George Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton
Encyclopedia
George Grenfell Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton PC (10 February 1824 – 6 November 1887), was a British
Liberal
politician. He held office in three of the Liberal administrations of William Ewart Gladstone
.
, and his wife Marianne, daughter of Pascoe Grenfell
. His grandfather Sir Richard Carr Glyn, 1st Baronet, of Gaunt's House, and great-grandfather Sir Richard Glyn, 1st Baronet, of Ewell, had been prominent London
bankers, both had served as Lord Mayor of London
.
as a Liberal
in 1857, a seat he would hold until he succeeded his father in 1873 and entered the House of Lords
. In 1868 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
in William Ewart Gladstone
's first administration, a post he held until 1873, when he was also admitted to the Privy Council. The Liberals lost office in 1874, but when Gladstone returned to power in 1880 Wolverton was appointed Paymaster-General
. He retained this office until Gladstone resigned in June 1885 and the Conservatives
came to power under Lord Salisbury
.
The same year the Liberal Party split over the issue of Irish Home Rule. Wolverton supported Gladstone and was rewarded when he was made Postmaster General
in February 1886, when Gladstone became Prime Minister
for a third time. However, the government fell already in July the same year.
,
in Dorset, on which he made many changes and improvements, including the building of a large mansion designed by Alfred Waterhouse
. Much of the farmland was turned over to parkland, and he pusued his passion for hunting, maintaining, till 1879, a pack of bloodhounds.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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. He held office in three of the Liberal administrations of William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
.
Background
Wolverton was the eldest of the nine sons of the banker George Glyn, 1st Baron WolvertonGeorge Glyn, 1st Baron Wolverton
George Carr Glyn, 1st Baron Wolverton was a banker with interests in the railways, a partner in the family firm of Glyn, Mills & Co., which was reputed to be the largest private bank in London....
, and his wife Marianne, daughter of Pascoe Grenfell
Pascoe Grenfell
Pascoe St Leger Grenfell was a British business man and politician.-Biography:He was born at Marazion, in Cornwall. His father and uncle were merchants in the tin and copper business. Grenfell studied at Truro Grammar School before joining his father's business in London...
. His grandfather Sir Richard Carr Glyn, 1st Baronet, of Gaunt's House, and great-grandfather Sir Richard Glyn, 1st Baronet, of Ewell, had been prominent London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
bankers, both had served as Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
.
Political career
Wolverton was elected to Parliament for ShaftesburyShaftesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Shaftesbury was a parliamentary constituency in Dorset. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1295 until 1832 and one member until the constituency was abolished in 1885....
as a 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...
in 1857, a seat he would hold until he succeeded his father in 1873 and entered 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 1868 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial position in the British Government. The holder is usually the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons. However, the office is no longer attached to the Treasury...
in William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
's first administration, a post he held until 1873, when he was also admitted to the Privy Council. The Liberals lost office in 1874, but when Gladstone returned to power in 1880 Wolverton was appointed Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
. He retained this office until Gladstone resigned in June 1885 and 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...
came to power under Lord Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
.
The same year the Liberal Party split over the issue of Irish Home Rule. Wolverton supported Gladstone and was rewarded when he was made Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
in February 1886, when Gladstone became 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...
for a third time. However, the government fell already in July the same year.
Family
Lord Wolverton married Georgiana Maria Tufnell, daughter of Reverend George Tufnell, in 1848. They had no children. He died suddenly in November 1887, aged 63, and was succeeded in the barony by his nephew, Henry Glyn.Iwerne Minster
In 1876 he bought the manorial estate at Iwerne MinsterIwerne Minster
Iwerne Minster is a village in North Dorset, England, situated under Cranborne Chase in the Blackmore Vale just off the A350. The village has a population of 889 . A cheese shop employs 57 persons...
,
in Dorset, on which he made many changes and improvements, including the building of a large mansion designed by Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
. Much of the farmland was turned over to parkland, and he pusued his passion for hunting, maintaining, till 1879, a pack of bloodhounds.