George Parker, 7th Earl of Macclesfield
Encyclopedia
Shirburn Castle
Shirburn Castle is at the village of Shirburn, south of Thame, Oxfordshire.Shirburn Castle was the seat of the Earls of Macclesfield. George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield , celebrated as an astronomer, spent much time conducting astronomical observations at Shirburn Castle, which his father...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, 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...
peer
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....
and landowner
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
. He was among the last to serve simultaneously as Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
of an English county and as chairman of its county council
Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, established in 1889, is the county council, or upper-tier local authority, for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire, in the South East of England, an elected body responsible for the most strategic local government services in the county.-History:County Councils...
.
Life
Born on 24 May 1888, George Parker was the only child of Viscount Parker (the heir of Thomas Parker, 6th Earl of MacclesfieldThomas Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield
Thomas Augustus Wolstenholme Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield was a British peer. Before inheriting the earldom, he sat in the House of Commons as Conservative Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire from 1837 until 1841....
), by his marriage to Carine Agnes, the daughter of Pryse Loveden, of Gogerddan, Cardiganshire. His father died in 1895.
On 24 July 1896, at the age of eight, Parker succeeded his grandfather as Earl of Macclesfield
Earl of Macclesfield
Earl of Macclesfield is a title that has been created twice. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1679 in favour of the soldier and politician Charles Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard...
, a title he was to hold for seventy-nine years. The next year, his mother married secondly Captain L. W. Matthews, of the 5th Dragoon Guards
5th Dragoon Guards
The 5th Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards in 1922....
, providing the young earl with a stepfather.
In 1909 Macclesfield married Lilian Joanna Vere, the daughter of Major Charles Boyle, of Great Milton
Great Milton
Great Milton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of Oxford.-History:The toponym appears to refer to the "Middle Town" of a group....
, Oxfordshire. They had two sons, the marriage lasting until his wife's death in 1974.
Whereas his grandfather's public life had been principally in national affairs, Macclesfield was more concerned with those of his native county. He became 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 the Oxfordshire in 1911, was elected to Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, established in 1889, is the county council, or upper-tier local authority, for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire, in the South East of England, an elected body responsible for the most strategic local government services in the county.-History:County Councils...
, of which he was chairman from 1937 to 1970, was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy 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....
in 1935, and was Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Oxfordshire.*Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk 1545*vacant?*Sir Francis Knollys in 1565...
from 1954 to 1963.
He died on 20 September 1975 and was succeeded by his son, Viscount Parker.