Peregrine Francis Adelbert Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow (27 April 1899 – 28 July 1978), often known as Perry Brownlow, was a British peer and courtier. He was the son of Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow, and his wife Maud Buckle.

Early life

He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

, and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

, later being commissioned into the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

. He fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and left the Army in 1926 with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. In 1927, he succeeded his father as 6th Baron Brownlow and to

Belton House Belton House is a Grade I listed country house in the parish of Belton near Grantham in Lincolnshire, England, built between 1685 and 1687 by Sir John Brownlow, 3rd Baronet. It is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues lead ...

, near

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

, Lincolnshire.

Inter-war years

Brownlow was Mayor of Grantham from 1934 to 1935. He also served as

Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire The Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire () is the British monarch's personal representative in the county of Lincolnshire. Historically, the lord-lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lord-lieutenant's responsibi ...

from 1936 to 1950. During the 1930s, Brownlow was a close friend and

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, and later

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 ...

when he became

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

. The Prince spent many weekends at Brownlow's

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

, but it is not known whether his future wife,

Wallis Simpson Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intentio ...

, ever spent time at Belton. Upon Edward VIII's accession to the throne, Lord Brownlow became heavily involved in the abdication crisis which followed the new King's intention to marry Simpson. Brownlow personally accompanied Simpson on her flight to France to escape the media attention, and encouraged Simpson to renounce the idea of marriage to the King. Returning to England, Brownlow attempted to enlist the support of the King's mother Queen Mary, but she refused to receive him. Following the abdication, Lord Brownlow attempted to extricate himself from the former King's circle, refusing to attend the Duke of Windsor's marriage ceremony in 1937. For this, Edward and his wife, now the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, regarded Brownlow as disloyal. The Duchess in particular never forgave the man who had once championed her.

World War II service

In 1939, he was commissioned into the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

Administrative and Special Duties Branch. He was briefly involved in national politics when he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the

Minister of Aircraft Production The Minister of Aircraft Production was, from 1940 to 1945, the British government minister at the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II. It was responsible ...

Lord Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...

from 1940 to 1941. He was promoted to

Flying Officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

in 1941 and Flight Lieutenant in 1943; He resigned his commission in March 1944 as Acting

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

Post-war

Lacking the Duchess of Windsor's forgiveness following the

abdication of Edward VIII In early December 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was in the process of divorcing her second. ...

was one thing; following the accession of the new monarch,

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 his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

, Brownlow read without prior warning in the

Court Circular The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; the royal family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by St James ...

, that he had been replaced as the sovereign's lord-in-waiting. Telephoning

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

for an explanation, he was given the curt information that his resignation had been accepted – but he had never tendered it. It was also made clear to him that the new king and his wife,

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

, had ordered that Brownlow's name was never to appear in the Court Circular again. By the 1970s, Brownlow came into possession of a painting that he believed to be another version of the ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...

'', and to also have been painted by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

, supporting the two–''Mona Lisa'' theory.Chris Pritchard, "France said 'non'–so Britain finds another Mona Lisa", ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' (22 October 1972), p. 62. Brownlow and Henry F. Pulitzer, owner of the ''

Isleworth Mona Lisa The ''Isleworth Mona Lisa'' is an early 16th-century oil on canvas painting depicting the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's ''Mona Lisa'', though with the subject (Lisa del Giocondo) depicted as being a younger age. The painting is thought to ...

'', for which a similar claim was made, genially disputed who had the "real" ''Mona Lisa'' in the press, and both offered to show their respective ''Mona Lisa'' paintings at a London exhibition in 1972."The World", ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (22 October 1972), p. E-4.Raymond R. Coffey, "Does Mona Lisa Know", ''

Charleston Daily Mail The ''Charleston Daily Mail'' was a newspaper based in Charleston, West Virginia. On July 20, 2015, it merged with the '' Charleston Gazette'' to form the '' Charleston Gazette-Mail''. Publishing history The ''Daily Mail'' was founded in 1914 ...

'' (17 October 1972), p. 9A, via the ''Chicago Daily News''.

Personal life

Lord Brownlow married three times. In 1927, he married Katherine, daughter of Brigadier General Sir David Alexander Kinloch, 11th Baronet. They had three children. After his first wife's death in 1952, he married secondly Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Sarsfield Power, in 1954. She died in 1966 and Brownlow married thirdly Leila Joan, Lady Manton (d.1983), widow of George Miles Watson, 2nd Baron Manton (d.1968) and daughter of Major Philip Guy Reynolds , in 1969. He died in July 1978, aged 79, and was succeeded in his titles by his second but eldest surviving son, Edward John Peregrine Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow. The

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

are now the owners of

, Brownlow's former seat, in Lincolnshire. He was also the owner at least three estates in the Caribbean, including in Jamaica and Grenada.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Photograph in the National Portrait Gallery, taken with the Duchess of Windsor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownlow, Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron 1899 births 1978 deaths Barons Brownlow British Army personnel of World War I Deputy lieutenants of Lincolnshire Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Grenadier Guards officers Lord-lieutenants of Lincolnshire Mayors of Grantham People educated at Eton College Permanent Lords-in-Waiting Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Peregrine Cust baronets, of Stamford