Ralph Palmer, 12th Baron Lucas
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Ralph Matthew Palmer, 12th Baron Lucas and 8th Lord Dingwall (born 7 June 1951), addressed formally as Lord Lucas and Dingwall, is one of the hereditary peers elected to remain 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 ...
after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, sitting as a
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
. He inherited his titles on the death of his mother in 1991, served as a Tory whip in the Lords 1994–97 for the last three years of the John Major government, and continues to serve as a backbencher. Known generally and professionally as Ralph Lucas, in 2000 he became owner and publisher of '' The Good Schools Guide''.


Origins

Lady Florence Amabel Cowper, daughter of George Cowper, 6th Earl Cowper married Auberon Herbert and inherited the Barony of Lucas of Crudwell (from her grandfather, Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey), and the Lordship of Dingwall (from her uncle Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper). They were the parents of four children, including Nan Ino Cooper, 10th Baroness Lucas (Ralph Lucas's maternal grandmother), and her elder daughter, Anne Rosemary, married Major the Hon Robert Jocelyn Palmer MC (son of Roundell Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne).


Early life

Lucas is the son of the Anne Palmer, 11th Baroness Lucas and 7th Lady Dingwall and Major the Hon Robert Jocelyn Palmer (fifth child and third son of the 3rd Earl of Selborne). He attended Twyford School and
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 ...
. During his gap year in 1969, he accompanied Professor Thomas Frederick Hewer and Brigadier Brian Mortimer Archibald across Afghanistan and Iran, collecting plants for Kew Gardens and the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
as a private expedition. He returned to study
physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
at Balliol College, Oxford.


Work

He took articles as a chartered accountant with Farrow, Bersey, Gain, Vincent & Co and successor firms, and worked at S. G. Warburg & Co. Ltd. from 1976 to 1988. On the death of his mother in 1991, he succeeded her as 12th Baron Lucas and 8th Lord Dingwall. He was a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip 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 ...
) during 1994–97, and the shadow Lords minister for International Development during 1997–98. He remains an active backbencher, taking a particular interest in education,
liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
, electronic government, planning, finance and parking regulation. In 1995, Ralph Lucas married Amanda Atha, the co-founder with Sarah Drummond of '' The Good Schools Guide'', became owner, publisher and editor of the guide in 2000; he added international schools overseas to the guide in 2006. As editor of ''The Good Schools Guide'', Ralph Lucas has highlighted the continued improvement of state and
Special Education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
Needs schools: the first edition of ''The Good Schools Guide'' in 1986 listed just ten state schools – 4 per cent of the total; by the 2016 edition, more than 300 state schools were reviewed, a quarter of the 1,200 schools reviewed that year. In the 2019 edition, nearly 400 of the 1,297 schools selected for review were state schools and 140 were SEN schools. Ralph Lucas has commented on state schools as strong competitors for the most talented students, saying, 'Many prep schools are facing a "slow and gentle good night" as a result of rapidly improving state primaries and private tutors'. He has expressed his concerns over the dangers of charlatan tutors for very young children and rung warning bells over the ever rising fees of independent schools. Asked by a journalist why historians make the best school leaders, he replied, 'The subject combines a fascination with humanity (pretty essential to running a school well), a disciplined way with words and stories, and a deep study of how to succeed as a dictator.' Since inheriting his title and remaining through election by his peers, Ralph Lucas continues to be active in the House of Lords. He has served on committees that addressed digital skills, the regeneration of seaside towns, and digital technology & democracy. He chairs the Enforcement Law Reform Group. He was instrumental in adding what became known as the Lucas amendment, 'An apology, an offer of treatment or other redress, shall not of itself amount to an admission of negligence or breach of statutory duty' to the Compensation Act 2006, allowing people to apologise to victims without legal penalty. He met his third wife, Antonia Rubenstein, when serving as a patron on the prison reform charity, Safe Ground, and was instrumental in establishing the Family Man and Fathers Inside family relationships project. Ralph Lucas has been involved in encouraging a relationship between The Eden Project and Eastbourne. With Lady Lucas, he set up the Making Natural History project, using creative works to highlight environmental issues in and beyond Eastbourne. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA) in 1986 and is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. He was a competitor on University Challenge for the 2004 "Professionals" series, when he competed on the House of Lords team.


Marriages and children

Lucas has been married three times. Firstly, he wed Clarissa Marie Lockett on 22 July 1978. They were divorced in 1995 after having two children. Secondly, Lucas married Amanda Atha in 1995, who died in 2000. In 2001, he married Antonia Kennedy Rubinstein, with whom he has one daughter.


References


External links


Lord Lucas Open Rights GroupLord Lucas at Blogspot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Ralph Palmer, 12th Baron 1951 births Living people People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Dingwall, Ralph Palmer, 8th Lord British accountants British editors British educational theorists Barons Lucas Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999