Richard Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough
Encyclopedia
Richard Godolphin Walmesley Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough (born Richard Godolphin Walmesley Long; 12 October 1856 – 23 January 1938) was a British
soldier
and politician
. He was a Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) from 1895 to 1900 and 1910 to 1917, and a member of the House of Lords
from 1917 until his death.
Chaloner was the son of Richard Penruddocke Long
, an MP from 1859 to 1868, and younger brother of Walter Long, 1st Viscount Long. His family owned Rood Ashton House
in Wiltshire
and had lived in the county since the end of the 14th century. Chaloner's maternal grandfather was William Dick, an MP for Wicklow
from 1852 to 1880. In 1888, he assumed the surname Chaloner by Royal licence, this was in accordance with the will
of his maternal great-uncle Admiral Thomas Chaloner, who had inherited the Gisborough estate and Gisborough Hall
through his mother, a descendant of Robert de Brus
.
Chaloner was educated at Westminster School
and the Royal Military College
, Sandhurst where he became Captain of the 3rd Hussars
. He served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War and in the Second Boer War
. In 1882, he married Margaret Brocklesby Davis (died 1941) and they had two sons and four daughters. Their elder son, Richard, died in France
in 1917 while guarding German
prisoners of war
.
Richard Chaloner was first elected to Parliament
for Westbury
in the 1895 general election
. At the next general election in 1900
, he was defeated by the Liberal
candidate John Fuller
. In the January 1910 general election, Chaloner was re-elected to Parliament succeeding the Liberal MP J. E. B. Seely
in the constituency of Liverpool Abercromby. He retained this seat until 18 June 1917, when he was made Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds
, a post that expelled him from the Commons, thus effectively resigning from the Commons
. On 23 June 1917, he was created Baron Gisborough
, of Cleveland
in the County of York
, and became a member of the House of Lords
. A by-election
was held in Liverpool Abercromby to replace him. Lord Gisborough died in 1938 in Cleveland
, aged 81, and was succeeded in the barony by his second son, Thomas
.
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...
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...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was a 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) from 1895 to 1900 and 1910 to 1917, and a member of 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....
from 1917 until his death.
Chaloner was the son of Richard Penruddocke Long
Richard Penruddocke Long
Richard Penruddocke Long JP, DL was an English landowner and Conservative Party politician. He was a founding member of the amateur cricket club I Zingari...
, an MP from 1859 to 1868, and younger brother of Walter Long, 1st Viscount Long. His family owned Rood Ashton House
Rood Ashton House
Rood Ashton House was a country house in the village of West Ashton in the English county of Wiltshire. It was once the home of the 1st Viscount Long, and during his residence it was visited by various members of the British Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII.- History...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and had lived in the county since the end of the 14th century. Chaloner's maternal grandfather was William Dick, an MP for Wicklow
Wicklow (UK Parliament constituency)
Wicklow was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
from 1852 to 1880. In 1888, he assumed the surname Chaloner by Royal licence, this was in accordance with the will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
of his maternal great-uncle Admiral Thomas Chaloner, who had inherited the Gisborough estate and Gisborough Hall
Gisborough Hall
Gisborough Hall is a 19th century mansion house, now a hotel, at Guisborough, Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is a Grade II listed building....
through his mother, a descendant of Robert de Brus
Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale
Robert I de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale was an early 12th century Norman baron and knight, the first of the Bruce dynasty of Scotland and England...
.
Chaloner was educated at Westminster School
Westminster 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...
and the Royal Military College
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, Sandhurst where he became Captain of the 3rd Hussars
3rd The King's Own Hussars
The 3rd Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958.-The Glorious Revolution:...
. He served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War and in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. In 1882, he married Margaret Brocklesby Davis (died 1941) and they had two sons and four daughters. Their elder son, Richard, died in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1917 while guarding German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
Richard Chaloner was first elected to Parliament
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
for Westbury
Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Westbury was a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire from 1449 to 2010. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, and then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
in the 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
. At the next general election in 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, he was defeated by the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate John Fuller
Sir John Fuller, 1st Baronet
Sir John Michael Fleetwood Fuller, 1st Baronet KCMG , was a British Liberal Party politician and colonial administrator....
. In the January 1910 general election, Chaloner was re-elected to Parliament succeeding the Liberal MP J. E. B. Seely
J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone CB, CMG, DSO, PC, TD was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1900 to 1904 and a Liberal MP from 1904 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1924...
in the constituency of Liverpool Abercromby. He retained this seat until 18 June 1917, when he was made Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds
Chiltern Hundreds
Appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham is a sinecure appointment which is used as a device allowing a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament to resign his or her seat...
, a post that expelled him from the Commons, thus effectively resigning from the Commons
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
. On 23 June 1917, he was created Baron Gisborough
Baron Gisborough
Baron Gisborough, of Cleveland in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1917 for the Conservative politician Richard Chaloner, who had previously represented Westbury and Abercromby in the House of Commons...
, of Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
in the County of York
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and became a member of 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....
. A by-election
Liverpool Abercromby by-election, 1917
The Liverpool Abercromby by-election, 1917 was a parliamentary by-election held on 28 June 1917 for the British House of Commons constituency of Liverpool Abercromby. The seat had become vacant when the Conservative Member of Parliament Richard Chaloner had taken the post of Steward of the...
was held in Liverpool Abercromby to replace him. Lord Gisborough died in 1938 in Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
, aged 81, and was succeeded in the barony by his second son, Thomas
Thomas Chaloner, 2nd Baron Gisborough
Thomas Weston Peel Long Chaloner, 2nd Baron Gisborough was an English landowner, soldier and Peer.The second son of Richard Godolphin Walmesley Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough and his wife Margaret Mary Ann Brocklesby Davis, he was born in Sedgehill, Wiltshire and educated at Rottingdean, Radley...
.