John Granville Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale, TD, DL (16 December 1906 – 25 May 1996) was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician. An MP from 1942 to 1965, he notably served as Chairman of the

1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, or sometimes simply the 22, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party in the British House of Commons of the United Kingdom, H ...

between 1955 and 1964. He was the last non-royal person to receive a hereditary barony.

Background

Morrison was the son of Hugh Morrison and Lady Mary Leveson-Gower, daughter of 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 ...

statesman

Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (11 May 1815 – 31 March 1891), styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman and diplomat from the Leveson-Gower family. He is best remembered for his service as Secret ...

. James Morrison was his great-grandfather.thepeerage.com Major John Granville Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale
/ref> The family seat is the Fonthill estate in southern Wiltshire. Morrison was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

and served in 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 ...

in the Second World War, until recalled in order to stand for election to Parliament.

Political career

Morrison was appointed

High Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) high sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Go ...

for 1938. In 1942 he was elected Member of Parliament for

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, a seat he held until 1965, and served as Chairman of the

between 1955 and 1964. On 1 January 1965 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Margadale, of Islay in the County of Argyll, in recognition of his "political and public services". He was also

Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of the English county of Wiltshire. From 1750, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Wiltshire. Lord Lieutenants of Wiltshire * William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1 ...

between 1969 and 1981. In January 1983, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Wiltshire, together with Mary Salisbury. He was the last commoner to be raised to the hereditary peerage until Margaret Thatcher's brief revival of the practice in 1983, and the last under a Labour government.

Other interests

Morrison began owning and breeding horses in 1952, and established the Fonthill Stud in 19th-century stables on his estate, which has produced winners of several classic races. He also led a reorganisation of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom ...

. From 1967 to 1975, he was President of the

Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust The Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust (founded in 1967, sometimes abbreviated WHBT) is a charitable organisation which works to preserve the architectural heritage of Wiltshire, in the West of England. History The Trust was formed in 1967, its ...

Family

Lord Margadale married the Honourable Margaret Smith, daughter of William Smith, 2nd Viscount Hambleden and Lady Esther Gore, on 16 October 1928. They had one daughter and three sons, the two younger of whom became Conservative politicians: *

James Morrison, 2nd Baron Margadale Major James Ian Morrison, 2nd Baron Margadale, (17 July 1930 – 6 April 2003), was a British hereditary peer. Early life and education Morrison was the eldest son of Major John Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale and his wife the Hon. Margaret Esth ...

(17 July 1930 – 6 April 2003). *Hon. Sir Charles Andrew Morrison (25 June 1932 – 9 May 2005). *Hon. Dame

Mary Anne Morrison The Honourable Dame Mary Anne Morrison (born 17 May 1937) is a former lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth II, and was a Woman of the Bedchamber from 1960 until the Queen's death in 2022. Biography Morrison is the daughter of John Morrison, 1st Baro ...

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(b. 17 May 1937),

Woman of the Bedchamber In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman (usually a daughter of a peer) attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of lady-in-waiting. Historically the term 'Gen ...

to HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1960."The Hon. Mary Morrison, GCVO," debretts.com
accessed 17 January 2014. *Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Morrison (2 June 1944 – 13 July 1995). Lady Margadale died in 1980. Lord Margadale was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, James.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Margadale, John Morrison, 1st Baron 1906 births 1996 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge 1 Chairmen of the 1922 Committee Morrison, John Granville Deputy lieutenants of Wiltshire High sheriffs of Wiltshire Lord-lieutenants of Wiltshire Morrison, John Granville Morrison, John Granville Morrison, John Granville Morrison, John Granville Morrison, John Granville Morrison, John Granville UK MPs who were granted peerages Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers 20th-century British landowners Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

English racehorse owners and breeders