Charles Petty-FitzMaurice, 9th Marquess of Lansdowne
Encyclopedia
Charles Maurice Petty-FitzMaurice, 9th Marquess of Lansdowne LVO
DL
(born 21 February 1941), styled Earl of Shelburne between 1944 and 1997, is a British peer.
, a former Conservative
politician and Barbara née
Chase. His father inherited the peerage titles (and the Bowood House
estates in Wiltshire
) from a cousin, the 7th Marquess of Lansdowne, who was killed in action in 1944.
He was Page of Honour
to Queen Elizabeth II
in 1956–1957.
from 1960 to 1961. In 1962 he was gazetted a Second Lieutenant
in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
and in 1971 transferred with the rank of Lieutenant
to the Royal Yeomanry
attached to the Royal Armoured Corps
.
He was a member of Calne and Chippenham rural district council from 1964 to 1973, President of the Wiltshire Playing Fields Association from 1965 to 1974, a member of Wiltshire County Council
from 1970 to 1985, and a councillor
of North Wiltshire District Council
from 1973 to 1976. He was chairman of Calne and Chippenham RDC from 1970 to 1973 and of North Wiltshire DC from 1973 to 1976. In 1990, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
for Wiltshire
. He has served as President of the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
from 1994 to date.
At the 1979 general election
, he contested Coventry North East
for the Conservatives
.
On August 25, 1997, his father died and he became Marquess of Lansdowne
and a member of the House of Lords
.
In 2001, Lord Lansdowne was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
, shortly after retiring as a member of the Prince's Council of the Duchy of Cornwall
.
, but they were divorced in 1987, having had four children:
In 1987 he married, secondly, Fiona Mary Merritt (b. 1954), daughter of Donald Merritt and Lady Davies, an interior decorator known by her married name of Fiona Shelburne.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
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....
(born 21 February 1941), styled Earl of Shelburne between 1944 and 1997, is a British peer.
Early life
He is the son of George Petty-FitzMaurice, 8th Marquess of LansdowneGeorge Petty-FitzMaurice, 8th Marquess of Lansdowne
George John Charles Mercer Nairne Petty-Fitzmaurice, 8th Marquess of Lansdowne DL , known as George Petty-Fitzmaurice until 1944, was a British peer and Conservative politician.-Background:...
, a former Conservative
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 and Barbara née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Chase. His father inherited the peerage titles (and the Bowood House
Bowood House
Bowood is a grade I listed Georgian country house with interiors by Robert Adam and a garden designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown. It is adjacent to the village of Derry Hill, halfway between Calne and Chippenham in Wiltshire, England...
estates in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
) from a cousin, the 7th Marquess of Lansdowne, who was killed in action in 1944.
He was Page of Honour
Page of Honour
While a page is a comparatively low-ranking servant, a Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page...
to 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,...
in 1956–1957.
Career
Lord Lansdowne (known then as Earl of Shelburne) served in the Kenya RegimentKenya Regiment
The Kenya Regiment was formed in 1937 and disbanded in May 1963.Volunteers were recalled in about 1950, with European settlers making up the main force. At the end of 1950 a call-up of eighteen-year-olds was introduced as the Mau Mau uprising was beginning...
from 1960 to 1961. In 1962 he was gazetted a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when the strength of the TA was greatly reduced...
and in 1971 transferred with the rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
to the Royal Yeomanry
Royal Yeomanry
The Royal Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the Territorial Army consisting of five squadrons and a military band:*A Squadron *B Squadron...
attached to the Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
.
He was a member of Calne and Chippenham rural district council from 1964 to 1973, President of the Wiltshire Playing Fields Association from 1965 to 1974, a member of Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
from 1970 to 1985, and a councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
of North Wiltshire District Council
North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, formed on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury along with Calne and Chippenham Rural District, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Rural District and Malmesbury Rural District...
from 1973 to 1976. He was chairman of Calne and Chippenham RDC from 1970 to 1973 and of North Wiltshire DC from 1973 to 1976. In 1990, he was appointed 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....
for Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. He has served as President of the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust
The Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust is a charitable organization which works to preserve the architectural heritage of Wiltshire, in the West of England.-History:...
from 1994 to date.
At the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, he contested Coventry North East
Coventry North East
Coventry North East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
for the Conservatives
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...
.
On August 25, 1997, his father died and he became Marquess of Lansdowne
Marquess of Lansdowne
Marquess of Lansdowne, in the County of Somerset, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Petty-Fitzmaurice family. This branch of the family descends from the Hon...
and a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
In 2001, Lord Lansdowne was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, shortly after retiring as a member of the Prince's Council of the Duchy of Cornwall
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
.
Family
On 9 October 1965, he married, firstly, Lady Frances Helen Mary Eliot (6 March 1943 – 6 January 2004), daughter of Nicholas Eliot, 9th Earl of St GermansNicholas Eliot, 9th Earl of St Germans
Nicholas Richard Michael Eliot, 9th Earl of St Germans was born 26 January 1914 in Marylebone, London and died on 11 March 1988 in Tangier, Morocco. This parents were Montague Charles Eliot, 8th Earl of St Germans and Helen Agnes née Post....
, but they were divorced in 1987, having had four children:
- Lady Arabella Helen Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice, now Lady Arabella Unwin (b. 30 August 1966), married Rupert Unwin and has issue, three children.
- Lady Rachel Barbara Violet Petty-Fitzmaurice (b. 30 January 1968), married James Spickernell and has issue, four children.
- Simon Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry (b. 24 November 1970), unmarried.
- Lord William Nicholas Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice (b. 25 September 1973) married (engaged 29 April 2003) Rebecca Sansum (b. 1982), of ChippenhamChippenhamChippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
, Wiltshire. They have two daughters:- Zara Frances Elaine Petty-Fitzmaurice, (b. 1 November 2006).
- Isla Mary Rose Petty-Fitzmaurice (b. 30 August 2008)
In 1987 he married, secondly, Fiona Mary Merritt (b. 1954), daughter of Donald Merritt and Lady Davies, an interior decorator known by her married name of Fiona Shelburne.