Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe
Encyclopedia
Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe KG
, PC (12 January 1858 – 20 June 1945), known as The Lord Houghton from 1885 to 1895 and as The Earl of Crewe from 1895 to 1911, was a British
statesman and writer.
by his wife the Hon. Annabella, daughter of John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe
, and was educated at Harrow
and Trinity College, Cambridge
.
in politics, Crewe became private secretary to Lord Granville
when Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1883–84), and in 1886 he was made a Lord-in-Waiting
. In the Liberal administration
of 1892–1895 he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
, with John Morley
as Chief Secretary
. In 1894 he succeeded to the estates of his uncle, Hungerford Crewe, 3rd Baron Crewe
, and assumed the same year the additional surname of Crewe by Royal license. In 1895 he was created Earl of Crewe, in the County Palatine of Chester. From 1905 to 1908 he was Lord President of the Council
in the Liberal government; in 1908, in Asquith's
cabinet, he became Secretary of State for the Colonies
(1910–15) and Liberal leader in the House of Lords
. In this latter role, he played a key part in bringing the Parliament Act 1911
(depriving the Lords of its veto) to the statute book. His colonial responsibilities included terms as Secretary of State for India
(1910–11 and 1911–15). He was further honoured in 1911 when he made Earl of Madeley, in the County of Stafford, and Marquess of Crewe.
Crewe served as Lord President of the Council
again in 1915–16. He maintained a leading role in the education sector, serving as Chaiman of the Governing Body of Imperial College London
(1907–22), President of the Board of Education (1916) and Chancellor of Sheffield University. He was also chairman of London County Council
in 1917. He was later Ambassador to France
(1922–28), and Secretary of State for War
in 1931. As Ambassador to France he launched a fund for the creation of a British Institute in Paris which has since developed into the University of London Institute in Paris
(ULIP).
In 1899, more than a decade after his first wife's death, Crewe married again to the eighteen-year-old Lady Margaret Etienne Hannah (Peggy) Primrose, daughter of the 5th Earl of Rosebery
. They had two children:
Lord Crewe died in June 1945, aged 87. As he had no surviving male heir his titles became extinct.
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, PC (12 January 1858 – 20 June 1945), known as The Lord Houghton from 1885 to 1895 and as The Earl of Crewe from 1895 to 1911, 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...
statesman and writer.
Background and education
Crewe was the son of Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron HoughtonRichard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton
Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton FRS was an English poet, patron of literature and politician.-Background and education:...
by his wife the Hon. Annabella, daughter of John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe
John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe
John Crewe was an English soldier and peer.He was the son of John Crewe, 1st Baron Crewe, a politician who was created the first Baron Crewe in 1806, and Frances Anne Crewe, the daughter of Fulke Greville, who was a political hostess known for her great beauty...
, and was educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
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...
.
Political career
A LiberalLiberal 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...
in politics, Crewe became private secretary to Lord Granville
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG, PC FRS , styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman...
when Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1883–84), and in 1886 he was made a Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
. In the Liberal administration
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who...
of 1892–1895 he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, with John Morley
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn OM, PC was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially a journalist, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1883...
as Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
. In 1894 he succeeded to the estates of his uncle, Hungerford Crewe, 3rd Baron Crewe
Hungerford Crewe, 3rd Baron Crewe
Hungerford Crewe, 3rd Baron Crewe FSA, FRS was an English landowner and peer.The son of John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe, an army general, and Henrietta Maria Anna Walker-Hungerford, he was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford...
, and assumed the same year the additional surname of Crewe by Royal license. In 1895 he was created Earl of Crewe, in the County Palatine of Chester. From 1905 to 1908 he was Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
in the Liberal government; in 1908, in Asquith's
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
cabinet, he became Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
(1910–15) and Liberal leader in 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....
. In this latter role, he played a key part in bringing the Parliament Act 1911
Parliament Act 1911
The Parliament Act 1911 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is constitutionally important and partly governs the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords which make up the Houses of Parliament. This Act must be construed as one with the Parliament Act 1949...
(depriving the Lords of its veto) to the statute book. His colonial responsibilities included terms as 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...
(1910–11 and 1911–15). He was further honoured in 1911 when he made Earl of Madeley, in the County of Stafford, and Marquess of Crewe.
Crewe served as Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
again in 1915–16. He maintained a leading role in the education sector, serving as Chaiman of the Governing Body of Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
(1907–22), President of the Board of Education (1916) and Chancellor of Sheffield University. He was also chairman of London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
in 1917. He was later Ambassador to 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...
(1922–28), and Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
in 1931. As Ambassador to France he launched a fund for the creation of a British Institute in Paris which has since developed into the University of London Institute in Paris
University of London Institute in Paris
The University of London Institute in Paris is a college of the University of London located in Paris. It is currently the only UK University Institute in Continental Europe.-History:...
(ULIP).
Literary work
Crewe inherited his father's literary tastes, and published Stray Verses in 1890, besides other miscellaneous literary work, including Gleanings from Béranger (privately printed in 1889). He also wrote a biography on his father-in-law, Lord Rosebery, published in 1931. A war poem, A Harrow Grave in Flanders—which touches on the theme of "what might have been"—was published in several anthologies during and following World War I.Family
Crewe married firstly Sibyl Marcia Graham (1857–1887), daughter of Sir Frederick Graham, 3rd Baronet of Netherby, in 1880. They had three daughters and one son, who died as a child:- Lady Annabel Crewe-Milnes (1881–1948). In 1903 she married Arthur O'NeillArthur O'NeillArthur Edward Bruce O'Neill , was an Irish Ulster Unionist Party politician who was the first MP to be killed in World War I...
(1876–1914), later Ulster UnionistUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
MP for Mid AntrimAntrim Mid (constituency)Mid Antrim was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland.-Boundaries and boundary changes:1885–1922: This county constituency comprised the central part of County Antrim. It comprised the baronies of Glenarm Lower, Toome Lower, part of the barony of Antrim Lower and parts of the parishes of Connor...
. Their third son, Terence O'Neill, served as Prime Minister of Northern IrelandPrime Minister of Northern IrelandThe Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the de facto head of the Government of Northern Ireland. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920. However the Lord Lieutenant, as with Governors-General in other Westminster Systems such as in Canada, chose to appoint someone...
. - Hon. Richard Charles Rodes Milnes (1882–1890).
- Lady Celia Hermione Crewe-Milnes (b. 1884). She married Sir Edward Clive Milnes-Coates, 2nd BaronetMilnes Coates BaronetsThe Coates, later Milnes Coates Baronetcy, of Helperby Hall in Helperby in the North Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 29 June 1911 for Edward Coates. He was a member of Coates, Son & Co, stockbrokers, and represented Lewisham in the...
. - Lady Helen Cynthia Crewe-Milnes (1884–1968). Twin of Celia Hermione. She married the Hon. George Charles Colville (1867–1943) and was mother of the Cabinet Secretary Sir John Colville.
In 1899, more than a decade after his first wife's death, Crewe married again to the eighteen-year-old Lady Margaret Etienne Hannah (Peggy) Primrose, daughter of the 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who...
. They had two children:
- Richard George Archibald John Lucian Hungerford Crewe-Milnes, Earl of Madeley (1911–1922),
- Lady Mary Evelyn Hungerford Crewe-MilnesMary Innes-Ker, Duchess of RoxburgheMary Evelyn Hungerford Crewe-Milnes is the daughter of Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe and first wife of George Victor Robert John Innes-Ker, 9th Duke of Roxburghe...
(1915–), first wife of the 9th Duke of RoxburgheGeorge Innes-Ker, 9th Duke of RoxburgheGeorge Victor Robert John Innes-Ker, 9th Duke of Roxburghe was the son of Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe and Mary Goelet. He succeeded his father in 1932....
.
Lord Crewe died in June 1945, aged 87. As he had no surviving male heir his titles became extinct.
Trivia
His father-in-law, Lord Rosebery, had been Liberal Leader six years before he himself became Leader in the House of Lords of that party. Rosebery thought Crewe a reliable politician but a poor speaker. When it was announced to him that his daughter, the Marchioness of Crewe, was in labour, Rosebery quipped, "I hope that her delivery is not as slow as Crewe's".External links
- "Milnes, Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.