John Henry George Crichton, 5th Earl Erne (22 November 1907 – 23 May 1940), briefly styled Viscount Crichton in 1914, was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

peer, soldier and politician.

Early life

Erne was the only son of Henry William Crichton, Viscount Crichton. His mother was Lady Mary Cavendish Grosvenor. On 31 October 1914, his father, a Major (''

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

'' Lt. Colonel) in the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cr ...

, was killed in action, aged 42, during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. (He was awarded a DSO and a MVO, and is buried at Zantvoorde British Cemetery in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

.) Only a month later, aged seven, Erne succeeded his grandfather as the fifth Earl Erne.Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. His mother later married Col. the Hon. Algernon Francis Stanley (a son of

Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, (15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908) styled as Hon. Frederick Stanley from 1844 to 1886 and as The Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886 and 1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United K ...

), with whom she had one son and a daughter. His father was the eldest son, and heir apparent, of

John Crichton, 4th Earl Erne John Henry Crichton, 4th Earl Erne, (16 October 1839 – 2 December 1914), styled Viscount Crichton from 1842 to 1885, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Conservative politician. Early life Erne was the eldest son of Selina Griselda, Countess Erne ('' ...

, and Lady Florence Cole (a daughter of

William Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen William Willoughby Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen, FRS (25 January 180712 November 1886) styled by the courtesy title Viscount Cole until 1840, was an Irish palaeontologist and Conservative Member of Parliament. He also served as the first Impe ...

). His maternal grandparents were the former Hon. Katherine Cavendish (third daughter of the 2nd Baron Chesham) and

Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, (13 October 1825 – 22 December 1899), styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845, Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869, and known as The Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an ...

, who was considered to be the richest man in Britain at this death. His paternal aunt, Lady Mabel Crichton, married his maternal uncle,

Lord Hugh Grosvenor Captain Lord Hugh William Grosvenor (6 April 1884 – 30 October 1914) was a son of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster and his second wife, formerly Katherine Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster, The Hon. Katherine Cavendish. WWI service ...

, and was the mother of

Gerald Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...

and

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, the 4th and 5th Dukes of Westminster. He was educated at

Ludgrove School Ludgrove School is an English independent boys preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed as a master at Elstree School, which sent boys ...

. From 1921 to 1924, he serve as

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The onl ...

to King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

and, later, 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 ...

to King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

Career

Erne trained for a military career at the Royal Military College and was commissioned into the

in 1927. He was promoted

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in 1930 and resigned his commission in 1934. Becoming an active member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

, he served 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 ...

, or government whip in the House of Lords, from 1936 to 1939 in the National Government under

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...

and later under

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...

. When the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

broke out, he was commissioned as a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

into the

(attd.

12th Royal Lancers The 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war ...

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the A ...

) and in the

North Irish Horse The North Irish Horse was a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War. Raised and patronised by the nobility from its inception to the present day, it was on ...

. He was killed in action on 23 May 1940 and was buried at

Wormhoudt Communal Cemetery Wormhout cemetery (french: Cimetière de Wormhout; nl, Begraafplaats van Wormhout) is a communal cemetery of Wormhout in the French department Nord. The site is located 700 metres north of the centre (municipal hall) at the Cours N4 du Cimetière ...

in France.

Personal life

In 1931, Lord Erne married Lady Davidema Katharine Cynthia Mary Millicent Bulwer-Lytton (1909–1995), daughter of

Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton Victor Alexander George Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, (9 August 1876 – 25 October 1947), styled Viscount Knebworth from 1880 to 1891, was a British politician and colonial administrator. He served as Governor of Bengal between 192 ...

, and Pamela Plowden. Together, they lived at

Knebworth Knebworth is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England, immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Hert ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, and were the parents of: * Lady Rosanagh Mary Crichton (1932–2019), who married Baron Michael Paul Raben-Levetzau, second son of Count Siegfried Victor Raben-Levetzau, of Denmark, in 1956. * Lady Antonia Pamela Mary Crichton (b. 1934), who married Timothy William Wardell, second son of Brig. John Michael Stewart Wardell and the former Ruth Irwin Crossley (a daughter Sir Kenneth Crossley, 2nd Baronet) in 1953. After their divorce, she married Charles William Beckwith in 1981. *

Henry Crichton, 6th Earl Erne Henry George Victor John Crichton, 6th Earl Erne, KCVO (9 July 1937 – 23 December 2015), was an Anglo-Irish peer and a Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh. He was known to his family and friends as Harry Erne. Biography Lord Erne was the eldest son ...

(1937–2015), who married Camilla Roberts, elder daughter of the aviator Owen Roberts (a grandson of

Marshall Owen Roberts Marshall Owen Roberts (March 22, 1813 – September 11, 1880) was an American merchant, financier, railroad man, and prominent art collector. Early life Roberts was born on March 22, 1813, in New York City. He was the son of Welsh born Dr. Owen Ro ...

) and a cousin to The 12th Baron Farnham and second cousin to The 10th Duke of Atholl. Upon his death in 1940, aged 32, he was succeeded in his titles by his two-year-old only son

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. His widow, Lady Erne, later married the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician "Monty" Woodhouse, with whom she had three more children, including

Christopher Woodhouse, 6th Baron Terrington Professor Christopher Richard James Woodhouse, 6th Baron Terrington (born 20 September 1946), is a British peer and Emeritus Professor of Adolescent Urology, University College London. Terrington was born in 1946, the elder son of Montague Woodhou ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erne, John Crichton, 5th Earl 1907 births 1940 deaths Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting British Army personnel killed in World War II Royal Horse Guards officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst North Irish Horse officers Roehampton Trophy Earls Erne Ministers in the Chamberlain peacetime government, 1937–1939 Burials at Wormhoudt Communal Cemetery People educated at Ludgrove School