Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne
Encyclopedia
Michael Herbert Rudolf Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne, GCSI
, GCIE
, MC
(8 May 1895 – 23 February 1939) was a British peer and soldier
, the son of the 4th Baron Brabourne
.
Baptised Michael Herbert Rudolf Knatchbull-Hugessen, he dropped the Hugessen part of his surname by deed poll
in 1919. Knatchbull was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He served in the Royal Artillery
, rising to the rank of Lieutenant
and in the RAF
, rising to Captain
. He fought in the First World War (where he was mentioned in dispatches
three times) and was awarded the Military Cross
. On 22 January 1919, he married Lady Doreen Browne
, daughter of the 6th Marquess of Sligo
and they had two children:
Knatchbull was elected Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Ashford
in 1931 and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for India
, from 1932 to 1933. In 1933, upon his father's death, he succeeded as Baron Brabourne
following which he was made Governor of Bombay and was invested as a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
. While Governor of Bombay he laid the foundation stone at the historic Brabourne Stadium
cricket ground in 1936 after conducting negotiations for the land with Anthony de Mello
of the Cricket Club of India
(CCI). In 1937 he also became a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
and served as Governor of Bengal
until 1939, the year he died.
His widow, The Dowager Lady Brabourne
, was murdered in the 1979 bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
bombing of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
's boat. One of their grandsons also died in the bombing.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, GCIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, 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....
(8 May 1895 – 23 February 1939) was a British peer and soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, the son of the 4th Baron Brabourne
Cecil Knatchbull-Hugessen, 4th Baron Brabourne
Cecil Marcus Knatchbull-Hugessen, 4th Baron Brabourne was an English cricketer, and later a British peer....
.
Baptised Michael Herbert Rudolf Knatchbull-Hugessen, he dropped the Hugessen part of his surname by deed poll
Deed poll
A deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an active intention...
in 1919. Knatchbull was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He served in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, rising to the rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and in the RAF
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...
, rising to Captain
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
. He fought in the First World War (where he was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
three times) and was awarded the Military Cross
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....
. On 22 January 1919, he married Lady Doreen Browne
Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne
Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne, CI was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, socialite and victim of the Provisional IRA.-Family life:...
, daughter of the 6th Marquess of Sligo
Marquess of Sligo
Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles of Baron Mount Eagle, of Westport in the County of Mayo , Viscount Westport, of Westport in the County of Mayo , Earl of Altamont, in the...
and they had two children:
- Norton Cecil Michael Knatchbull, 6th Baron BrabourneNorton Knatchbull, 6th Baron BrabourneNorton Cecil Michael Knatchbull, 6th Baron Brabourne was a British peer and soldier, the son of Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne....
(1922–1943) - John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron BrabourneJohn Knatchbull, 7th Baron BrabourneJohn Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne, CBE , professionally known as John Brabourne, was a British peer, television producer and Academy-award nominated film producer....
(1924–2005). In 1946 he married The Hon. Patricia MountbattenPatricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of BurmaPatricia Edwina Victoria Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, is a British peeress and former lady-in-waiting to her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the elder daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his wife, the heiress Edwina Ashley, a patrilineal...
(later 2nd Countess Mountbatten of BurmaEarl Mountbatten of BurmaThe title Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 for Rear Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India....
) and had issue.
Knatchbull was elected 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...
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,...
(MP) for Ashford
Ashford (UK Parliament constituency)
Ashford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...
in 1931 and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
, from 1932 to 1933. In 1933, upon his father's death, he succeeded as Baron Brabourne
Baron Brabourne
Baron Brabourne, of Brabourne in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1880 for the Liberal politician Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, the second son of Sir Edward Knatchbull, 9th Baronet, of Mersham Hatch...
following which he was made Governor of Bombay and was invested as a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
. While Governor of Bombay he laid the foundation stone at the historic Brabourne Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in the Indian city of Mumbai. It is located on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land along Marine Drive near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. The stadium is owned by the Cricket Club of India . Brabourne Stadium is India's first permanent...
cricket ground in 1936 after conducting negotiations for the land with Anthony de Mello
Anthony de Mello
Anthony de Mello was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who became widely known for his books on spirituality. An internationally acclaimed spiritual guide, writer and public speaker, de Mello hosted many spiritual conferences...
of the Cricket Club of India
Cricket Club of India
Cricket Club of India is located on Dinsha Wacha Road, near Churchgate in Mumbai, India. It is one of the oldest and most well known cricket clubs in India...
(CCI). In 1937 he also became a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
and served as Governor of Bengal
Governor of Bengal
From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi....
until 1939, the year he died.
His widow, The Dowager Lady Brabourne
Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne
Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne, CI was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, socialite and victim of the Provisional IRA.-Family life:...
, was murdered in the 1979 bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bombing of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
's boat. One of their grandsons also died in the bombing.