Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury PC (24 April 1801 – 18 November 1893), styled Lord Robert Grosvenor from 1831 to 1857, was a British courtier and Whig politician. He served as Comptroller of the Household between 1830 and 1834 and as Treasurer of the Household between 1846 and 1847. In 1857 he was ennobled as Baron Ebury.

Background and education

Grosvenor was the third son of Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, and his wife Eleanora, daughter of Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton. He was the younger brother of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster, and of Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton, while Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, and Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge, were his nephews.thepeerage.com Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury
/ref> He was educated at Westminster School and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

Political career

In 1821 Grosvenor was returned to Parliament for

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, Salisbury and north-northeast of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hi ...

, a seat he held until 1826, and then sat for

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

until 1847. When the Whigs came to power in November 1830 under Lord Grey, Grosvenor was appointed Comptroller of the Household and admitted to the Privy Council. He retained this office also when Lord Melbourne became Prime Minister in July 1834. The Whig government fell in November the same year. Grosvenor did not serve in Melbourne's second

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

which lasted from 1835 to 1841. However, when the Whigs returned to office in 1846 under Lord John Russell he was made Treasurer of the Household, which he remained until his resignation in July 1847. In the latter year Grosvenor was returned to Parliament for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, a seat he held until 1857. However, he never returned to office. In September 1857 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Ebury, of Ebury Manor in the County of Middlesex.

Interests

Apart from his political career, Lord Ebury was an active campaigner for

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and was the founder and President of the society for the "revision of the prayer-book". He was also involved in the movement led by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, for the improvement of factory working hours. In later life he came to oppose

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

on the issue of Irish Home Rule. In September 1893, at the age of 92, Lord Ebury voted against the Second Home Rule Bill, by far the oldest peer to vote in the matter. Lord Ebury was also a fervent supporter of

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths or homeopathic physicians, believe that a substance that ...

, the medical doctrine introduced by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. He was a patron of both Dr. Curie's short-lived Homoeopathic Hospital in Bloomsbury Square and Dr Quin's London Homoeopathic Hospital. Lord Ebury served as chairman and president of the London Homoeopathic Hospital from its foundation in 1849, and during that time even defended the doctrine and the institution against its opponents in Parliament. In 1860, Lord Ebury led a business venture with the Great Western Railway to build a railway from Watford, near his mansion at Moor Park, to

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

in Buckinghamshire. The scheme failed and the line, the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway, only reached as far as Rickmansworth, south of Watford. The railway never operated at a profit and eventually closed in 1952, but has since been converted into a cycle path which bears his name, the Ebury Way.

Personal life

On 17 May 1831, Lord Ebury was married to the Hon. Charlotte Arbuthnot Wellesley, eldest daughter of the diplomat Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley (younger brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington). They had a London home at 29 Upper Grosvenor Street, Mayfair. Together, they had five sons and two daughters including:Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes''. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 4132. * Robert Wellesley Grosvenor, 2nd Baron Ebury (1834–1918), who married Hon. Emilie White, the second daughter of Henry White, 1st Baron Annaly. * Hon. Thomas George Grosvenor (1842–1886), who married Sophia Williams, daughter of the American

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

and sinologist Samuel Wells Williams. * Hon. Norman de l'Aigle Grosvenor (1845–1898), who represented

in Parliament; he married Caroline Stuart-Wortley, fourth daughter of James Stuart-Wortley (third son of James Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 1st Baron Wharncliffe) and Hon. Jane Lawley, in 1881. * Hon. Algernon Henry Grosvenor (1864–1907), who married Catherine Dorothea Mary Simeon, eldest daughter of Sir John Simeon, 3rd Baronet and, his second wife, the former Hon. Catherine Dorothea Colville (sister of Charles Colville, 1st Viscount Colville and daughter of Gen. Hon. Sir Charles Colville), in 1887. * Hon. Richard Cecil Grosvenor (1848-1919), a barrister who married Jessie Amelia Clarke, a daughter of the Rev. Charles Clarke, in 1898. Lord Ebury died in November 1893, aged 92, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son

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 ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

Arms

References

External links