Ernest Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe
Encyclopedia
Ernest William Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe (25 November 1856 – 29 April 1917), born Ernest William Denison, was a British
banker and Conservative
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until 1905 when he inherited the Grimthorpe
peerage
.
. He was the nephew of Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe
and great nephew of Sir John Beckett, 2nd Baronet
. Beckett was educated at Eton College
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, being known at that time as Denison. He became a partner in the banking firm of Beckett & Co, of Leeds
. He was also a captain in the Yorkshire Hussars Yeoman Cavalry.
In 1885, Beckett was elected Member of Parliament
for Whitby
, a seat he held until 1905. In 1886 he resumed the name Beckett in place of Denison. In 1905 he succeeded his uncle Lord Grimthorpe as 2nd Baron according to a special remainder in the letters patent, as well as in the family baronetcy.
Grimthorpe is believed to have been the father of Violet Trefusis
(1894–1972), whose mother, Alice Keppel
was a mistress of King Edward VII
.
In 1904, Grimthorpe bought a ruined farmhouse outside Ravello
, on the Amalfi Coast
in southern Italy
. He transformed it into a fortified palace with towers, battlements and a mixture of Arabic, Venetian and Gothic details, and called it Villa Cimbrone
. Between the house and the cliff edge he built a garden, high above the Gulf of Salerno. The garden is an eccentric mixture of formal, English rosebeds, Moorish tea houses, picturesque grottoes and classical temples. Today the house is a luxurious hotel, and the garden is open to the public.
Lord Grimthorpe died in April 1917, aged 60. He was succeeded in the baronetcy and barony by his son, Ralph William Ernest Beckett. Lord Grimthorpe's younger brother, Gervase Beckett, also sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament and was created a Baronet in 1921 (see Beckett Baronets
).
His grandson, by his daugher Lucy, Manfred Beckett Czernin
was a famed Royal Air Force
pilot and Special Operations Executive
operative.
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...
banker and Conservative
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 who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until 1905 when he inherited the Grimthorpe
Baron Grimthorpe
Baron Grimthorpe, of Grimthorpe in the East Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1886 for the lawyer and architect Sir Edmund Beckett, 5th Baronet, with remainder to the heirs male of his father. He was succeeded according to the special...
peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Biography
Beckett was the eldest son of William Beckett, younger son of Sir Edmund Beckett, 4th BaronetSir Edmund Beckett, 4th Baronet
Sir Edmund Beckett, 4th Baronet , known until 1816 as Edmund Beckett and from 1816 until 1872 as Edmund Beckett Denison, was a younger son of Sir John Beckett, 1st Baronet and brother of Sir John Beckett, 2nd Baronet....
. He was the nephew of Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe
Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe
Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe, Q.C. , known previously as Sir Edmund Beckett, 5th Baronet and Edmund Beckett Denison was a lawyer, horologist, and architect...
and great nephew of Sir John Beckett, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Beckett, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Beckett, 2nd Baronet, FRS was a British lawyer and Tory politician.Beckett was the son of Sir John Beckett, 1st Baronet , and his wife Mary, daughter of Christopher Wilson...
. Beckett was educated at Eton College
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 Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, being known at that time as Denison. He became a partner in the banking firm of Beckett & Co, of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. He was also a captain in the Yorkshire Hussars Yeoman Cavalry.
In 1885, Beckett was elected 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 Whitby
Whitby (UK Parliament constituency)
Whitby was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Whitby in North Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, MP elected by the first past the post system.-History:...
, a seat he held until 1905. In 1886 he resumed the name Beckett in place of Denison. In 1905 he succeeded his uncle Lord Grimthorpe as 2nd Baron according to a special remainder in the letters patent, as well as in the family baronetcy.
Grimthorpe is believed to have been the father of Violet Trefusis
Violet Trefusis
Violet Trefusis née Keppel was an English writer and socialite. She is most notable for her lesbian affair with Vita Sackville-West, which was featured under disguise in Virginia Woolf's Orlando: A Biography....
(1894–1972), whose mother, Alice Keppel
Alice Keppel
Alice Frederica Keppel, née Edmonstone was a British socialite and the most famous mistress of Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria. Her formal style after marriage was The Hon. Mrs George Keppel. Her daughter, Violet Trefusis, was the lover of poet Vita Sackville-West...
was a mistress of King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
.
In 1904, Grimthorpe bought a ruined farmhouse outside Ravello
Ravello
Ravello is a town and comune situated above the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno, Campania, southern Italy, with has approximately 2,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, on the Amalfi Coast
Amalfi Coast
-In popular culture:The Amalfi Coast is a popular destination among tourists. It was featured in "Positano," a short story written by American author John Steinbeck in 1953...
in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He transformed it into a fortified palace with towers, battlements and a mixture of Arabic, Venetian and Gothic details, and called it Villa Cimbrone
Villa Cimbrone
Villa Cimbrone is a historic building in Ravello, on the Amalfi coast of southern Italy, dating from at least the 11th century AD, although little of the original structure is now visible...
. Between the house and the cliff edge he built a garden, high above the Gulf of Salerno. The garden is an eccentric mixture of formal, English rosebeds, Moorish tea houses, picturesque grottoes and classical temples. Today the house is a luxurious hotel, and the garden is open to the public.
Lord Grimthorpe died in April 1917, aged 60. He was succeeded in the baronetcy and barony by his son, Ralph William Ernest Beckett. Lord Grimthorpe's younger brother, Gervase Beckett, also sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament and was created a Baronet in 1921 (see Beckett Baronets
Beckett Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for members of the Beckett family, both in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Both creations are extant as of 2008....
).
His grandson, by his daugher Lucy, Manfred Beckett Czernin
Czernin, Count Manfred Beckett
Manfred Beckett Czernin was a World War II Royal Air Force Pilot and later in the war was an operative with the Special Operations Executive.-Early Life:...
was a famed Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot and Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
operative.