate at a by-election on 6 July 1904 and was defeated in the

1906 United Kingdom general election The 1906 United Kingdom general election was held from 12 January to 8 February 1906. It is dubbed the "Liberal landslide": the opposition Liberal Party (UK), Liberals under Henry Campbell-Bannerman won a landslide victory against a bewildered C ...

by the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

candidate in a landslide for that party. On his father’s death on 5 June 1914 he succeeded him as Earl of Lucan and in August of that year, a few days after Britain had declared war on Germany, he was elected as an

Irish representative peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords after the Kingdom of Ireland was brought into union with the Kingdom of Great Britain. No new members were added to the House after ...

, enabling him to sit in 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 ...

. He served under

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...

and

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...

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 ...

(a government whip in the House of Lords) from 1920 to 1924 and under Baldwin from 1924 to 1929. In that year, he was appointed as

Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms 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 ...

, a post he held until the government fell later that year. He held it again in the National Government from 1931 to 1940. Lucan was appointed as

High Sheriff of Mayo The High Sheriff of Mayo was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Mayo, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Mayo County Sheriff. The sheriff ...

for 1902–03. He later held for life the family's customary office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of County Mayo, to which was added the same role for Middlesex; honorary roles which meant deputizing for the

Lord-Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...

, opening local buildings, and supporting local charities. He also served as a Justice of the Peace in local magistrates courts in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. On 26 June 1934, Lucan was created Baron Bingham, of Melcombe Bingham, in the County of Dorset, in the

peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

, giving him and his lawful heirs the right to sit in the House of Lords. His son,

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

, sat on the Labour benches after inheriting the peerage in 1949. However, 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 ...

excluded most hereditary peers from the House of Lords. Laleham_Abbey_-_geograph

In 1922 Lucan sold his family's home since 1803 at Laleham House and most of its remaining land; the purchaser of the house was the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He had earlier widened his father's gift of land which gave over Laleham Park for community use.

Honours

In 1885, Lucan was awarded the

, 3rd Class. During the First World War, he was awarded by

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...

the Order of St. Stanislas of Russia, second class. Lucan was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(C.B.) in 1919 and a Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(K.B.E.) in the 1920 civilian war honours list. He was also awarded the

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer O ...

(T.D.) in 1920. From 1920 until 1928 he was one of the King's aides-de-camp, a ceremonial honour awarded to military figures which entitles the recipient to wear

aiguillette An aiguillette (, from '' aiguille'', "needle"), also spelled , or , is a cord with metal tips or lace tags, or the decorative tip itself. Functional or purely decorative fasteners of silk cord with metal tips were popular in the 16th and e ...

Personal life

In 1896 Lucan married Violet Sylvia Blanche Spender Clay (–1972), a daughter of Joseph Spender Clay and Elizabeth Sydney Garrett, with whom he had four children: Laleham AllSaints LucanGrave 5Right

George Charles Patrick Bingham, 6th Earl of Lucan George Charles Patrick Bingham, 6th Earl of Lucan MC (24 November 1898 – 21 January 1964), known as Lord Bingham from 1914 to 1949, was an Irish peer, British soldier and Labour politician. He was a maternal first cousin of Cynthia Spencer, ...

(1898–1964) * Lady Barbara Violet Bingham (1902–1963), who married John Bevan, * John Edward Bingham (1904–1992) * Lady

Margaret Bingham Margaret Bingham, Countess of Lucan (1740 – 27 February 1814)Ernest Radford, "Bingham, Margaret, Countess of Lucan (c. 1740–1814)", rev. V. Remington, ODNB, Oxford University Press, 200Retrieved 4 October 2014/ref> was an English painter, co ...

(1905–1977), who married Field Marshal the 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, son of

James Alexander, 4th Earl of Caledon James Alexander, 4th Earl of Caledon, (11 July 1846 – 27 April 1898), styled Viscount Alexander from birth until 1855, was a soldier and politician. Early life He was born at his family's home in Carlton House Terrace, London on 11 July 184 ...

Lucan died in 1949 while staying at the Cavendish Hotel,

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

, but by then usually lived in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

at 19 Orchard Court,

Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal gardens. It mar ...

. His son swore net assets for probate at £14,464; two months later his son-in-law and James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton swore to settled land whose free value was £119,153. Together these figures are , to be taxed, subject to exemptions. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son

through whom the title continues as at . The Dowager Countess of (Lady) Lucan died after their eldest son in 1972; her net estate at death was sworn as £26,433 that year; she lived at 40 Orchard Court,

.''Probate Calendars of England and Wales of 1972'' p.672

Descendants

Lucan's grandson, Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, who inherited the title in 1964, disappeared in 1974, after allegedly murdering his children's nanny in a failed attempt to kill his estranged wife, Veronica. He was declared legally dead in 2016.

Ancestry

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucan, George Bingham, 5th Earl of 1860 births 1949 deaths British Army generals of World War I British military personnel of the Bechuanaland Expedition Companions of the Order of the Bath Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Deputy lieutenants of Mayo Deputy lieutenants of Middlesex

Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst High sheriffs of Mayo Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Irish representative peers Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order London Regiment officers Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Ministers in the Chamberlain peacetime government, 1937–1939 Ministers in the Chamberlain wartime government, 1939–1940 People educated at Harrow School Politicians from County Mayo Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov) Rifle Brigade officers UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs who inherited peerages UK MPs who were granted peerages Barons created by George V London Rifle Brigade officers Bingham Baronets, of Castlebar British Army colonels 19th-century British Army personnel Volunteer Force officers