Wayland Hilton Young, 2nd Baron Kennet (2 August 1923 – 7 May 2009) was a British writer and politician, notably concerned with planning and conservation. As a Labour minister, he was responsible for setting up the Department of the Environment and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. Later he joined the SDP. He lost his seat in the Lords following the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

Early life

Young was the son of the multi-talented politician

Hilton Young, 1st Baron Kennet Edward Hilton Young, 1st Baron Kennet (20 March 1879 – 11 July 1960) was a British politician and writer. Family and early life Young was the youngest son of Sir George Young, 3rd Baronet (see Young baronets), a noted classicist and charit ...

, and the sculptor Kathleen Scott, née Bruce, widow of Captain

Robert Falcon Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott (6 June 1868 – ) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova Expedition ...

of the Antarctic. One uncle was Geoffrey Winthrop Young, the mountaineer. His half-brother was the painter and conservationist Sir Peter Scott. After West Downs School, he spent one unhappy term at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

before going on to Alpine College,

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

and finally as an Exhibitioner at

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 ...

. During

World War II 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 served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

from 1942 to 1945, as an Ordinary Seaman and as Sublieutenant. He then went on to the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

serving between 1946 and 1947 and 1949–1951. In between and after, Young was a journalist – ''

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

'' correspondent in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, and weekly columnist on ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' ("Sitting on a Column"), and theatre critic for ''

Tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the Tribune of the Plebs, tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs ac ...

''. He was a frequent contributor to '' Encounter'', where his articles were widely noticed – among them "Sitting on a Fortune" (about prostitution) and a review showing up many errors of fact in Roland Huntford's book on Scott and Amundsen, which denigrated the former (ignoring the scientific character of Scott's expedition), and presented the event as merely a "race" that the latter "won". Young also wrote three novels, and several pamphlets for the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society () is a History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom, British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in ...

on defence,

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing Weapon, weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, ...

, pollution, Europe and other topics, some with his wife, Elizabeth Young. Together they also wrote a book, ''Old London Churches'' (which identified the six churches designed by

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor ( – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principal architects ...

as works of real genius). Young also took part in the Campaign for the Abolition of

Theatre Censorship The Lord Chamberlain's Office is a department within the British Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household. It is concerned with matters such as protocol (diplomacy), protocol, state visits, investitures, garden party, garden parties ...

as its Secretary. His energetic interest in disarmament did not lead him to join the

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nucl ...

– it worked for unilateral British nuclear disarmament: he believed that only general and comprehensive disarmament could be useful and effective.

Political career

Young succeeded to the title of Baron Kennet, and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in 1960 upon the death of his father. He started his political career in the Labour Party, having joined in opposition to the Suez conflict in 1956. He served as Parliamentary Secretary (Junior Minister) in the

Ministry of Housing and Local Government The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed following the Second World War, covering the areas of housing and local government. It was formed, as the Ministry of Local Government and Planning, ...

(under

Richard Crossman Richard Howard Stafford Crossman (15 December 1907 – 5 April 1974) was a British Labour Party politician. A university classics lecturer by profession, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1945 and became a significant figure among the ...

, then later Anthony Greenwood) where he worked, among much else, on planning and conservation, and on devising the soon-to-be-set up Department of the Environment (Secretary of State, Tony Crosland) He was responsible for setting up the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. According to his 1972 publication ''Preservation'' he worked on setting up the "Four Towns Report" and played an important role in establishing the foundations of conservation policy through the Town and Country Planning Act 1968 and his 1970 Kennet Report. After the fall of the irst Wilson Government in 1970, he was appointed Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and became Chairman of the

Council for the Protection of Rural England A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nation ...

, of the Advisory Committee on Pollution of the Sea (ACOPS), and various other organisations. He served as Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs in the House of Lords from 1971 to 1974. He was also a member of the European Parliament, of the

Western European Union The Western European Union (WEU; , UEO; , WEU) was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (alliance) , Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 Treaty of Brussels. The WEU implement ...

, and a NATO Parliamentarian. Kennet joined the SDP, serving as Chief Whip of the party in the House of Lords between 1981 and 1983. While in that position, he introduced a bill for the Prohibition of Female Circumcision; it passed on 16 July 1985. Following the decision by the party's membership to merge with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

in 1988, Kennet was one of the minority who instead opted to remain with the "continuing" SDP faction, led by

David Owen David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, (born 2 July 1938) is a British politician and physician who served as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs as a Labour Party MP under James Callaghan from 1977 to 1979, and later ...

. He returned to the Labour Party in 1990, soon after the "continuing" SDP folded, before leaving in opposition to

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

's foreign policy. Under the terms of the

, he lost his automatic right to a seat; he was unsuccessful in the election by the Labour

hereditary peers The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

of two of their number to continue to sit after the coming into force of the Act, finishing last in a field of six candidates. In 2005, he sought to return to the House in the

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

among Liberal Democrat hereditary peers caused by the death of Earl Russell; he was unsuccessful, receiving no votes. Until late in life he remained chairman of the Stonehenge Alliance, and an active member of the Avebury Society and Action for the River Kennet (ARK).

Personal life

Lord Kennet married Elizabeth Ann Adams in 1948. They had a son, William Aldus (Thoby) Young, and five daughters: Easter Russell, educationalist; the sculptor Emily Young; Mopsa English, educationalist; and the writers Louisa Young (aka children's author Zizou Corder) and Zoe Young. Emily, described as an enigmatic and modish teenager in the 1960s, was the probable inspiration for the

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

song "

See Emily Play "See Emily Play" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released as their second single on 16 June 1967 on the Columbia label. Written by original frontman Syd Barrett, it was released as a non-album single but appeared as the opening ...

". The family homes were in

Bayswater Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

and in Wiltshire, where in 1908 Young's father had bought The Lacket, an 18th-century thatched cottage on the edge of the village of Lockeridge, near

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

Works

Young published on a wide range of mostly political topics, especially on the politics of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, on

and

arms control Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Historically, arms control may apply to melee wea ...

, on the churches of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

often collaborating with his wife Elizabeth Young, and on various political scandals, notably the

Profumo affair The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model ...

and the Montesi scandal. His 1964 work ''Eros Denied'' was a groundbreaking manifesto of the

sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the late 1950s to the early 1 ...

. Young's 1972 publication ''Preservation'' is an important insight of present UK conservation and preservation laws and policies, through the conservation struggles of the late 19th century until the 1968 Planning Act.

Bibliography

*
The Italian Left: A Short History of Political Socialism in Italy
', London: Longman, Green & Co., 1949 * ''The Deadweight'', London: The Cresset Press, 1952 * ''Now or Never'', London: The Cresset Press, 1953 * ''Old London Churches'' (with Elizabeth Young), London:

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

, 1956 * ''The Montesi Scandal: The Story of the Famous Murder That Rocked Modern Italy'', London: Faber & Faber, 1957 * ''Still Alive Tomorrow'', London: Hamilton & Co., 1958 (reprinted Panther, 1960)
''The Socialist Imagination''
(with Elizabeth Young),

, 1960 (pamphlet) * ''Disarmament: Finnegan's Choice'' (with Elizabeth Young), Fabian Society, 1961 (pamphlet) * ''Gogol's Wife & Other Stories'' (translator of work by Tommaso Landolfi; with Raymond Rosenthal, John Longrigg), Norfolk, Connecticut: New Directions, 1963. * ''Strategy for Survival, First steps in nuclear disarmament'', London: Penguin Special, 1959 * ''The Profumo Affair: Aspects of Conservatism'', London: Penguin, 1963 *
Bombs and Votes
', Fabian Society, 1964 (pamphlet) * ''Eros Denied: Sex in Western Society'', New York:

Grove Press Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United S ...

, 1964 (other editions are subtitled "Studies in Exclusion") * ''Preservation'', London: Maurice Temple Smith, 1972 *
Still no disarmament
', Fabian Society, 1973 (pamphlet) * ''The Futures of Europe'',

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, 1976
Kennet, Wayland. "Disarmament: Thirty Years of Failure." Conspectus of History 1.5 (1978): 1-15.
* ''The Rebirth of Britain'' (editor), London:

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld ...

, 1982 * ''Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985'', introduced 2 March 1983, statuted 16 July 1985. * ''London's Churches: A Visitor's Companion'' (with Elizabeth Young), London: Grafton Books, 1986, * ''Northern Lazio: An Unknown Italy'' (with Elizabeth Young), London: John Murray, 1990,

Arms

Footnotes

External links

Further biographical information

''Daily Telegraph'' obituary, 11 May 2009.
"Lord Kennet: writer and politician"
''The Times'' Obituary, 10 May 2009.
Memorial Service
Christ Church, Spitalfields, 12 December 2009.
Town and Country Planning Act of 1968The Papers of Wayland Young, 2nd Baron Kennet
held at Churchill Archives Centre {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Wayland 2 1923 births 2009 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British diplomats British male writers British non-fiction writers British sociologists Labour Party (UK) MEPs British male non-fiction writers MEPs for the United Kingdom 1973–1979 Ministers in the Wilson governments, 1964–1970 People educated at Stowe School People educated at West Downs School Royal Navy officers of World War II Social Democratic Party (UK) hereditary peers Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988–1990) peers Kennet Kennet, Wayland Young, 2nd Baron