Herbert Colstoun Gardner, 1st Baron Burghclere, (9 June 1846 – 6 May 1921) was a British Liberal politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

from 1885 until he was raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

in 1895. He served as

President of the Board of Agriculture The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named ...

between 1892 and 1895.

Early life

Gardner was born on 9 June 1846. He was the son of Alan Gardner, 3rd Baron Gardner, by his second wife, the professional actress Juliah Sarah (

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

Fortescue). However, he was born two years before his parents' marriage and was consequently not allowed to succeed in the barony of Gardner on his father's death in 1883.thepeerage.com Herbert Colstoun Gardner, 1st and last Baron Burghclere of Walden
/ref> He had an elder brother who was not formally recognised as the baron: Alan Coulston Gardner who joined the British army and saw action in India and famously in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

His paternal grandparents were Alan Gardner, 2nd Baron Gardner, an admiral in the

British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, and Charlotte (née Smith) Gardner, third daughter of

Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington (22 January 1752 – 18 September 1838), was a British banker, slave owner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1779 to 1797 when he was raised to the peerage. Early life Smith was the third so ...

. His maternal grandfather was Edward E. T. Fortescue. 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 ...

followed by

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

Career

While at Cambridge, he was a member and eventually manager of the Amateur Dramatic Club which was 'flourishing exceedingly' under his management. He later acted with the Canterbury Old Stagers for whom he and William Yardley wrote some of the best plays and epilogues they produced. In 1867, Gardner was admitted at

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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

and was a Deputy Lieutenant of

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 ...

Political career

At the 1885 general election, Gardner was elected Member of Parliament for

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. Th ...

, a seat he held until 1895. He served in the Liberal administrations of

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

and later

Lord Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of h ...

from 1892 to 1895. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1892 and in 1895 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Burghclere, of Walden in the County of Essex. Gardner was a director of the P and O Steamship Company. He was an Ecclesiastical Commissioner from 1903 to 1921 and chairman of

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

. Gardner was also an author of several novels, and of the comedies ''Time will tell'', ''Our Bitterest Foe'', ''After Dinner'' and ''Cousin Zacchary''. He published a translation of

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

's Georgics in 1904.

Personal life

On 4 March 1890, Lord Burghclere married Lady Winifred Anne Henrietta Christiana, daughter 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 ...

and Lady Evelyn Stanhope (a daughter of George Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield and Anne Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield). Lady Winifred was the widow of Captain Alfred John George Byng (a son of George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford), who died in 1887. Together, they were the parents of four daughters:Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * Juliet Mary Evelyn Stanhope Gardner (b. 1892), who married Alexander Duncan Cumming-Russell, son of Maj.-Gen. Francis Shirley Russell, in 1916. They divorced in 1922. * Alethea Margaret Gwendolin Valentine Gardner (b. 1893), who married Sir Geoffrey Fry, 1st Baronet. * Mary Sidney Katharine Almina Gardner (1896–1994), who married Geoffrey Hope-Morley, 2nd Baron Hollenden. * Evelyn Florence Margaret Winifred Gardner (1903–1994), who was the first wife of the author

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 ...

. Lord Bughclere died in May 1921, aged 74. As he had no sons the barony became extinct on his death. Lady Burghclere died in September 1933, aged 69.

Coat of arms

References

Books

External links

Books by Winifred Anne Henrietta Christine Herbert Gardner Burghclere
*
UK Parliamentary Archives, Papers of Baron Burghclere of Walden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burghclere, Herbert Gardner, 1st Baron 1846 births 1921 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Younger sons of barons UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria