Rupert Ponsonby, 7th Baron de Mauley
Encyclopedia
Rupert Charles Ponsonby, 7th Baron de Mauley TD
FCA
(born 30 June 1957) is a British
hereditary peer, Government whip
and retired Territorial Army officer.
, an independent school
for boys in the town of Eton
(near Windsor
) in Berkshire
.
hereditary peer
s' seat in the House of Lords
. He was the first peer to have acceded to his title after the House of Lords Act 1999
to have obtained an elective hereditaries' seat in the House.
He is currently a Government Lord-in-Waiting
(a position in the Royal Household given to Government Lords whips). He previously served as a Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Families and Energy & Climate Change from 2008-9, and then an opposition whip from 2009-10.
His brother, Ashley George Ponsonby, was allowed by a Warrant of Precedence from the Queen
to use the style of Honourable, by virtue of his status as the brother of a peer.
as a second lieutenant
. He was promoted to lieutenant
in 1978, major in 1988, and lieutenant-colonel in 2003. In 1988, he was awarded the Efficiency Decoration (Territorial)
(TD). He retired in 2005.
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
FCA
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales was established by a Royal Charter in 1880. It has over 130,000 members. Over 15,000 of these members live and work outside the UK...
(born 30 June 1957) is 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...
hereditary peer, Government whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
and retired Territorial Army officer.
Education
Ponsonby was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
for boys in the town of Eton
Eton, Berkshire
Eton is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The parish also includes the large village of Eton Wick, 2 miles west of the town, and has a population of 4,980. Eton was in Buckinghamshire until...
(near Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
) in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
Peerage and political career
Lord de Mauley succeeded his uncle, the 6th Baron de Mauley in October 2002. On 10 March 2005 he was declared the winner of a by-election for a ConservativeConservative 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...
hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
s' seat in 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....
. He was the first peer to have acceded to his title after the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
to have obtained an elective hereditaries' seat in the House.
He is currently a Government Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
(a position in the Royal Household given to Government Lords whips). He previously served as a Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Families and Energy & Climate Change from 2008-9, and then an opposition whip from 2009-10.
His brother, Ashley George Ponsonby, was allowed by a Warrant of Precedence from the Queen
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,...
to use the style of Honourable, by virtue of his status as the brother of a peer.
Military service
Ponsonby first joined the Territorial Army in 1976, when he was commissioned into the Royal Wessex YeomanryRoyal Wessex Yeomanry
The Royal Wessex Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the British Territorial Army consisting of four squadrons, each of which bears the cap badge of an old yeomanry regiment:*B Squadron*A Squadron...
as 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...
. He was promoted to 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...
in 1978, major in 1988, and lieutenant-colonel in 2003. In 1988, he was awarded the Efficiency Decoration (Territorial)
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
(TD). He retired in 2005.
Family
Lord de Mauley is married to Lucinda, younger daughter of the late Lord Fanshawe of Richmond. His heir is his younger brother, who is married to the former Camilla Gordon-Lennox, née Pilkington.External links
- Lord De Mauley, political biography, only partially available without subscription; photograph available without subscription.