Horace Farquhar, 1st Earl Farquhar
Encyclopedia
Horace Brand Farquhar, 1st Earl Farquhar GCB
, GCVO
, PC
(19 May 1844 – 30 August 1923), was a British financier, courtier and Conservative
politician.
, the fifth of six sons of Sir Minto Townsend-Farquhar, 2nd Baronet (see Farquhar Baronets
), by his wife Erica Mackay, the only (but illegitimate) daughter of Eric Mackay, 7th Lord Reay. He later adopted the surname of Farquhar only. From 14 August 1877, when Sir Robert Townsend-Farquhar, 6th Baronet, his elder brother, succeeded as sixth baronet, to his death he was heir presumptive
to the baronetcy.
, of which he rose to become manager. The Forbeses were family friends of the Farquhars, and introduced Farquhar to the circle of the Prince of Wales
. Farquhar later left Forbes's to become a partner and large shareholder in Sir Samuel Scott, bart and Co., a private bank. At this time he was a friend of Lord Macduff
, who succeeded as sixth Earl Fife
in 1879, and when that nobleman sold much of his Scottish estates he invested the proceeds in Scott's bank. It was through Fife's influence that Farquhar became a member of the board of the British South Africa Company
, despite the presence of a huge conflict of interests as Farquhar was also chairman and a substantial shareholder in the Exploration Company, supported by the Rothschilds
which was seeking mining rights in land controlled by the BSAC. Farquhar, along with several others connected with the BSAC, was later obliged to resign after the Jameson Raid
. By this time he had made for himself a considerable name in the City
; he oversaw the merger of Scott's with Parrs Banking Company and joined the board of Parrs in 1894. On 5 January 1895 he married Emilie, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Packe, Grenadier Guards
, of Hurleston in Northamptonshire
and Twyford Hall in Norfolk
, and widow since 1883 of Sir Edward Henry Scott, 5th Baronet, of the banking family. This marriage brought him a fortune. They had no children; Lady Farquhar died on 6 April 1922.
, Farquhar was elected to represent Marylebone
on behalf of the Municipal Reform Party
. He represented East Marylebone from 1899 until 1901, and West Marylebone from March to July 1901. On 25 October 1892 he was created a Baronet, of Cavendish Square in the Parish of St Marylebone in the County of London, though he had hoped for a peerage
. He also served as President of the London Municipal Society
from 1894 until 1901. In the general election
of 1895 he was elected as a Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament
for Marylebone West
, and sat until he was raised to the peerage as Baron Farquhar, of St Marylebone in the County of London, on 20 January 1898. His stepson Sir Samuel Scott
was elected in his place. On 22 January 1901 Queen Victoria
died, and was succeeded by Farquhar's friend Edward VII
. Farquhar was appointed Master of the Household
to the new monarch, a post he held until 1907. He then served as an extra Lord in Waiting to the King until HM's death in 1910, and in the same capacity to his successor George V
, until he was made Lord Steward of the Household in the coalition government
of 1915. He remained in this post until the Conservatives brought an end to the coalition in 1922, being created Viscount Farquhar, of Saint Marylebone in the County of London, on 21 June 1917 and Earl Farquhar on 30 November 1922 in the dissolution honours. In early 1923 he was sacked as Treasurer of the Conservative and Unionist Party
by the leader Andrew Bonar Law. Farquhar had refused to pay some of the election expenses for the 1922 election
, claiming that the money had been donated to the late coalition rather than to the Party. It seemed that he had given large sums of the money to the coalition leader David Lloyd George
, whose trading in honours had prompted the Conservative rebellion.
, on 30 August 1923, and was buried at Bromley Hill cemetery in Kent
on the 11 September following. He had no children, and all his titles became extinct. In his will he left many large legacies to his friends, including members of the Royal Family
, but although it was assessed for probate at £400,000 the entire sum was taken up by debts, leaving nothing and revealing that Farquhar had been an undisclosed bankrupt.
Lord Farquhar's success in business as well as society has been attributed not only to his shrewdness with making money, but also to his ability to use his "physical charms" to get ahead. He was very generous with his hospitality at his London house and at Castle Rising
, his country place in Norfolk
, but nevertheless, and perhaps because of the wealth and honours he accumulated, he remained an unpopular figure. In addition to his baronetcy and peerages, Lord Farquhar was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
on 28 May 1901, a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 9 November 1902, a Privy Counsellor
on 2 November 1907, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
in 1922, as well as being a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. He was a Deputy Lieutenant
and Justice of the Peace
for Middlesex
, and a member of the Marlborough and Turf Club
s. Burke's Peerage describes him as "a cavalier financier and conduit for subscriptions to party political funds (both Conservative and Lloyd George Liberal) by aspirates to titles; as the full extent of his irregular business dealings became apparent after his death he was considered lucky to have escaped prosecution for fraud
while alive."
|-
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...
, GCVO
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...
, 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...
(19 May 1844 – 30 August 1923), was a British financier, courtier and 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.
Background
Townsend-Farquhar was born at Goldings near HertfordHertford
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
, the fifth of six sons of Sir Minto Townsend-Farquhar, 2nd Baronet (see Farquhar Baronets
Farquhar Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for members of the Farquhar family, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
), by his wife Erica Mackay, the only (but illegitimate) daughter of Eric Mackay, 7th Lord Reay. He later adopted the surname of Farquhar only. From 14 August 1877, when Sir Robert Townsend-Farquhar, 6th Baronet, his elder brother, succeeded as sixth baronet, to his death he was heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the baronetcy.
Business career and marriage
The Farquhar family, though distinguished, were not rich, and Farquhar began his career as a clerk in a government office. However, he soon joined Forbes, Forbes and Co., a company involved in the trade with IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, of which he rose to become manager. The Forbeses were family friends of the Farquhars, and introduced Farquhar to the circle of the Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. Farquhar later left Forbes's to become a partner and large shareholder in Sir Samuel Scott, bart and Co., a private bank. At this time he was a friend of Lord Macduff
Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife
Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD , styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of...
, who succeeded as sixth Earl Fife
Earl Fife
The title Earl Fife was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1759 for the 1st Baron Braco, and though in the Irish Peerage it referred to Fife in Scotland. The 1st Earl had been created Baron Braco, of Kilbryde in the County of Cavan, in 1735, and was created Viscount Macduff at the same time as...
in 1879, and when that nobleman sold much of his Scottish estates he invested the proceeds in Scott's bank. It was through Fife's influence that Farquhar became a member of the board of the British South Africa Company
British South Africa Company
The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
, despite the presence of a huge conflict of interests as Farquhar was also chairman and a substantial shareholder in the Exploration Company, supported by the Rothschilds
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
which was seeking mining rights in land controlled by the BSAC. Farquhar, along with several others connected with the BSAC, was later obliged to resign after the Jameson Raid
Jameson Raid
The Jameson Raid was a botched raid on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic carried out by a British colonial statesman Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895–96...
. By this time he had made for himself a considerable name in the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
; he oversaw the merger of Scott's with Parrs Banking Company and joined the board of Parrs in 1894. On 5 January 1895 he married Emilie, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Packe, Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, of Hurleston in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and Twyford Hall in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, and widow since 1883 of Sir Edward Henry Scott, 5th Baronet, of the banking family. This marriage brought him a fortune. They had no children; Lady Farquhar died on 6 April 1922.
Political career
In 1889, on the formation of the London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
, Farquhar was elected to represent Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
on behalf of the Municipal Reform Party
Municipal Reform Party
The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945.-Formation:...
. He represented East Marylebone from 1899 until 1901, and West Marylebone from March to July 1901. On 25 October 1892 he was created a Baronet, of Cavendish Square in the Parish of St Marylebone in the County of London, though he had hoped for a 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...
. He also served as President of the London Municipal Society
London Municipal Society
The London Municipal Society was formed in 1894 to support the pro-Unionist Moderate candidates in London local elections. It was a Liberal Unionist society, and was wound up in 1963, following the legislation that would create the Greater London Council....
from 1894 until 1901. In the 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...
of 1895 he was elected as a Liberal Unionist 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 Marylebone West
Marylebone West (UK Parliament constituency)
Marylebone West was a borough constituency located in the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone, in London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
, and sat until he was raised to the peerage as Baron Farquhar, of St Marylebone in the County of London, on 20 January 1898. His stepson Sir Samuel Scott
Sir Samuel Scott, 6th Baronet
Sir Samuel Edward Scott, 6th Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician best known for a scandal involving his wife.- Political career :...
was elected in his place. On 22 January 1901 Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
died, and was succeeded by Farquhar's friend Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. Farquhar was appointed Master of the Household
Master of the Household
The Master of the Household is the operational head of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom...
to the new monarch, a post he held until 1907. He then served as an extra Lord in Waiting to the King until HM's death in 1910, and in the same capacity to his successor George V
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....
, until he was made Lord Steward of the Household in the coalition government
Coalition Government 1915-1916
Asquith's British coalition government of 1915-1916 was formed in the aftermath of the Gallipoli disaster, by bringing in the Conservatives to shore up the government. The Conservatives were not terribly pleased with the offices they received in this new government and Tory leader Andrew Bonar Law...
of 1915. He remained in this post until the Conservatives brought an end to the coalition in 1922, being created Viscount Farquhar, of Saint Marylebone in the County of London, on 21 June 1917 and Earl Farquhar on 30 November 1922 in the dissolution honours. In early 1923 he was sacked as Treasurer of the Conservative and Unionist 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...
by the leader Andrew Bonar Law. Farquhar had refused to pay some of the election expenses for the 1922 election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, claiming that the money had been donated to the late coalition rather than to the Party. It seemed that he had given large sums of the money to the coalition leader David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, whose trading in honours had prompted the Conservative rebellion.
Death and character
Lord Farquhar died at his London home, 7 Grosvenor SquareGrosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from their surname, "Grosvenor".-History:...
, on 30 August 1923, and was buried at Bromley Hill cemetery in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
on the 11 September following. He had no children, and all his titles became extinct. In his will he left many large legacies to his friends, including members of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, but although it was assessed for probate at £400,000 the entire sum was taken up by debts, leaving nothing and revealing that Farquhar had been an undisclosed bankrupt.
Lord Farquhar's success in business as well as society has been attributed not only to his shrewdness with making money, but also to his ability to use his "physical charms" to get ahead. He was very generous with his hospitality at his London house and at Castle Rising
Castle Rising
Castle Rising is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is best known as the location of Castle Rising Castle, which dominates the village...
, his country place in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, but nevertheless, and perhaps because of the wealth and honours he accumulated, he remained an unpopular figure. In addition to his baronetcy and peerages, Lord Farquhar was made a Knight Commander 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...
on 28 May 1901, a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 9 November 1902, 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...
on 2 November 1907, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
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...
in 1922, as well as being a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. He was 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....
and Justice of the Peace
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...
for Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, and a member of the Marlborough and Turf Club
Turf Club (Gentlemen's Club)
-External links:* - official website *...
s. Burke's Peerage describes him as "a cavalier financier and conduit for subscriptions to party political funds (both Conservative and Lloyd George Liberal) by aspirates to titles; as the full extent of his irregular business dealings became apparent after his death he was considered lucky to have escaped prosecution for fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
while alive."
External links
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