Grant-Ferris grave Harvington Chaddesley Corbett Worcestershire 02

Robert Grant Grant-Ferris, Baron Harvington, AE PC (30 December 1907 – 1 January 1997) was a British Conservative Party politician and RAF officer. Born Robert Grant Ferris, he was educated at

Douai School Douai School was a public ( fee-charging boarding) school run by the Douai Abbey Benedictine community at Woolhampton, England, until it closed in 1999. History 1615–1818 The monastic community was founded in Paris in 1615 and moved ...

and served in the RAF during the War, receiving the

Air Efficiency Award The Air Efficiency Award, post-nominal letters AE for officers, was instituted in 1942. It could be awarded after ten years of meritorious service to officers, airmen and airwomen in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Auxiliary and Royal Air Force ...

in 1942. He was the son of Mrs Ellen Ryan Ferris (1870–1955), who is known to have purchased and given Harvington Hall to the

Archdiocese of Birmingham The Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The archdiocese covers an area of , encompassing Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and much of ...

in 1923. In 1930, he married Florence Brennan de Vine (died 30 December 1996), with whom he had a daughter and a son. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for St Pancras North from 1937 to 1945, and for

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture ...

from 1955 until his retirement at the February 1974 general election. He served as

Chairman of Ways and Means In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of Ways and Means is a senior member of the House of Commons who acts as one of the Speaker's three deputies. The current holder is Nusrat Ghani, following her election to the position on 23 July 2024. H ...

and Deputy Speaker from 1970 to 1974. Ferris's

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

to Parliament was in March 1937, in a debate on the Air Ministry estimates, in which he spoke as a member of the

Royal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces ( Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary re ...

. Grant-Ferris was a staunch supporter of fellow devout

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. His son Fr Piers Grant-Ferris (b. April 9, 1933) pleaded guilty at

Leeds Crown Court Leeds Combined Court Centre is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, and a County Court venue, which deals with civil cases, in Oxford Row, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is adjacent to Leeds Magistrates Courts. History Un ...

to indecently assaulting 15 boys while teaching at

Gilling Castle Gilling Castle is a Grade I listed English country house, country house near Gilling East, North Yorkshire, England (). History The castle was originally the home of the Etton family, who appeared there at the end of the 12th century. It was ...

, North Yorkshire, the preparatory school for nearby

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...

, between 1966 and 1975. He changed his name from Ferris to Grant-Ferris by

deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract, because it binds only one party. Etymology Th ...

in August 1942. Robert Grant-Ferris was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1969, and sworn to the Privy Council in 1971. On 24 June 1974 he was given a

life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Harvington, of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

. He died on New Years Day 1997, two days after the death of his wife Florence on his 89th birthday.

References

* 1907 births 1997 deaths Grant-Ferris Conservative Party (UK) life peers Grant-Ferris English Roman Catholics Knights Bachelor Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Douai School Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Grant-Ferris Grant-Ferris Grant-Ferris Grant-Ferris Grant-Ferris Grant-Ferris UK MPs who were granted peerages Life peers created by Elizabeth II {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1900s-stub