Henry Lowther (politician)
Encyclopedia
Henry Cecil Lowther, DL
, JP
(born 27 July 1790 at Lowther Castle
, Westmorland
; died 6 December 1867 at Barleythorpe Hall, Rutland
) was an English Conservative
politician and an amateur cricketer
who played first-class cricket
from 1819 to 1843. He was the second son of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
, and his wife Lady Augusta (née Fane).
, he entered the army
on 16 July 1807 as a cornet
in the 7th Hussars
. He was promoted lieutenant on 21 July 1808 and captain on 4 October 1810. He served with the 7th Hussars during the campaign of 1809 in Spain
, including the battles of Mayorga, Sahagún
, Benevente, and the retreat to Corunna
. From 1812 until 1814, he was in Wellington
's army during the Peninsular War
, and was made a major in the 10th Hussars
on 12 November 1815. He received the Peninsular Medal with three clasps after the war. On 20 April 1817 he went into the 12th Regiment of Foot as a lieutenant-colonel, with which rank he retired on half-pay. In 1830 he transferred to the 44th Foot.
bowler who was mainly associated with Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC), Lowther made 47 known appearances in first-class matches. He played for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players
series and also played for both Hampshire
and Surrey
.
Between 1818 and 1839, he played first-class cricket
for Hampshire
and Surrey
. He was appointed colonel
of the Royal Cumberland Militia in 1830.
First elected for Westmorland
, a constituency long in the family interest, he continued to be returned until his death in 1867. In 1862, he became Father of the House of Commons
. He was the last MP elected during the reign of George III.
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....
, JP
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...
(born 27 July 1790 at Lowther Castle
Lowther Castle
Lowther Castle is a country house in the historic county of Westmorland, which now forms part of the modern county of Cumbria, England. It has belonged to the Lowther family, latterly the Earls of Lonsdale, since the Middle Ages.- History :...
, Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
; died 6 December 1867 at Barleythorpe Hall, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
) was an English 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 and an amateur cricketer
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
who played 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...
from 1819 to 1843. He was the second son of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale of the second creation KG was a British Tory politician and nobleman.-Life:...
, and his wife Lady Augusta (née Fane).
Military career
Educated at Westminster SchoolWestminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, he entered the army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on 16 July 1807 as a cornet
Cornet (military rank)
Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, after captain and lieutenant. A cornet is a new and junior officer.- Traditional duties :The cornet carried the troop standard, also known as a "cornet"....
in the 7th Hussars
7th Queen's Own Hussars
The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1690. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958....
. He was promoted lieutenant on 21 July 1808 and captain on 4 October 1810. He served with the 7th Hussars during the campaign of 1809 in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, including the battles of Mayorga, Sahagún
Battle of Sahagún
The Battle of Sahagún was a cavalry clash in which the 15th Light Dragoons defeated two regiments of French cavalry during the Corunna Campaign of the Peninsular War. One of the French regiments lost so heavily that it was subsequently disbanded...
, Benevente, and the retreat to Corunna
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
. From 1812 until 1814, he was in Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's army during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, and was made a major in the 10th Hussars
10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)
The 10th Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1715 to 1969.-Early history:In response to the Jacobite Rebellion, the regiment was raised in 1715 as Humphrey Gore's Regiment of Dragoons...
on 12 November 1815. He received the Peninsular Medal with three clasps after the war. On 20 April 1817 he went into the 12th Regiment of Foot as a lieutenant-colonel, with which rank he retired on half-pay. In 1830 he transferred to the 44th Foot.
Cricket career
A right-handed batsman and right arm slow roundarmRoundarm bowling
In cricket, roundarm bowling is a style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and had largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowler has his arm extended at about 90 degrees from his body at the point where he releases the ball...
bowler who was mainly associated with 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...
(MCC), Lowther made 47 known appearances in first-class matches. He played for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
series and also played for both Hampshire
Hampshire county cricket teams
Hampshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
and Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
.
Family
Lowther married Lady Lucy Eleanor Sherard, daughter of Philip Sherard, 5th Earl of Harborough, on 19 May 1817. They had seven children:- Eleanor Cecily Lowther (d. 24 November 1894), married John Talbot Clifton on 22 April 1844
- Augusta Mary Lowther (d. 11 January 1916), married Gerard Noel
- Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of LonsdaleHenry Lowther, 3rd Earl of LonsdaleHenry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale was a British nobleman and Conservative politician, the eldest son of Henry Cecil Lowther and Lady Lucy Sherard.He married Emily Susan Caulfeild on 31 July 1852. They had six children:...
(1818–1876) - Arthur Lowther (12 July 1820 – 15 February 1855)
- William LowtherWilliam Lowther (diplomat)William Lowther was a British diplomat and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1892....
(1821–1912) - Constantia Lowther (1831–1864), married Col. Robert Blücher Wood
Between 1818 and 1839, he played 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...
for Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
and Surrey
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...
. He was appointed colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the Royal Cumberland Militia in 1830.
First elected for Westmorland
Westmorland (UK Parliament constituency)
Westmorland was a constituency covering the county of Westmorland in the North of England, which returned Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The constituency had two separate periods of existence....
, a constituency long in the family interest, he continued to be returned until his death in 1867. In 1862, he became Father of the House of Commons
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
. He was the last MP elected during the reign of George III.
External links
Further reading
- Arthur HaygarthArthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, Scores & Biographies, Volumes 1-11 (1744-1870), Lillywhite, 1862-72