Robert George Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth (27 August 1857 – 6 March 1923), known as the 14th Baron Windsor between 1869 and 1905, was a British nobleman and
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 ...
politician. He was the founding President of the
London Society
''London Society'' was a Victorian era illustrated monthly periodical, subtitled "an illustrated magazine of light and amusing literature for the hours of relaxation". It was published between 1862 and 1898 by W. Clowes and Sons, London, Engl ...
.
Background
Plymouth was born at John Street,
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...
, London,
the son of the Hon.
Robert Windsor-Clive and Lady Mary Selina Louisa Bridgeman, daughter of
George Bridgeman, 2nd Earl of Bradford. His paternal grandparents were the Hon.
Robert Clive
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...
and
Harriett, 13th Baroness Windsor, daughter of Other Windsor, 5th Earl of Plymouth. In 1869 he succeeded his grandmother in the barony of Windsor.
He was educated at
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 ...
and admitted to
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
, in 1875. He graduated with a
B.A. in 1878, a
M.A. in 1891, and was awarded an honorary
LL.D by the university in 1900.
Landowner
As Lord Windsor he commissioned
Bodley and
Garner to build a new
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 ...
at his
estate in
Hewell Grange near
Tardebigge
Tardebigge () is a village in Worcestershire, England.
The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 30 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the county of Worceste ...
,
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
, which was completed in 1884–1891. The estate had been a seat of his grandmother's Windsor family since the 16th century. There are several
ruin
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
s of earlier houses on the estate, and a large number of
listed buildings, structures and statues.
The Windsor-Clives also lived at
St Fagans Castle near Cardiff, mainly during the summer months. The sixteenth-century house is now part of the
National Museum of Wales
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** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
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, to which it was donated following the death of the 2nd Earl, and is furnished and decorated as it would have been during their residence.
Political career
As Lord Windsor he served under
Lord Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...
as
Paymaster General
His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party.
History
The post was ...
between 1890 and 1892 and was sworn of the
Privy Council in 1891. Under
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...
he was
First Commissioner of Works between 11 August 1902 and the Liberal election in 1905, during which period he was responsible for the transformation of
The Mall into a processional carriageway and passed the plans for the
Queen Victoria Memorial outside
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 ...
.
[ His succeeding son had to vacate his parliamentary seat for Ludlow.]
In 1905 the
earldom of Plymouth held by his great-grandfather (which had become extinct in 1843) was revived when he was created Viscount Windsor, of St Fagans in the County of Glamorgan, and Earl of Plymouth, in the County of Devon.
Apart from his career in national politics he was Mayor of
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
from 1895 to 1896 in which role he hosted a royal visit from the Prince and Princess of Wales and their daughters, Princesses Victoria and Maud. He was appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion may refer to:
Relationships Currently
* Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance
* A domestic partner, akin to a spouse
* Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach
* Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...
in 1905 and a
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1918, as well as an Officer of the French
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
and was at one time Chairman of the Union of Conservative Associations.
Other public appointments
Lord Plymouth was also
Lord Lieutenant of Glamorganshire
This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan. After 1729, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of Glamorgan. The post was abolished on 31 March 1974.
Lord Lieutenants of Glamorgan to 1974
*Henry Herbert, 2nd Ea ...
from 1890 to his death, and
High Steward of
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
from 1919.
Lord Plymouth served in the
Worcestershire Yeomanry, being commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 1878, and promoted Lieutenant (1880) and Major (1885), and was its Lieutenant-Colonel commanding from 1893 to 1906.
He was also Honorary Colonel of the
2nd Glamorganshire Artillery Volunteers from 1890, the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, later redesignated 8th Battalion, of the
Worcestershire Regiment from 1891, and the
Glamorganshire Yeomanry
The Glamorgan Yeomanry was a Wales, Welsh auxiliary cavalry regiment of the British Army originally raised in the late 18th century as a result of concern over the threat of invasion by the French. It was used for aiding the civil powers in South ...
from 1901 to his death,
as well as of the
3rd (Royal Glamorgan Militia) Battalion, Welsh Regiment from 1896 and its
Special Reserve
The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the military reforms implemented by Ri ...
successor the
3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Welsh Regiment, from 1908.
He was Sub-Prior
Order of St John of Jerusalem. In February 1900 he was appointed a
Trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...
of the
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...
, and he served as the first President of The Concrete Institute (now the
Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institution of Structural Engineers is a British professional body for structural engineers.
In 2021, it had 29,900 members operating in 112 countries. It provides professional accreditation and publishes a magazine, '' The Structural Eng ...
) between 1908 and 1910. In 1913 he was responsible for purchasing
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around ...
for the nation.
He served twice as President of the Cambrian Archaeological Society, first in 1899, and again in 1912.
In 1913 Lord Plymouth hosted the
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
and
Duchess of Argyll
The Duchess of Argyll is typically the wife of the Duke of Argyll, an extant title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created in 1892. The Duke is also Duke of Argyll in the Peerage of Scotland, which was originally created in the 1701.
The fa ...
(sister of the late
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
) at his Worcestershire seat, Hewell Grange. On 23 April 1913, he accompanied the Duke and Duchess to
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
. There, he opened the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in
Ladywood and then unveiled the statue to King Edward VII in
Victoria Square, Birmingham. In 1918 he became the first President of the newly formed
Birmingham Civic Society.
From 1914 to 1923, Lord Plymouth was chairman of 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 ...
.
Family
In 1883, Lord Plymouth married Alberta Victoria Sarah Caroline, who was the daughter of
Sir Augustus Paget, and born in 1863. They had three sons and one daughter. His eldest son Other Robert Windsor-Clive, Viscount Windsor (1884–1908), predeceased him, as did his third son, Lieutenant
Archer Windsor-Clive, of the 3rd Battalion
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...
, killed in action at
Landrecies holding the line during the
Retreat from Mons
The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...
;. Archer had briefly played cricket for Glamorgan.
Lord Plymouth died suddenly in March 1923, aged 65, at his home in Great Cumberland Place, London, and was buried at
Tardebigge
Tardebigge () is a village in Worcestershire, England.
The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 30 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the county of Worceste ...
, Worcestershire.
He was succeeded in the earldom by his second son,
Ivor. The Countess of Plymouth died in August 1944, aged 81,
and was buried next to her husband and their son Other Robert (1884–1908).
References
External links
*
*W. P. Williams
A Monograph of the Windsor Family(Cardiff: Daniel Owen and Co., 1879)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plymouth, Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl
1857 births
1923 deaths
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Companions of the Order of the Bath
1
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Lord-lieutenants of Glamorgan
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Presidents of the Institution of Structural Engineers
United Kingdom Paymasters General
Mayors of Cardiff
Worcestershire Yeomanry officers
Peers created by Edward VII
People of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England
People educated at Eton College