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 {{UK-baron-stub