Charles Barrington Balfour
Encyclopedia
Captain Charles Barrington Balfour JP
, DL
, CB
(20 February 1862 – 31 August 1921) was a British Army
officer who became a Conservative Party
politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1900 to 1907.
He was a first cousin of Arthur Balfour
, who served as Prime Minister
from 1902 to 1905.
. His father died when he was 10 years old, and Charles succeeded to his estates: Balgonie Castle
in Fife and Newton Don in Roxburghshire
.
He was educated at Eton
and at Sandhurst
, and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Scots Guards
from 1881 to 1890. He served in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882, and was present at the battle of Tel-El-Kebir, for which received a medal with a clasp. He was a Captain in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the King's Own Scottish Borderers
from 1891 to 1895, and later served as a captain in the Royal Guards Reserve Regiment
.
for Berwickshire, and a Deputy Lieutenant
of Berwickshire.
He stood for Parliament
five times before he won a seat. He was unsuccessful in Roxburghshire
at the 1885 general election
, in Berwickshire
at the 1892
and 1895 general election
s, and the Southport by-election in 1899.
At the 1900 general election
he was elected unopposed as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Hornsey division of Middlesex
. He was re-elected in 1906
, but resigned his seat
on 28 May 1907 by becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead.
Balfour was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire
on 31st May 1917. In the King's Birthday Honours in June 1919, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath for services in connection with World War I
in his capacity as president and chairman of the Berwickshire Territorial Force
Association.
Balfour was also a director of Barclays Bank and of the Scottish Widows
fund.
They also had a son John, who was imprisoned in Germany at Ruhleben, a race course on the outskirts of Berlin, for the duration of WWI. He had been studying at university, in Germany, at the outbreak of the war and was immediately imprisoned. On repatriation, he joined the Foreign Office and became a career diplomat, and was knighted in 1954.
He was our man in Moscow, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Washington, as well as serving in other countries. He was with Churchill at Yalta, and served him on several occasions during the war. He died in 1983 and posthumously published a book about his expiences. Titled "Not Too Correct an Auriole, the recollections of a Diplomat," it was written when he was past his best, but is an entertaining read.
Justice 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...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, CB
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...
(20 February 1862 – 31 August 1921) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who became a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1900 to 1907.
He was a first cousin of Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, who served as Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1902 to 1905.
Early life
Balfour was the son of Charles Balfour, and his wife Adelaide (died 1862), daughter and 8th child of the 6th Viscount BarringtonWilliam Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington
William Keppel Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington , styled The Honourable from 1814 until 1829, was a British businessman and politician.-Background and education:...
. His father died when he was 10 years old, and Charles succeeded to his estates: Balgonie Castle
Balgonie Castle
Balgonie Castle is located on the south bank of the River Leven near Milton of Balgonie, east of Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland. The keep dates from the 14th century, and the remaining structures were added piecemeal until the 18th century...
in Fife and Newton Don in Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
.
He was educated at Eton
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 Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
from 1881 to 1890. He served in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882, and was present at the battle of Tel-El-Kebir, for which received a medal with a clasp. He was a Captain in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
from 1891 to 1895, and later served as a captain in the Royal Guards Reserve Regiment
Royal Guards Reserve Regiment
The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a reserve formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900-1901.-History and strength:Due to the manpower needs of the Second Boer War, several Royal Reserve Regiments were formed from veteran soldiers in the United Kingdom for Home Service...
.
Political career
Balfour was a councillor on Berwickshire County Council, 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 Berwickshire, and a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Berwickshire.
He stood for Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
five times before he won a seat. He was unsuccessful in Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Roxburghshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918...
at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, in Berwickshire
Berwickshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Berwickshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 to 1918, when it was amalgamated with neighbouring Haddington to form a new Berwick and Haddington constituency...
at the 1892
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
and 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
s, and the Southport by-election in 1899.
At the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he was elected unopposed as the 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,...
(MP) for the Hornsey division of Middlesex
Hornsey (UK Parliament constituency)
Hornsey was a parliamentary constituency covering what is now the Hornsey district of North London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from the 1885 general election until it was abolished for the 1983 general election...
. He was re-elected in 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, but resigned his seat
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
on 28 May 1907 by becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead.
Balfour was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire
Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant for the area of Berwickshire.The official title of the office was as follows:*His Majesty's Lieutenant for the County of Berwick...
on 31st May 1917. In the King's Birthday Honours in June 1919, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath for services in connection with World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in his capacity as president and chairman of the Berwickshire Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
Association.
Balfour was also a director of Barclays Bank and of the Scottish Widows
Scottish Widows
Scottish Widows plc is a life, pensions and investment company located in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is a subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group. Its product range includes life assurance, pensions, investments and savings...
fund.
Family
In 1888, Balfour Married Lady Helena McDonnell, known as "Nina", daughter of the 5th Earl of Antrim. They had four sons, the eldest being Charles James Balfour, a Captain in the Scots Guards, who was born in 1889 and in 1917 married Hon. Aurea Vera Baring, daughter of Lord Ashburton.They also had a son John, who was imprisoned in Germany at Ruhleben, a race course on the outskirts of Berlin, for the duration of WWI. He had been studying at university, in Germany, at the outbreak of the war and was immediately imprisoned. On repatriation, he joined the Foreign Office and became a career diplomat, and was knighted in 1954.
He was our man in Moscow, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Washington, as well as serving in other countries. He was with Churchill at Yalta, and served him on several occasions during the war. He died in 1983 and posthumously published a book about his expiences. Titled "Not Too Correct an Auriole, the recollections of a Diplomat," it was written when he was past his best, but is an entertaining read.