Charles Strachey, 4th Baron O'Hagan
Encyclopedia
Charles Towneley Strachey, 4th Baron O'Hagan (born 6 September 1945) is a British
Conservative party
politician.
The grandson of Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan
, he inherited the family title
at the age of 16 on his grandfather's death in 1961, his father the Hon. Thomas Anthony Edward Towneley Strachey having predeceased him in 1955. He was educated at Eton
and New College, Oxford
, and served as a Page to Queen Elizabeth II between 1957 and 1961. He first took his seat in the House of Lords
on 5 December 1967, and gave his maiden speech whilst he was still a student. A relative of the Strachey Baronets, he is the great-great-grandson of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
.
He became an Independent MEP for Devon
in December 1972, losing his seat in 1975 after a decision by the Conservative and Labour parties to cease appointing Independents and Liberals to the European Parliament. In the first direct elections to the European Parliament
in 1979, he was returned for Devon as a Conservative, with 61.8% of the vote. He was then re-elected in 1984 and 1989, with 54.7% and 46.4% of the vote respectively, and remained an MEP until his retirement in 1994, when his constituency was abolished. He was generally regarded as pro-Europe
an. Towards the end of his term of office, he suffered from ill health, and his overall attendance record slipped to the second-lowest of any UK MEP, behind Ian Paisley
. During his time as an MEP he also served as a whip and a frontbench spokesman for the Conservative government in the House of Lords.
He had been involved in the Primrose League
before its dissolution, serving as its Chancellor from April 1979 to April 1981.
In 1999, in line with most other hereditary peers, he lost his right to sit in the House of Lords, although he had been on a leave of absence since the previous year, in the wake of declining health.
He made headlines in 2008, offering to sell some of his subsidiary titles to pay for medical bills. In 2009, it was reported that Lord O'Hagan had stepped forward on behalf of the Towneley family
to claim the title of 15th Lord of Bowland
. Previously, this ancient Lancastrian lordship had been thought lost or in the possession of the Crown having disappeared from the historical record in late nineteenth century. The Towneleys had owned the Bowland Forest Estate from 1835 and it transpired that the title had been retained by an extinct family trust. The title was auctioned and later came into the possession of a Cambridge University don who thereby assumed the title 16th Lord of Bowland.
Lord O'Hagan has been married three times - firstly to Princess Tamara Imeretinsky (1967–84), secondly to Mary Roose-Francis (1985–95), and thirdly to Elizabeth Smith (1995–present). He has two daughters - one from each of his first two marriages (Nina, b.1968; and Antonia, b.1986) - and his heir apparent is his younger brother the Hon. Richard Towneley Strachey.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
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...
politician.
The grandson of Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan
Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan
Maurice Herbert Towneley Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan , was a British Liberal and later Conservative politician....
, he inherited the family title
Baron O'Hagan
Baron O'Hagan, of Tullahogue in the County of Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 14 June 1870 for Sir Thomas O'Hagan, then Lord Chancellor of Ireland. His younger son, the third Baron, served as a Lord-in-Waiting from 1907 to 1910 in the Liberal...
at the age of 16 on his grandfather's death in 1961, his father the Hon. Thomas Anthony Edward Towneley Strachey having predeceased him in 1955. He was educated at Eton
Eton 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"....
and New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, and served as a Page to Queen Elizabeth II between 1957 and 1961. He first took his 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....
on 5 December 1967, and gave his maiden speech whilst he was still a student. A relative of the Strachey Baronets, he is the great-great-grandson of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie PC , known as Sir Edward Strachey, Bt, between 1901 and 1911, was a British Liberal politician. He was a member of the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H...
.
He became an Independent MEP for Devon
Devon (European Parliament constituency)
Devon was a European Parliament constituency covering all of Devon in England, with the exception of the city of Plymouth.Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
in December 1972, losing his seat in 1975 after a decision by the Conservative and Labour parties to cease appointing Independents and Liberals to the European Parliament. In the first direct elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 1979, he was returned for Devon as a Conservative, with 61.8% of the vote. He was then re-elected in 1984 and 1989, with 54.7% and 46.4% of the vote respectively, and remained an MEP until his retirement in 1994, when his constituency was abolished. He was generally regarded as pro-Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an. Towards the end of his term of office, he suffered from ill health, and his overall attendance record slipped to the second-lowest of any UK MEP, behind Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
. During his time as an MEP he also served as a whip and a frontbench spokesman for the Conservative government in the House of Lords.
He had been involved in the Primrose League
Primrose League
The Primrose League was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883 and active until the mid 1990s...
before its dissolution, serving as its Chancellor from April 1979 to April 1981.
In 1999, in line with most other hereditary peers, he lost his right to sit in the House of Lords, although he had been on a leave of absence since the previous year, in the wake of declining health.
He made headlines in 2008, offering to sell some of his subsidiary titles to pay for medical bills. In 2009, it was reported that Lord O'Hagan had stepped forward on behalf of the Towneley family
Towneley (family)
The Towneley or Townley family are an English recusant family whose ancestry can be traced back to Norman England. They take their name from Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire, which was the family seat until its sale in 1901.-The Towneleys of Towneley Hall:...
to claim the title of 15th Lord of Bowland
Lordship of Bowland
The Lordship of Bowland, an ancient English title connected with the Forest of Bowland in the northwest of England, was once thought lost and was only recently rediscovered. It disappeared from sight in 1885 when the estates of the Towneleys, one of Lancashire’s great aristocratic families, were...
. Previously, this ancient Lancastrian lordship had been thought lost or in the possession of the Crown having disappeared from the historical record in late nineteenth century. The Towneleys had owned the Bowland Forest Estate from 1835 and it transpired that the title had been retained by an extinct family trust. The title was auctioned and later came into the possession of a Cambridge University don who thereby assumed the title 16th Lord of Bowland.
Lord O'Hagan has been married three times - firstly to Princess Tamara Imeretinsky (1967–84), secondly to Mary Roose-Francis (1985–95), and thirdly to Elizabeth Smith (1995–present). He has two daughters - one from each of his first two marriages (Nina, b.1968; and Antonia, b.1986) - and his heir apparent is his younger brother the Hon. Richard Towneley Strachey.