Sir Norman Lamont, 2nd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Norman Lamont was a Scottish Liberal Party
politician and a recognised authority on agriculture
.
in the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders
, an Arctic
yachtsman, making and recording details of voyages to Spitsbergen
and Novaya Zemlya
and a Member of Parliament. He represented Buteshire
as a Liberal from 1865-68. Norman Lamont had a brother, Alexander Lamont, a lieutenant in the Gordon Highlanders who was killed at Dargai
in 1907 and a sister.
Lamont was educated at Winchester
and the Downton Agricultural College, near Salisbury
where he received his certificate in 1890. He took a strong interest in agricultural affairs throughout his whole life and was published in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society
. The Lamont family was wealthy. Sir James had been left a fortune by an uncle who died in 1849. The family owned a substantial estate at Knockdow in Argyll
. This wealth enabled Sir James to indulge his sporting, exploration and political interests and also provided for his son Norman to follow the family political tradition.
Norman succeeded to the baronetcy on his father’s death in 1913. He never married and he left no heir.
Lamont took an interest in the history of Scotland and specifically of the Clan Lamont
, serving as its President in 1938. The report of the first general meeting of the Clan Lamont published in 1897 contains a lecture by Norman Lamont on Sketches of the history of Clan Lamont from the earliest times till 1663; ten pamphlets by Sir Norman Lamont (and from his library) put together to make an integral volume.
Lamont also addressed later meetings of Clan Lamont in Glasgow
and a history of the Clan was published after his death using his writings and addresses.
at the general election of 1900
, contesting his father’s old seat of Buteshire. The seat had been Unionist
since his father had stood down at the 1868 election
. Nevertheless Lamont lost only narrowly by a majority of 195 votes out of a total of 2,248 cast.
, who was Secretary of State for Scotland
resigned on being appointed Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session
. At the resulting by-election
, Lamont gained the seat for the Liberals by a majority of 34 votes. He then held the seat at the 1906 general election
slightly increasing his majority to 120.
(PPS) to the Prime Minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
. In 1909, he acted as PPS to Winston Churchill
while he was President of the Board of Trade. He also held the position of Honorary Secretary of the Scottish Liberal Association, 1904–08. He served as a member of a Departmental Committee on agricultural education on which he was able to utilise his background and expertise on the subject. In 1909 he was Chairman of a committee on labour exchanges
.
where he owned a sugar plantation , a property which had been in the Lamont family for some time. Taking over the Trinidad plantations in 1907, he abandoned the uneconomic cultivation of sugar, and branched out into other crops, which enabled him to retain the family property while others were changing hands at a loss. He also served on the Islands Board of Agriculture and was appointed to serve as a member of the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago
from 1915-1923. From 1921-1945 he was a Governor of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) in Trinidad , the recognized centre for postgraduate training in tropical agriculture
for the agricultural services of the British Empire
. Many of its students were appointed to the Colonial Agricultural Service
and allied services, holding posts across the world. ICTA later became a founding institution of the University of the West Indies
. One source has maintained that Lamont was an intellectual founder of the College, suggesting such an institution be established as early as 1902 and developing this theme in later writings. He lectured on and wrote a number of books concerning the Caribbean islands. (See publications section below).
Lamont also had financial interests in the East Indies. He was Chairman of the Third Mile and Glen Rubber
companies in Malaya which owned 8000 acres (32.4 km²).
of the County of Argyll
in 1901. He was a Justice of the Peace
for Argyll and an elder of the Kirk
, serving both in the Presbytery
and the General Assembly
. He was also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
.
on the island of Trinidad
on 3 September 1949 at the age of 79. He had been gored by one of the bulls on his estate.
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 and a recognised authority on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Family and education
Norman Lamont was the son of Sir James Lamont Bt and Adelaide, daughter of Sir George Denys Bt. Sir James Lamont was variously a professional soldier, serving as an ensignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders
91st Regiment of Foot
The 91st Regiment of Foot was a Line Regiment of the British Army . It was first formed in 1759 and in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.- Early formations :...
, an Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
yachtsman, making and recording details of voyages to Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
and Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
and a Member of Parliament. He represented Buteshire
Buteshire and Caithness (UK Parliament constituencies)
Buteshire and Caithness were county constituencies of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918....
as a Liberal from 1865-68. Norman Lamont had a brother, Alexander Lamont, a lieutenant in the Gordon Highlanders who was killed at Dargai
Dargai
Dargai is an administrative area of the Malakand District in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, located on the main highway from Peshawar to Swat, Dir and Chitral...
in 1907 and a sister.
Lamont was educated at Winchester
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and the Downton Agricultural College, near Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
where he received his certificate in 1890. He took a strong interest in agricultural affairs throughout his whole life and was published in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society
Royal Agricultural Society
The Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in the United Kingdom in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science". The RASE aim is to promote the scientific development of agriculture. The society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840.From its early days the society...
. The Lamont family was wealthy. Sir James had been left a fortune by an uncle who died in 1849. The family owned a substantial estate at Knockdow in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. This wealth enabled Sir James to indulge his sporting, exploration and political interests and also provided for his son Norman to follow the family political tradition.
Norman succeeded to the baronetcy on his father’s death in 1913. He never married and he left no heir.
Lamont took an interest in the history of Scotland and specifically of the Clan Lamont
Clan Lamont
Clan Lamont is a Highland Scottish clan. Clan Lamont claim descent from Lauman who lived in Cowal in 1238. Tradition gives this Lauman a descent from an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty, Ánrothán Ua Néill, son of Áed, son of Flaithbertach Ua Néill, King of Ailech and Cenél nEógain, died 1036...
, serving as its President in 1938. The report of the first general meeting of the Clan Lamont published in 1897 contains a lecture by Norman Lamont on Sketches of the history of Clan Lamont from the earliest times till 1663; ten pamphlets by Sir Norman Lamont (and from his library) put together to make an integral volume.
Lamont also addressed later meetings of Clan Lamont in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and a history of the Clan was published after his death using his writings and addresses.
Buteshire
Lamont first stood for ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
at the general election of 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, contesting his father’s old seat of Buteshire. The seat had been Unionist
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...
since his father had stood down at the 1868 election
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
. Nevertheless Lamont lost only narrowly by a majority of 195 votes out of a total of 2,248 cast.
1905 by-election
He continued to take an interest in the constituency and in 1905 he got another chance to fight the seat when the sitting MP, Andrew Graham MurrayAndrew Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin
Andrew Graham Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin GCVO, PC, QC was a Scottish politician and judge. He served as Secretary for Scotland between 1903 and 1905, as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session between 1905 and 1913 and as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary between 1913 and...
, who was Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
resigned on being appointed Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
. At the resulting by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, Lamont gained the seat for the Liberals by a majority of 34 votes. He then held the seat at the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
slightly increasing his majority to 120.
Political offices
From 1906-1908 Lamont served as unpaid Parliamentary Private SecretaryParliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
(PPS) to the Prime Minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...
. In 1909, he acted as PPS to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
while he was President of the Board of Trade. He also held the position of Honorary Secretary of the Scottish Liberal Association, 1904–08. He served as a member of a Departmental Committee on agricultural education on which he was able to utilise his background and expertise on the subject. In 1909 he was Chairman of a committee on labour exchanges
Labour Exchanges Act 1909
The Labour Exchanges Act 1909 was an Act of Parliament which saw the creation of Labour Exchanges. The stated purpose was to help the unemployed find employment....
.
1910 and after
At the January 1910 general election Lamont lost his seat at Buteshire to the Conservatives. In another tightly fought contest the Conservative, Harry Hope, gained the seat by a majority of 159 votes. Lamont decided not to stand in the next general election which was expected to follow quickly and which eventually came in December 1910. He went out to TrinidadTrinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
where he owned a sugar plantation , a property which had been in the Lamont family for some time. Taking over the Trinidad plantations in 1907, he abandoned the uneconomic cultivation of sugar, and branched out into other crops, which enabled him to retain the family property while others were changing hands at a loss. He also served on the Islands Board of Agriculture and was appointed to serve as a member of the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago
Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago
The Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago served as an advisory commission to the Governor in British-ruled Trinidad and Tobago, between 1925 and independence in 1961. The Legislative Council consisted of a mixture of appointed and elected members...
from 1915-1923. From 1921-1945 he was a Governor of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) in Trinidad , the recognized centre for postgraduate training in tropical agriculture
Tropical agriculture
Worldwide more human beings gain their livelihood from agriculture than any other endeavor; the majority are self-employed subsistence farmers living in the tropics...
for the agricultural services of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Many of its students were appointed to the Colonial Agricultural Service
Colonial Service
The Colonial Service was the British government service which administered Britain's colonies and protectorates, under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office in London....
and allied services, holding posts across the world. ICTA later became a founding institution of the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
. One source has maintained that Lamont was an intellectual founder of the College, suggesting such an institution be established as early as 1902 and developing this theme in later writings. He lectured on and wrote a number of books concerning the Caribbean islands. (See publications section below).
Lamont also had financial interests in the East Indies. He was Chairman of the Third Mile and Glen Rubber
Para rubber tree
Hevea brasiliensis, the Pará rubber tree, often simply called rubber tree, is a tree belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, and the most economically important member of the genus Hevea...
companies in Malaya which owned 8000 acres (32.4 km²).
Other appointments
Lamont was appointed to be a Deputy LieutenantDeputy 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....
of the County of Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
in 1901. He was a 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 Argyll and an elder of the Kirk
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, serving both in the Presbytery
Presbyterian polity
Presbyterian polity is a method of church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or consistory, though other terms, such as church board, may apply...
and the General Assembly
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
. He was also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
.
Death
Lamont died at his home, Palmiste, San FernandoSan Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
The City of San Fernando with a population of 55,419 according to the 2000 census, is the larger of Trinidad and Tobago's two cities and the second largest municipality after Chaguanas. It occupies 18 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad...
on the island of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
on 3 September 1949 at the age of 79. He had been gored by one of the bulls on his estate.
Publications
- British grasses; Oban 1902
- Snapshots at Scottish History: Bute and Cowal in the olden time; The Buteman, Rothesay, 1909
- Problems of the Antilles; John Smith, Glasgow 1912
- An Inventory of Lamont Papers; Skinner & Co, Edinburgh, 1914
- Random notes from old writers on the West Highlands; Thomas Gilchrist, Dunoon, 1926
- A Catalogue of Trinidad Moths, 1927
- Problems of Trinidad, being a collection of speeches and writings on subjects connected with the colony; Yuille’s printerie, Port of Spain, 1933
- Gleanings: A Miscellany; Khan’s, San Fernando, 1946
- History of the Clan Lamont; E & R Englis, 1955