Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury
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Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury PC
(24 April 1801 – 18 November 1893), styled Lord Robert Grosvenor from 1831 to 1857, was a British
courtier and Whig politician. He served as Comptroller of the Household
between 1830 and 1834 and as Treasurer of the Household
between 1846 and 1847. In 1857 he was ennobled as Baron Ebury
.
and his wife Eleanora, daughter of Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton
. He was the younger brother of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
and Thomas Grosvenor Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton, who had succeeded their maternal grandfather in the earldom of Wilton 1814, while Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster and Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge
were his nephews. He was educated at Westminster School
and Christ Church, Oxford
.
, a seat he held until 1826, and then sat for Chester until 1847. When the Whigs came to power in November 1830 under Lord Grey
, Grosvenor was appointed Comptroller of the Household
and admitted to the Privy Council
. He retained this office also when Lord Melbourne
became Prime Minister in July 1834. The Whig government fell in November the same year. Grosvenor did not serve in Melbourne's second administration
which lasted from 1835 to 1841. However, when the Whigs returned to office in 1846 under Lord John Russell
he was made Treasurer of the Household
, which he remained until his resignation in July 1847. The latter year Grosvenor was returned to Parliament for Middlesex
, a seat he held until 1857. However, he never returned to office. In September 1857 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Ebury, of Ebury Manor in the County of Middlesex.
Apart from his political career Lord Ebury was an active campaigner for Protestantism in the Church of England
, and was the founder and President of the society for the "revision of the prayer-book". He was also involved in the movement led by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury for the improvement of factory working hours. In later life he came to oppose William Ewart Gladstone
on the issue of Irish Home Rule. In September 1893, at the age of 92, Lord Ebury voted against the Second Home Rule Bill
, by far the oldest peer to vote in the matter. Lord Ebury was also a fervent supporter of Homeopathy
, the medical doctrine introduced by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann
. He was a patron of both Dr Curie's short-lived Homoeopathic Hospital in Bloomsbury Square and Dr Quin's London Homoeopathic Hospital. Lord Ebury served as Chairman and President of the London Homoeopathic Hospital from its foundation in 1849 and during that time even defended the practice and the institution against its opponents in Parliament.
, in 1831. They had five sons and two daughters. One of the sons, the Honourable Norman Grosvenor
, represented Chester in Parliament. Lord Ebury died in November 1893, aged 92, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Robert
.
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...
(24 April 1801 – 18 November 1893), styled Lord Robert Grosvenor from 1831 to 1857, was a British
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...
courtier and Whig politician. He served as Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
between 1830 and 1834 and as Treasurer of the Household
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
between 1846 and 1847. In 1857 he was ennobled as Baron Ebury
Baron Ebury
Baron Ebury, of Ebury Manor in the County of Middlesex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1999 it is a subsidiary title of the earldom of Wilton. The peerage was created in 1857 for the Whig politician Lord Robert Grosvenor. He was the third son of Robert Grosvenor, 1st...
.
Background and education
Grosvenor was the third son of Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of WestminsterRobert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster
Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, KG was the son of the 1st Earl Grosvenor, whom he succeeded in 1802 as 2nd Earl Grosvenor. He was created Marquess of Westminster in 1831. He was an English Member of Parliament and an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster...
and his wife Eleanora, daughter of Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton
Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton
Thomas Grey Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton , known as Sir Thomas Grey Egerton, 7th Baronet from 1756 to 1784, was a British peer....
. He was the younger brother of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster KG, PC , styled Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Belgrave from 1831 to 1845, was an English politician, landowner, property developer and benefactor....
and Thomas Grosvenor Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton, who had succeeded their maternal grandfather in the earldom of Wilton 1814, while Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster and Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge
Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge
Richard de Aquila Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge PC , styled Lord Richard Grosvenor between 1845 and 1886, was a British politician and businessman. Initially a Liberal, he served under William Ewart Gladstone as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household between 1872 and 1874 and as Parliamentary...
were his nephews. He was educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
.
Political career
In 1821 Grosvenor was returned 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....
, a seat he held until 1826, and then sat for Chester until 1847. When the Whigs came to power in November 1830 under Lord Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
, Grosvenor was appointed Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
and admitted to the Privy Council
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...
. He retained this office also when Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
became Prime Minister in July 1834. The Whig government fell in November the same year. Grosvenor did not serve in Melbourne's second administration
Whig Government 1835-1841
Lord Melbourne's second government came to power after Sir Robert Peel's minority government resigned in 1835. Lord Palmerston returned as Foreign Secretary while Lord John Russell held his first major office as Home Secretary....
which lasted from 1835 to 1841. However, when the Whigs returned to office in 1846 under Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
he was made Treasurer of the Household
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
, which he remained until his resignation in July 1847. The latter year Grosvenor was returned to Parliament for Middlesex
Middlesex (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesex is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885....
, a seat he held until 1857. However, he never returned to office. In September 1857 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Ebury, of Ebury Manor in the County of Middlesex.
Apart from his political career Lord Ebury was an active campaigner for Protestantism in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, and was the founder and President of the society for the "revision of the prayer-book". He was also involved in the movement led by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury for the improvement of factory working hours. In later life he came to oppose 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...
on the issue of Irish Home Rule. In September 1893, at the age of 92, Lord Ebury voted against the Second Home Rule Bill
Irish Government Bill 1893
The Government of Ireland Bill 1893 was the second attempt made by William Ewart Gladstone, as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to enact a system of home rule for Ireland...
, by far the oldest peer to vote in the matter. Lord Ebury was also a fervent supporter of Homeopathy
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
, the medical doctrine introduced by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann
Samuel Hahnemann
Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann was a German physician, known for creating an alternative form of medicine called homeopathy.- Early life :Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann was born in Meissen, Saxony near Dresden...
. He was a patron of both Dr Curie's short-lived Homoeopathic Hospital in Bloomsbury Square and Dr Quin's London Homoeopathic Hospital. Lord Ebury served as Chairman and President of the London Homoeopathic Hospital from its foundation in 1849 and during that time even defended the practice and the institution against its opponents in Parliament.
Family
Lord Ebury married the Honourable Charlotte Arbuthnot Wellesley, eldest daughter of Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley
Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley GCB was the youngest brother of the Duke of Wellington, and became a notable diplomat in his own right.-Life:...
, in 1831. They had five sons and two daughters. One of the sons, the Honourable Norman Grosvenor
Norman Grosvenor
Captain The Honourable Norman de l'Aigle Grosvenor , was a British Liberal Party politician.A member of the Grosvenor family headed by the Duke of Westminster, Grosvenor was a younger son of Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury, third son of Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster. Robert...
, represented Chester in Parliament. Lord Ebury died in November 1893, aged 92, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Robert
Robert Grosvenor, 2nd Baron Ebury
Robert Wellesley Grosvenor, 2nd Baron Ebury was a British politician.He was educated at Harrow School and King's College London....
.