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 ...
James Ian Morrison, 2nd Baron Margadale, (17 July 1930 – 6 April 2003), 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 ...
.
Early life and education
Morrison was the eldest son of Major
John Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale and his wife
the Hon.
''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...
Margaret Esther Lucie Smith, daughter of
Frederick Smith, 2nd Viscount Hambleden
William Frederick Danvers Smith, 2nd Viscount Hambleden DL (12 August 1868 – 16 June 1928), known as Frederick Smith, was an English hereditary peer, businessman and politician. He studied at Eton, and New College, Oxford
Life and caree ...
of the
WHSmith
WH Smith plc, trading as WHSmith (also written WH Smith and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son), is a British retailer, with headquarters in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service s ...
family.
Morrison was educated at
Ludgrove School
Ludgrove School is an English independent school, independent boys' Preparatory school (UK), preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed ...
,
Eton and at the Royal Agricultural College (now
Royal Agricultural University
The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a public university in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world.
...
).
Career
Morrison was commissioned into the
Life Guards in 1949 before transferring into the
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (RWY) was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when t ...
and reaching the rank of Major in 1964. He was a member of
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire in South West England, and has its headquarters at County Hall in Trowbridge. Since 2009 it has bee ...
in 1955 and again from 1973 to 1977, as well as chairman of the West Wiltshire Conservative Association from 1967 to 1971.
He went on to be appointed as Honorary Colonel of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry in 1982 and then of the
Royal Wessex Yeomanry
The Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY) is a reserve armoured regiment of the British Army consisting of five squadrons, with the regimental headquarters based at Bovington Camp, Dorset. The regiment is part of 3rd (UK) Division and provides battle c ...
from 1984 until 1989.
The family seat is the
Fonthill estate in southern Wiltshire.
Morrison took over the Fonthill Stud from his father in 1972 and had success in several classic horse races.
Morrison succeeded to the barony and to a seat 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 ...
upon his father's death in 1996. He ceased to be a member of the Lords on 11 November 1999 following the enactment of 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 ...
.
Marriage and children
Morrison married Clare Barclay on 14 October 1952. They had three children:
[Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, vol 2, page 2615.]
* Hon. Fiona Elizabeth Morrison (born 11 November 1954), married
Hugh Trenchard, 3rd Viscount Trenchard
Hugh Trenchard, 3rd Viscount Trenchard, (born 12 March 1951), is a British soldier and businessman. In 1987, he succeeded to his father's titles. He is one of the ninety hereditary peers in the House of Lords, elected to sit after the passing o ...
, in 1975 and has four children.
*
Alastair John Morrison, 3rd Baron Margadale (born 4 April 1958), married
Lady Sophia Cavendish (daughter of
Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire
Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire (2 January 1920 – 3 May 2004), styled Lord Andrew Cavendish until 1944 and Marquess of Hartington from 1944 to 1950, was a British peer and politician. He was a minister in the government ...
and
the Hon. Deborah Freeman-Mitford) in 1988 and has two children.
* Hon.
Hugh "Hughie" Morrison (born 7 November 1960), married Jane Jenks in 1986 and has two children.
Death
Lord Margadale died in April 2003 at the age of 72. He was succeeded in the barony by his elder son, Alastair.
Arms
Notes
References
1930 births
2003 deaths
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry officers
British Life Guards officers
British landowners
2
Members of Wiltshire County Council
James
James may refer to:
People
* James (given name)
* James (surname)
* James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician
* James, brother of Jesus
* King James (disambiguation), various kings named James
* Prince Ja ...
People educated at Ludgrove School
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University
Margadale
British racehorse owners and breeders
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