Walter FitzUryan Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor (17 August 1873 – 8 June 1956) was a British military

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

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 A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He was the only son and heir of the 6th Baron Dynevor.

Early life and family

He was educated at Eton 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 ...

. On graduating from Oxford, he served in the part-time Royal Carmarthen Artillery for twelve years, rising to the rank of captain. On 12 October 1898, he married Lady Margaret Child Villiers (8 October 1875 – 1 April 1959), daughter of

Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey Victor Albert George Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, (20 March 1845 – 31 May 1915) was a British banker, Conservative politician and colonial administrator from the Villiers family. He served as Governor of New South Wales between 1891 an ...

, and Margaret (née Leigh), Countess of Jersey. The 7th Baron had the following children: *

Charles Arthur Uryan Rhys, 8th Baron Dynevor Charles Arthur Uryan Rhys, 8th Baron Dynevor CBE (21 September 1899 – 15 December 1962), was a British peer and politician. He was the son of Walter FitzUryan Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor. Rhys was educated at Eton and the Royal Military Coll ...

(1899–1962) *The Honourable Elwyn Villiers Rhys (19 December 1900 – 10 January 1966), married Diana Sloane Stanley *Hon. Imogen Alice Rhys (27 August 1903 – March 2001), married David Brand, 5th Viscount Hampden. *Captain Hon. David Reginald Rhys (18 March 1907 – 1991), married

Anne Rhys, 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in ...

. He became Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo and

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

Political career

From 1899 to 1903, the Hon. Walter Rice served as assistant private secretary to

Lord George Hamilton Lord George Francis Hamilton (17 December 1845 – 22 September 1927) was a British Conservative Party politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who served as First Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of State for India. Background ...

, the

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India secretary or the Indian secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of ...

. From 1903 to 1905, he was assistant secretary to the

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

Lord Selborne Earl of Selborne, in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1882 for the lawyer and Liberal politician Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Wo ...

. After the

government resigned in 1905, Rice travelled extensively in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and the

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

. In January 1910, he was elected MP for

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, being re-elected in December. His majority of 4,000 was, he was to comment later, unusually high in a period when average electorates were not large. In 1911, the Hon. Walter Rice became 7th Baron Dynevor on the death of his father. Thereafter, he became increasingly involved with the politics of his native

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

. Vice-president of the Carmarthenshire Conservatives in 1912, he was also President of the West

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Conservatives to 1914, when Conservative re-organisation saw him become President of the South Wales Conservatives, a post he held until 1938. During the

Great 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 ...

, Lord Dynevor served in the

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

from 1916. Thereafter, he served on the Unionist

Devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...

Committee, considering the recommendations of the Speaker's Conference on Devolution. In his locality, he served as a member of Llandeilo Rural District Council representing Llandyfeisant, a very small parish which sat largely within the Dynevor Castle estate. In 1919, he was elected to the

Carmarthenshire County Council Carmarthenshire County Council ( or ''Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin'') is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The co ...

for

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated where the River Towy is crossed by the A483 road, A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had ...

, capturing a traditionally Liberal seat as an independent. He retained this seat until increasing deafness forced him to resign in 1935. Throughout the inter-war years, Lord Dynevor was a key figure in Welsh Conservative politics, as well as the Carmarthenshire territorials. In 1928, Lord Dynevor became Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire. Forced to resign from his offices in 1938 due to increasing deafness, Lord Dynevor was praised for his record of public service.

Writings

In addition to his public duties, Lord Dynevor wrote two books, ''My Reminiscences'', published in 1937, which comprises a short memoir, and a book on the trees in the park at Dynevor.

Legacy

* Walter Street, in

Ammanford, Carmarthenshire Ammanford ( ) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. At the 2021 census the community had a population of 5,445, and the wider built up area had a population of 8,285. Ammanford is served by the A483 and A474 roads. Ammanford r ...

is named for the 7th Baron. Margaret Street was named for his wife. * In 1916 displaying Welshness had become sufficiently fashionable for Lord Dynevor to adopt (by royal licence) the older, Welsh form of his surname, "Rhys". In 1906 Rice Street in Betws had been named after him.

Death

Lord Dynevor died on 8 June 1956, aged 82. He was succeeded by his son, the Hon. Charles Arthur FitzUryan Rhys as 8th Baron.

Sources

References

Bibliography

;Records * Carmarthenshire Record Office, Dynevor Papers Add Mss 4, polling figures for Llandeilo election * CRO Dynevor Papers, Box 114 * Dynevor Papers, Box 266/9, 'The Home-Coming of the Hon. Walter Rice and His Bride' * Conservative election address, Brighton, January 1910 ;Newspapers *''Lord Dynevor's Address to the electors of Llandeilo'', February, 1919; *''South Wales Evening Post'', 26 February 1938 * Taliaris Papers, box 441 * Lord Dynevor, ''My Reminiscences'' (Carmarthen, 1937)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dynevor, Walter Rice, 7th Baron 1873 births 1956 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Carmarthen Militia officers Rice, Walter 07 Councillors in Wales Lord-lieutenants of Carmarthenshire People educated at Eton College Rice, Walter Rice, Walter Dynevor, B7

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...