Standish Robert Gage Prendergast Vereker, 7th Viscount Gort, (12 February 1888 – 21 May 1975) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

peer,

connoisseur A connoisseur (French language, French Reforms of French orthography, traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge ...

and collector of fine art, antiques, and

objets d'art In art history, the French term objet d'art (; ) describes an ornamental work of art, and the term objets d’art describes a range of works of art, usually small and three-dimensional, made of high-quality materials, and a finely-rendered finish ...

, whose seat was at

Hamsterley Hall Hamsterley Hall is an 18th-century English country house at Hamsterley, Consett, Hamsterley, Rowlands Gill, County Durham, England. It is a listed building, Grade II* listed building. The estate at Hamsterley was given, in 1762, by Swinburne Baro ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Durham This is a list of the high sheriffs of County Durham, England. In most counties the high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. In the Palatinate of Durham the officeholder was appointed by and was accountable to the Bishop of ...

in 1934. He was the brother of

John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, (10 July 1886 – 31 March 1946) was a senior British Army officer. As a young officer during the First World War, he was decorated with ...

, and inherited that title on the death of Lord Gort without male issue in 1946. He was succeeded in turn by his cousin, Colin Vereker.

Early life

Gort was born in Sausthorpe,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, and educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

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 ...

. After Cambridge, he travelled to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

in 1911 and established himself as a contractor and later a major real estate holder in the city.

Military service

Gort served in the British Army during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He was wounded three times in the war and earned a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. Gort married Bessy Surtees, daughter of Aubone Alfred Surtees, on 11 June 1921, in England, and returned briefly to Winnipeg to live with his bride after the war. The couple had no children. By 1923 they had settled in England but he maintained his links with Winnipeg, visiting often over the years to attend to affairs with his numerous real estate holdings, which included the Viscount Gort Hotel on

Portage Avenue Portage or portaging (Canadian English, CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is ...

, and living in the city for extended periods. Gort became a staunch supporter of the arts in Winnipeg. Gort served under his brother

, 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 ...

. He gained the rank of honorary colonel in 1948 in the service of the 464 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. He was also invested as a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.Profile
thepeerage.com; accessed 19 April 2016.

Collections and Bunratty Castle

Gort bought

Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle () is a large 15th-century tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the centre of Bunratty village, by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Shannon Town and its airport. The castle and the adjoining folk ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, Ireland in 1953. Encouraged by John Hunt he then set about refurbishing the castle with a large personal antique collection. He put a roof on the castle and generally saved it from

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 ...

. It had not been lived in since the building of Bunratty House (now an attraction within the folk park). The castle later was run by

Shannon Development Shannon Development (legally the ''Shannon Free Airport Development Company Limited'' formerly known as SFADCO) was an important regional development body for the Shannon Region of Ireland. Its area in the lower River Shannon basin comprised al ...

. The castle is today a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

, with an Irish

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

-themed folk park which was created around it. It is the most complete and authentically restored and furnished castle in Ireland. The antiques with which Gort filled the castle remain, and visitors to the castle may view them in situ. Gort donated the castle to the public, along with its contents, and the castle and folk park are now run by

. In 1973, two years before his death, Gort and his wife donated a major collection of 18th and 19th-century paintings to the

Winnipeg Art Gallery The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collect ...

. Gort is commemorated at the castle by a plaque near the

portcullis A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway. ...

, and by portraits of him and his wife in the castle. After his death in 1975, he was succeeded in the title by his first cousin, once removed Colin Vereker.

References

External links

Castles.ancientireland.org

Npg.org.uk

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gort, Standish Vereker, 7th Viscount 1888 births 1975 deaths 19th-century Anglo-Irish people 20th-century Anglo-Irish people Military personnel from Lincolnshire British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Knights of the Order of St John Viscounts Gort Recipients of the Military Cross Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People educated at Harrow School Deputy lieutenants of Durham Royal Artillery officers High sheriffs of Durham English people of Dutch descent English people of French descent Schuyler family Van Cortlandt family Place of death missing