Charles Gurney Seymour
Encyclopedia
The Honourable Charles Gurney Seymour, 1st Viscount Seymour of the Downs, is a fictional character in the political novel First Among Equals, by Jeffrey Archer. When the novel was first published in the United States, the character's name was altered to "Charles Gurney Hampton".
He is the second son of the Earl of Bridgewater. As he is the younger of twins (by a mere nine minutes), he does not inherit his father's peerage
, shares in a merchant bank
, a castle in Scotland
or the 20,000-acre (80 km²) family estate. Missing out on such opulence, wealth and power to his harmless brother Rupert whom he despises (a feeling which his brother does not appear to share) leaves him bitter.
. After leaving school he progressed to the University of Oxford
. One night he heard a speech given by then-Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
. He was so inspired by the elder statesmen's speech that he decided to do everything he could to become Prime Minister
.
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Sussex Downs with a majority in excess of 20,000 votes in 1964. He set about making himself stand out amongst the new intake of Conservative MPs. He ruthlessly backed Edward Heath
for the leadership of the Conservative Party following the resignation of Sir Alec Douglas-Home
simply because Heath was most likely to lead the party. His tactics paid off; Heath was elected leader and Charles was rewarded by being elevated to the front bench. His early posts included a stint in the Shadow Chief Whip's Office and the Shadow Local Government and Housing Department.
was "the only one of his contemporaries who could prevent him from leading the party." He therefore set about to wreck Kerslake's career. He tried to bankrupt him, leaked any scandals he could find about Simon, abused his powers as Junior Whip to ensure that Simon was absent on crucial votes in the House of Commons
, thus causing Simon lose favour with the leader, and unsuccessfully attempted to block Simon's bid to return to the Commons after his seat was abolished in boundary changes.
, Charles later served under Margaret Thatcher
as Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary
.
Seymour was also damaged by the donation of a famous and expensive family portrait of the First Earl of Bridgewater to the British Museum. The move was perceived by members as being opportunistic, and contributed to Seymour getting a lower 2nd ballot total than on the first ballot.
In reality, the portrait was stolen from him by his ex-wife Fiona, who wanted to inflict maximum personal hurt on Seymour. She made the donation in the midst of the leadership contest knowing Seymour could not politically ask for the portrait to be returned to him.
First Ballot (held on Tuesday May 16th 1989)
1. Charles Seymour 138 votes
2. Simon Kerslake 135 votes
3. Alec Pimkin 15 votes
Second Ballot (held on Tuesday May 23rd 1989)
1. Simon Kerslake 158 votes
2. Charles Seymour 130 votes
revealing all his underhand tactics. Kerslake was not bitter, however, and made Charles (who at this point was aging rapidly) numerous offers to return to the front bench. Charles declined them all and at his request became the Speaker of the House of Commons
. As Speaker, he hosted a historic dinner at which Queen Elizabeth II
revealed her intention to abdicate.
test confirmed he was).
In the ITV television adaptation of First Among Equals, Charles was played by Jeremy Child
.
He is the second son of the Earl of Bridgewater. As he is the younger of twins (by a mere nine minutes), he does not inherit his father's peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
, shares in a merchant bank
Merchant bank
A merchant bank is a financial institution which provides capital to companies in the form of share ownership instead of loans. A merchant bank also provides advisory on corporate matters to the firms they lend to....
, a castle in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
or the 20,000-acre (80 km²) family estate. Missing out on such opulence, wealth and power to his harmless brother Rupert whom he despises (a feeling which his brother does not appear to share) leaves him bitter.
Education
Charles went to Eton CollegeEton 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"....
. After leaving school he progressed to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. One night he heard a speech given by then-Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. He was so inspired by the elder statesmen's speech that he decided to do everything he could to become 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...
.
Early political career
An implacably ambitious and scheming man, Charles was elected the Conservative PartyConservative 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...
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 Sussex Downs with a majority in excess of 20,000 votes in 1964. He set about making himself stand out amongst the new intake of Conservative MPs. He ruthlessly backed Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
for the leadership of the Conservative Party following the resignation of Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
simply because Heath was most likely to lead the party. His tactics paid off; Heath was elected leader and Charles was rewarded by being elevated to the front bench. His early posts included a stint in the Shadow Chief Whip's Office and the Shadow Local Government and Housing Department.
Political rival
Charles Seymour always predicted Simon KerslakeSimon Kerslake
Simon Kerslake is a fictional character in the political novel First Among Equals, by Jeffrey Archer. He is a British Conservative Party politician, representing the Coventry Central and later Pucklebridge constituencies, who served under Prime Ministers Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher.There...
was "the only one of his contemporaries who could prevent him from leading the party." He therefore set about to wreck Kerslake's career. He tried to bankrupt him, leaked any scandals he could find about Simon, abused his powers as Junior Whip to ensure that Simon was absent on crucial votes in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, thus causing Simon lose favour with the leader, and unsuccessfully attempted to block Simon's bid to return to the Commons after his seat was abolished in boundary changes.
Cabinet career
Although he did not support her in the leadership election following the forced resignation of Edward HeathEdward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
, Charles later served under Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
as Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
.
Leadership contest
Charles attempted to succeed Thatcher as Conservative Leader following her resignation. He stood against Kerslake and the foppish MP Alec Pimkin for the leadership. He topped the first ballot with an insufficient majority, prompting a run-off vote, which he lost. He lost the second ballot largely thanks to the defeated Alec Pimkin deciding to vote for Kerslake (he later confessed that he wanted to go to his grave knowing he done at least one decent thing).Seymour was also damaged by the donation of a famous and expensive family portrait of the First Earl of Bridgewater to the British Museum. The move was perceived by members as being opportunistic, and contributed to Seymour getting a lower 2nd ballot total than on the first ballot.
In reality, the portrait was stolen from him by his ex-wife Fiona, who wanted to inflict maximum personal hurt on Seymour. She made the donation in the midst of the leadership contest knowing Seymour could not politically ask for the portrait to be returned to him.
First Ballot (held on Tuesday May 16th 1989)
1. Charles Seymour 138 votes
2. Simon Kerslake 135 votes
3. Alec Pimkin 15 votes
Second Ballot (held on Tuesday May 23rd 1989)
1. Simon Kerslake 158 votes
2. Charles Seymour 130 votes
Post-front bench career
Charles was depressed about losing the leadership contest. His fate was sealed when his embittered ex-wife sold his story to the tabloid News of the WorldNews of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
revealing all his underhand tactics. Kerslake was not bitter, however, and made Charles (who at this point was aging rapidly) numerous offers to return to the front bench. Charles declined them all and at his request became the Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
. As Speaker, he hosted a historic dinner at which Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
revealed her intention to abdicate.
Family
Charles had a poor relationship with his mother, he detested his brother the Earl, and his two marriages both ended in divorce. Yet he showed a tremendous devotion to his son Harry, and was devastated when his ex-wife implied that Harry might not be his child (he was delighted when a DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
test confirmed he was).
In the ITV television adaptation of First Among Equals, Charles was played by Jeremy Child
Jeremy Child
Sir Coles John "Jeremy" Child, 3rd Baronet is an English actor.He was born in Woking, England and educated at Eton College, as well as trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After appearing in repertory theatre, he was cast in a significant role in the 1967 film Privilege...
.