Walter Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Encyclopedia
Walter Turner Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, GCVO
, KCMG
, MC
, PC
(17 January 1891 – 9 January 1965) was a British
politician.
, Kent
, Monckton was educated at Harrow School
and Balliol College, Oxford
. He played cricket for Harrow against Eton
in the famous Fowler's match
in 1910. Whilst at Oxford, he played a first-class cricket
match for the Combined Universities
in 1911.
, Monckton served as advisor to Edward VIII
during the abdication crisis, having been Attorney General to the Duchy of Cornwall
since 1932. He was Recorder of Hythe
from 1930-37.
He worked in propaganda and information during World War II
and became Solicitor General
in Winston Churchill
's 1945 caretaker government
, although he refused to join the Conservative Party
. He finally joined after the war and became a Member of Parliament
for Bristol West at a 1951 by-election
. Churchill soon appointed him to the cabinet
as Minister of Labour and National Service
, in which post he served from 1951 to 1955. He was Anthony Eden
's Minister of Defence 1955–56, but was the only cabinet minister to oppose his Suez
policy, and was moved to Paymaster-General
1956–57.
Monckton was made Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
in 1957. He had wanted to become Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
and indeed had been promised the job by Churchill and the subsequent two prime ministers, but in 1957 he decided instead to join the board of Midland Bank
.
, the wartime head of the ATS counterpart in India
, the Women's Army Corps (India), and also of the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service (WRINS). The Viscountess was already a peer in her right, as the 11th Lady Ruthven of Freeland (see the Lord Ruthven of Freeland
). This title passed to her son by her previous marriage, the Earl of Carlisle, and not to her stepson, Viscount Monckton.
Lord Monckton of Brenchley was chairman of Midland Bank
(1957–64), President of the Marylebone Cricket Club
(1956–1957), President of Surrey County Cricket Club
(1950–52 and 1959–65), Chairman of the Iraq Petroleum Company
(1958), Chairman of the Advisory Commission on Central Africa (1960), and Chancellor of the University of Sussex
(1961–65).
He was succeeded by his son Gilbert
on his death in 1965 at the age of 73.
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...
, KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, 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...
(17 January 1891 – 9 January 1965) 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...
politician.
Early years
Born in PlaxtolPlaxtol
Plaxtol is a small village of about 1,000 inhabitants in Kent. The River Bourne flows through the parish, and formerly powered three watermills in Plaxtol - Winfield Mill , Longmill and Roughway Paper Mill....
, 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...
, Monckton was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. He played cricket for Harrow against Eton
Eton v Harrow
The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual cricket match between Eton College and Harrow School. It one of the longest-running annual cricket fixtures in the world. It is the last annual school cricket match played at Lord's Cricket Ground...
in the famous Fowler's match
Fowler's match
Fowler's match is the name given to the two-day Eton v Harrow cricket match held at Lord's on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July 1910. The match is named after the captain of Eton College, Robert St Leger Fowler, whose outstanding all round batting and bowling performance allowed Eton to win the match...
in 1910. Whilst at Oxford, he played a first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match for the Combined Universities
British Universities cricket team
The British Universities cricket team is a cricket team whose players are drawn from university sides primarily in Great Britain as the name suggests, but not exclusively those of Oxford and Cambridge. The team played under the title of Combined Universities until 1995.Combined Universities' first...
in 1911.
Career
A lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, Monckton served as advisor to Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
during the abdication crisis, having been Attorney General to the Duchy of Cornwall
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
since 1932. He was Recorder of Hythe
Hythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
from 1930-37.
He worked in propaganda and information during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and became Solicitor General
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
in 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...
's 1945 caretaker government
Caretaker government
Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government...
, although he refused to join the Conservative 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...
. He finally joined after the war and became a 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 Bristol West at a 1951 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. Churchill soon appointed him to the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
as Minister of Labour and National Service
Secretary of State for Employment
The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment...
, in which post he served from 1951 to 1955. He was Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
's Minister of Defence 1955–56, but was the only cabinet minister to oppose his Suez
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
policy, and was moved to Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
1956–57.
Monckton was made Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, of Brenchley in the County of Kent, is an hereditary title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1957 for the lawyer, Conservative politician and former Minister of Defence, Sir Walter Monckton. His son, the second Viscount, was a Major-General in...
in 1957. He had wanted to become Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary and President of the Courts of England and Wales. Historically, he was the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor, but that changed as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005,...
and indeed had been promised the job by Churchill and the subsequent two prime ministers, but in 1957 he decided instead to join the board of Midland Bank
Midland Bank
Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
.
Personal life
In 1947, he married, secondly, to Bridget, the former Countess of Carlisle (CBE)Bridget Monckton, 11th Lady Ruthven of Freeland
Bridget Helen "Biddy" Monckton, 11th Lady Ruthven of Freeland CBE , known as The Countess of Carlisle between 1918 and 1947, as Lady Monckton between 1947 and 1957, as The Viscountess Monckton of Brenchley between 1957 and 1965 and as The Dowager Viscountess Monckton of Brenchley between 1965 and...
, the wartime head of the ATS counterpart in India
India
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...
, the Women's Army Corps (India), and also of the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service (WRINS). The Viscountess was already a peer in her right, as the 11th Lady Ruthven of Freeland (see the Lord Ruthven of Freeland
Lord Ruthven of Freeland
Lord Ruthven of Freeland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1651 for Thomas Ruthven. He was the grandson of Alexander Ruthven, younger son of William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven...
). This title passed to her son by her previous marriage, the Earl of Carlisle, and not to her stepson, Viscount Monckton.
Lord Monckton of Brenchley was chairman of Midland Bank
Midland Bank
Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
(1957–64), President of the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(1956–1957), President of Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
(1950–52 and 1959–65), Chairman of the Iraq Petroleum Company
Iraq Petroleum Company
The Iraq Petroleum Company , until 1929 called Turkish Petroleum Company , was an oil company jointly owned by some of the world's largest oil companies, which had virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq from 1925 to 1961...
(1958), Chairman of the Advisory Commission on Central Africa (1960), and Chancellor of the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
(1961–65).
He was succeeded by his son Gilbert
Gilbert Monckton, 2nd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Gilbert Walter Riversdale Monckton, 2nd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley CB, OBE, MC served in the British Army from 1939 to 1967, retiring with the rank of Major-General...
on his death in 1965 at the age of 73.
Sources
- The life of Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, Frederick Winston Furneaux-Smith, (1969)
- Walter Monckton, H. Montgomery Hyde, (1991), ISBN 1-85619-045-5
- Cricinfo profile