Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock
Encyclopedia
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock GCSI
, GCIE
, KCB
, VD, PC
(12 May 1849 – 15 January 1912) was a British soldier, Liberal
politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1880 and administrator who was the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896.
and his wife Lady Elizabeth Grosvenor, daughter of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
. He was educated at Eton College
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
. He was commissioned into the Yorkshire Hussars
in 1869. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and also held the honorary colonelcies of several reserve regiments.
for the East and North Ridings of Yorkshire and as Chairman of East Riding County Council. At the 1880 general election
he was elected Member of Parliament
for Chester but inherited his peerage later in the uyear and was elevated to the House of Lords. He was Governor of Madras 1891–1895. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor
in 1901, and made a Lord of the Bedchamber
to George, Prince of Wales
.
which was begun in August 1891 when he was Governor. During 1891-92, the northern districts of Madras Presidency were gripped by a terrible famine. The government's persistence in continuing grain export from the districts of Ganjam and Viazgapatm made the situation even worser. Lawley established the Board of Mohammedan Education in 1893. In 1895, Lawley laid the foundation stone for a solar observatory at Kodaikanal
. The Wenlock Ward of General Hospital, Madras was established in his memory.
Lawley made significant enlargements to the Government House (now Raj Bahvan), Madras. Lawley also laid the foundation stone of the Madras High Court
.
, by whom he had one daughter: Hon. Irene Constance Lawley (b. 1889). She married Colin Gurden Forbes-Adam of Skipwith
, Yorkshire. The Forbes-Adam family retain the Escrick estate which they now operate as a holiday and pleasure park.
He was succeeded in the Barony by his brother Richard
.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, GCIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, VD, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(12 May 1849 – 15 January 1912) was a British soldier, Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1880 and administrator who was the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896.
Early life
Lawley was the son of Beilby Lawley, 2nd Baron WenlockBeilby Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock
Beilby Richard Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock was an English nobleman, eldest son of Paul Thompson, 1st Baron Wenlock and 8th Baronet...
and his wife Lady Elizabeth Grosvenor, daughter of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster KG, PC , styled Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Belgrave from 1831 to 1845, was an English politician, landowner, property developer and benefactor....
. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He was commissioned into the Yorkshire Hussars
Yorkshire Hussars
The Yorkshire Hussars was a unit of the British Army from 1794 to 1956.The regiment was formed as volunteer cavalry in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was converted to an armoured role during World War II. In 1956 it merged with two other Yorkshire yeomanry regiments to form the...
in 1869. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and also held the honorary colonelcies of several reserve regiments.
Political career
Wenlock was active in local affairs as a Justice of the PeaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for the East and North Ridings of Yorkshire and as Chairman of East Riding County Council. At the 1880 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
he was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Chester but inherited his peerage later in the uyear and was elevated to the House of Lords. He was Governor of Madras 1891–1895. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1901, and made a Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
to George, Prince of Wales
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
.
Governor of Madras
In 1890, Lawley was appointed Governor of Madras by the Conservative Party which came to power in the United Kingdom. Beilby Lawley served as the Governor of Madras from January 23, 1891 to March 18, 1896. Lawley laid the foundation stone for the Nilgiri Mountain RailwayNilgiri Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway Company. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division...
which was begun in August 1891 when he was Governor. During 1891-92, the northern districts of Madras Presidency were gripped by a terrible famine. The government's persistence in continuing grain export from the districts of Ganjam and Viazgapatm made the situation even worser. Lawley established the Board of Mohammedan Education in 1893. In 1895, Lawley laid the foundation stone for a solar observatory at Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
. The Wenlock Ward of General Hospital, Madras was established in his memory.
Lawley made significant enlargements to the Government House (now Raj Bahvan), Madras. Lawley also laid the foundation stone of the Madras High Court
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
.
Family
In 1872 he married Lady Constance Mary Lascelles, (1852–1932), daughter of the 4th Earl of HarewoodHenry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood
Henry Thynne Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood was a British peer and the son of Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood....
, by whom he had one daughter: Hon. Irene Constance Lawley (b. 1889). She married Colin Gurden Forbes-Adam of Skipwith
Skipwith
Skipwith is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies about northeast of Selby Half a mile to the south-west is the traces of RAF Riccall, a training airfield that was a bomber Heavy Conversion Unit in the Second World War.- Skipwith Common :Ancient...
, Yorkshire. The Forbes-Adam family retain the Escrick estate which they now operate as a holiday and pleasure park.
He was succeeded in the Barony by his brother Richard
Richard Lawley, 4th Baron Wenlock
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Thompson Lawley, 4th Baron Wenlock CB was a British Army officer who became the 4th Baron Wenlock and the 11th Lawley Baronet of Spoonhill in 1912.-Early life:...
.