Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edmund Castell Bacon, 13th and 14th Baronet (18 March 1903 – 30 September 1982) was a British landowner and businessman.

Baronetcy

As the Bacon baronetcy of Redgrave in the County of Suffolk is the oldest extant English baronetcy (created in the Baronetage of England on 22 May 1611), Sir Edmund was the

Premier Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

of England. He was both the 13th and 14th Baronet of Bacon, since the 8th Bacon Baronet of Mildenhall in the County of Suffolk (created in the Baronetage of England on 29 July 1627), had succeeded as the 7th Bacon Baronet of Redgrave in 1755 when his third cousin, the 6th Bacon Baronet of Redgrave, died without heirs.

Family

Sir Edmund was born in 1903 at Raveningham Hall, the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, 12th Baronet, and Constance Alice Leslie-Melville. He was educated at

Wixenford Wixenford is an area of the civil parish of Wokingham Without in which Ludgrove School stands. It adjoins Wokingham and is in the English county of Berkshire. Name The area was developed by the former Wixenford School, which closed in 1934. That ...

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

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. On 15 January 1936, he married Priscilla Dora Ponsonby (1913–2000), daughter of

Sir Charles Ponsonby, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Edward Ponsonby, 1st Baronet (2 September 1879 – 28 January 1976), was a British Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1935 to 1950. Background A member of the prominent Ponsonby family, he was the son of th ...

. They had five children.Joanna Constance Bacon (b. 12 March 1937), Lavinia Winifred Bacon (b. 7 June 1939), Elizabeth Albinia Bacon (b. 15 January 1944), Sarah Bacon (b. 1 June 1947), and the 14th and 15th Baronet, Sir Nicholas Hickman Ponsonby Bacon. Their daughter Sarah was married to

Sir Paul Nicholson Sir Paul Douglas Nicholson, (7 March 1938 – 17 January 2025) was an English industrialist and was Lord Lieutenant of County Durham from 1997 to 2013. Early life and education Nicholson was born in County Durham, England, to (Frank) Douglas Ni ...

Career

Sir Edmund was appointed deputy lieutenant of Norfolk in 1939. He commanded the 55th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

. He became Honorary Colonel of the 308 (Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery between 1961 and 1967. He was appointed as a justice of the peace for Norfolk in 1944. He succeeded to the family baronetcies on 1 January 1947 and he was

Lord-Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...

of Norfolk between 1949 and 1982. Sir Edmund held several quango and business positions: chairman of British Sugar Corporation (1957–1968);

Pro-Chancellor A pro-chancellor is an officer of some universities in Commonwealth countries. The pro-chancellor acts as a deputy to the chancellor and as practical chairman of the university council. In this role, a pro-chancellor may fulfil a number of for ...

of the University of East Anglia (1964–1973); chairman of the Agricultural North East Development Council (1966–1982) and director of

Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a major British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with a significant presence across England and Wales. It has traditionally been regarded one of the "Big Four (banking)#England and Wales, Big Four" clearing house ...

. Sir Edmund died on 30 September 1982, aged 79.

Awards and decorations

*Knight of the

Venerable Order of Saint John The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

*Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1965) *Knight Companion of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

(1970)

References

1903 births 1982 deaths

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and nobles *Ed ...

People from South Norfolk (district) People educated at Eton College People educated at Wixenford School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People associated with the University of East Anglia Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II Baronets in the Baronetage of England Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights of the Garter Knights of the Order of St John Lord-lieutenants of Norfolk English justices of the peace Military personnel from Norfolk {{England-baronet-stub

Baronetcy

Family

Career

Awards and decorations

Further reading

References