Patrick Boyle, 8th Earl of Glasgow
Encyclopedia
Patrick James Boyle, 8th Earl of Glasgow (18 June 1874 - 14 December 1963) was a Scottish
nobleman and a far right
political activist.
and graduated as a Royal Navy
Lieutenant in 1897. He was promoted to Commander in 1909 and eventually obtained the rank of Captain before retiring in 1919. He saw action during the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
in 1915. Following his retirement from active duty he was admitted to the ceremonial role of Lieutenant of the Royal Company of Archers
.
in the early 1920s, largely inspired by slump in agriculture and the simultaneous rise in taxation that they blamed on democracy
and the rise of the left. Close to General R.B.D. Blakeney
, Boyle joined Blakeney's splinter group the Loyalists in 1926 in order to support the work of the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
. This group had agreed to disavow fascism
in order to co-operate with the government. Boyle disappeared from the political scene soon afterwards when, virtually bankrupted by the burden of his large estates, emigrated to France
, remaining there until 1930.
Following his return to the United Kingdom
Boyle once again became involved in rightist politics and was a regular invitee to the January Club
, a high society discussion club organised by the British Union of Fascists
. According to contemporary Labour Party
documents Boyle subsequently provided funding to Oswald Mosley
's party, which was one of the intentions of the January Club. Boyle also joined the Anglo-German Fellowship
.
on 13 December 1915, also succeeding to the subsidiary titles of 8th Viscount Kelburn, 2nd Baron Fairlie of Fairlie, Ayrshire, and 8th Lord Boyle, of Kelburn, Stewartoun, Finnick, Largs and Dalry. He also served as Vice-Lord-Lieutenant of Ayrshire from 1942 to 1963.
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...
nobleman and a far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
political activist.
Royal Navy
Boyle was trained for a naval career at the cadet ship HMS BritanniaHMS Prince of Wales (1860)
HMS Prince of Wales was one of six 121-gun screw-propelled first-rate three-decker line-of-battle ships of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 25 January 1860...
and graduated as a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Lieutenant in 1897. He was promoted to Commander in 1909 and eventually obtained the rank of Captain before retiring in 1919. He saw action during the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in 1915. Following his retirement from active duty he was admitted to the ceremonial role of Lieutenant of the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
.
Right-wing politics
Boyle was also noted for his extremist views and took an active role in a number of rightist groups in the inter-war period. He was one of a number of large landowners who joined the British FascistsBritish Fascists
The British Fascists were the first avowedly fascist organisation in the United Kingdom. William Joyce, Neil Francis Hawkins, Maxwell Knight and Arnold Leese were amongst those to have passed through the movement as members and activists.-Early years:...
in the early 1920s, largely inspired by slump in agriculture and the simultaneous rise in taxation that they blamed on democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and the rise of the left. Close to General R.B.D. Blakeney
R.B.D. Blakeney
Brigadier-General Robert Byron Drury Blakeney, generally known as R.B.D. Blakeney, was a British Army general and fascist politician...
, Boyle joined Blakeney's splinter group the Loyalists in 1926 in order to support the work of the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies was a British right-wing movement established in 1925 to provide volunteers in the event of a general strike...
. This group had agreed to disavow fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in order to co-operate with the government. Boyle disappeared from the political scene soon afterwards when, virtually bankrupted by the burden of his large estates, emigrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, remaining there until 1930.
Following his return to the United Kingdom
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...
Boyle once again became involved in rightist politics and was a regular invitee to the January Club
January Club
The January Club was a discussion group founded in 1934 by Oswald Mosley to attract Establishment support for the movement known as the British Union of Fascists....
, a high society discussion club organised by the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
. According to contemporary Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
documents Boyle subsequently provided funding to Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's party, which was one of the intentions of the January Club. Boyle also joined the Anglo-German Fellowship
Anglo-German Fellowship
The Anglo-German Fellowship was a group which existed from 1935 to 1939 and aimed to build up friendship between the United Kingdom and Germany; it was widely perceived as being allied to Nazism...
.
Peerage
Boyle succeeded to the title of 8th Earl of GlasgowEarl of Glasgow
Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle, one of the commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Union uniting the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain...
on 13 December 1915, also succeeding to the subsidiary titles of 8th Viscount Kelburn, 2nd Baron Fairlie of Fairlie, Ayrshire, and 8th Lord Boyle, of Kelburn, Stewartoun, Finnick, Largs and Dalry. He also served as Vice-Lord-Lieutenant of Ayrshire from 1942 to 1963.