Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury
Encyclopedia
Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, PC
, DL
(born 30 September 1946), is a British Conservative
politician. During the 1990s, he was Leader of the House of Lords under his courtesy title
of Viscount Cranborne. He lives in one of England's largest historic houses, Hatfield House
, which was built by an ancestor in the early 17th century, and is currently the Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire
.
and Christ Church, Oxford
and became a merchant banker before going to work on the family estates. He was selected, unexpectedly, as Conservative candidate for South Dorset in 1976, where his family owned lands, despite the presence of several former MPs on the shortlist. He spoke at the 1978 Conservative Party conference to oppose sanctions on Rhodesia
. He won the seat in the 1979 general election, the seventh consecutive generation of his family to sit in the Commons, and in his first speech urged Ian Smith
to stand aside in favour of Abel Muzorewa
.
He attracted a general reputation as a right-winger, especially on matters affecting the Church of England
, but confounded this reputation when he co-wrote a pamphlet in 1981 which said that the fight against unemployment ought to be given more priority than the fight against inflation. He took an interest in Northern Ireland
, and when Jim Prior
announced his policy of 'Rolling Devolution', resigned an unpaid job as assistant to Douglas Hurd
.
Lord Cranborne became known as an anti-communist through activities in support of Afghan refugees in Pakistan in the early 1980s, and sending food parcels to Poland
. (In fact until the early years of the 21st century a charity shop was run on his Hatfield estate which was solely to raise money for this cause and also to fund Polish orphanages.) He was involved in efforts to fund the Afghan resistance. His strong opposition to any involvement by the Republic of Ireland
in Northern Ireland led him to oppose the Anglo-Irish Agreement
and contributed to his decision to retire from the House of Commons in 1987.
utilised a writ of acceleration
to call Lord Cranborne up to the House of Lords in one of his father's junior baronies. Lord Cranborne was summoned as Baron Cecil of Essendon (his father's most junior dignity), though continued to be known by his courtesy style of Viscount Cranborne. This is the last time a writ of acceleration has been issued, and because of the provisions of the House of Lords Act of 1999, abolishing the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, any future use of the writ of acceleration is highly unlikely.
He served for two years as a junior defence minister before being appointed as Lord Privy Seal
and Leader of the House of Lords
in 1994. Funding for opposition parties in the House of Lords, known as Cranborne Money
, began during his leadership. When Major resigned to fight for re-election as Conservative Party Leader in July 1995, Lord Cranborne led his re-election campaign. He was recognised as one of the few members of the Cabinet who were personally loyal to Major, but continued to lead the Conservative Peers after Labour won the 1997 general election.
When the new Prime Minister Tony Blair
proposed the removal of the hereditary element in the House of Lords, Lord Cranborne negotiated a pact with the government to retain a small number (later set at ninety-two) of hereditary peers for the interim period. For the sake of form this amendment was formally proposed by Lord Weatherill
, Convenor of the Cross-Bench Peers. However, Lord Cranborne gave his party's approval without consulting the Leader, William Hague
, who knew nothing and was embarrassed when Blair told him of it in the House of Commons. Hague then sacked Lord Cranborne, who accepted his error, saying that he had "rushed in, like an ill-trained spaniel".
All former Leaders of the House of Lords who were hereditary peers accepted Life Peerages to keep them in the House in 1999. Lord Cranborne, who had received the title Baron Gascoyne-Cecil, of Essendon in the County of Rutland
, remained active on the backbenches, until the House adopted new rules for declaration of financial interests which he believed were too onerous. He took 'Leave of Absence' on 1 November 2001. He was therefore out of the House when he succeeded his father as 7th Marquess on 11 July 2003.
In January 2010, Lord Salisbury and Owen Paterson
hosted secret talks at Hatfield House
, involving the Democratic Unionist Party
, the Ulster Unionist Party
and the Conservative Party
. These talks prompted speculation that the Tories were attempting to create a pan-unionist front to limit Sinn Féin
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party
in the general election of 2010.
His father the 6th Marquess succeeded his father, the 5th Marquess of Salisbury (1893–1972), and generally eschewed a political career unlike his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
(1830–1903) had been a late Victorian Prime Minister; the 4th Marquess of Salisbury
(1861–1947) had been Tory Leader of the House of Lords; the 5th Marquess of Salisbury
(1893–1972) had been also a leading Conservative politician in the House of Lords.
The Marquesses of Salisbury were descended from the 1st Marquess, a courtier and favorite of King George III of the United Kingdom
, who was himself a descendant of Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
and one of the men who brought about the accession of King James I of England
. Robert Cecil was himself a younger son of Elizabeth's courtier-advisor William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
, the descendant of a Welsh soldier David Cyssell - the family name is still pronounced "Siss-el" not "Sess-il".
His mother Marjorie "Mollie" Olein Wyndham-Quin was a descendant of Windham Wyndham-Quin, 5th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl on her father's side, and of George Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford
, via her maternal grandmother. Lady Salisbury is a noted gardener, who has advised several other beginning gardeners including Charles, Prince of Wales
. His parents had seven children, of whom four sons and a daughter survive, although two sons predeceased them.
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil began using Robert as his preferred Christian name from his 21st birthday. In 1970, aged 23, he married Hannah Stirling, niece of Lt Col David Stirling
(a co-founder of the SAS
) and a descendant of the Lords Lovat, Scottish Catholic aristocrats. The marriage was initially opposed by his family, mostly because she is a Roman Catholic.
During the 1970s, Lord and Lady Cranborne had two sons and three daughters (including twins), of whom the two elder daughters are married. Until recently, they lived at Cranborne Manor
, Dorset. The family seat is Hatfield House
, once home to Queen Elizabeth I of England
which was given the family by James I of England
in exchange for the Cecil family house Theobalds. The Salisbury family is very wealthy, with land in Dorset, Hertfordshire, and in London; and with heirlooms at Hatfield House. The 7th Marquess ranked 325th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
, with an estimated wealth of £250m in property.
The Marquess of Salisbury's heir is his elder son Robert Edward "Ned" William Gascoyne-Cecil, called Viscount Cranborne (b. 1970). The heir is currently unmarried, though he does have a daughter born out of wedlock in 2001. The younger son Lord James has recently married and fathered one son, Thomas Richard James (b 2009).
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, DL
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....
(born 30 September 1946), is a British 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. During the 1990s, he was Leader of the House of Lords under his courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
of Viscount Cranborne. He lives in one of England's largest historic houses, Hatfield House
Hatfield House
Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and has been the home of the Cecil...
, which was built by an ancestor in the early 17th century, and is currently the Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...
.
House of Commons
Lord Cranborne attended Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
and became a merchant banker before going to work on the family estates. He was selected, unexpectedly, as Conservative candidate for South Dorset in 1976, where his family owned lands, despite the presence of several former MPs on the shortlist. He spoke at the 1978 Conservative Party conference to oppose sanctions on Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
. He won the seat in the 1979 general election, the seventh consecutive generation of his family to sit in the Commons, and in his first speech urged Ian Smith
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID was a politician active in the government of Southern Rhodesia, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe Rhodesia and Zimbabwe from 1948 to 1987, most notably serving as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 1 June 1979...
to stand aside in favour of Abel Muzorewa
Abel Muzorewa
Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia from the Internal Settlement to the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979...
.
He attracted a general reputation as a right-winger, especially on matters affecting the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, but confounded this reputation when he co-wrote a pamphlet in 1981 which said that the fight against unemployment ought to be given more priority than the fight against inflation. He took an interest in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and when Jim Prior
James Prior, Baron Prior
James Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior, PC, known as "Jim Prior" , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a Member of Parliament from 1959 to 1987, representing the constituency of Lowestoft from 1959 to 1983 and the renamed constituency of Waveney from 1983 to 1987...
announced his policy of 'Rolling Devolution', resigned an unpaid job as assistant to Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
.
Lord Cranborne became known as an anti-communist through activities in support of Afghan refugees in Pakistan in the early 1980s, and sending food parcels to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. (In fact until the early years of the 21st century a charity shop was run on his Hatfield estate which was solely to raise money for this cause and also to fund Polish orphanages.) He was involved in efforts to fund the Afghan resistance. His strong opposition to any involvement by the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
in Northern Ireland led him to oppose the Anglo-Irish Agreement
Anglo-Irish Agreement
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland...
and contributed to his decision to retire from the House of Commons in 1987.
House of Lords
After the 1992 general election, John MajorJohn Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
utilised a writ of acceleration
Writ of acceleration
A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, was a type of writ of summons to the British House of Lords that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with multiple peerage titles to attend the British House of Lords or Irish House of Lords, using one of his father's...
to call Lord Cranborne up to the House of Lords in one of his father's junior baronies. Lord Cranborne was summoned as Baron Cecil of Essendon (his father's most junior dignity), though continued to be known by his courtesy style of Viscount Cranborne. This is the last time a writ of acceleration has been issued, and because of the provisions of the House of Lords Act of 1999, abolishing the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, any future use of the writ of acceleration is highly unlikely.
He served for two years as a junior defence minister before being appointed as Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
and Leader of the House of Lords
Leader of the House of Lords
The Leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The role is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, usually one of the sinecure offices of Lord President of the Council,...
in 1994. Funding for opposition parties in the House of Lords, known as Cranborne Money
Cranborne Money
Cranborne Money is the common name given to the annual payment to Opposition parties in the UK House of Lords to help them with their costs. It is named after Lord Cranborne, who was the leader of the House of Lords when it was introduced on 27 November 1996...
, began during his leadership. When Major resigned to fight for re-election as Conservative Party Leader in July 1995, Lord Cranborne led his re-election campaign. He was recognised as one of the few members of the Cabinet who were personally loyal to Major, but continued to lead the Conservative Peers after Labour won the 1997 general election.
When the new Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
proposed the removal of the hereditary element in the House of Lords, Lord Cranborne negotiated a pact with the government to retain a small number (later set at ninety-two) of hereditary peers for the interim period. For the sake of form this amendment was formally proposed by Lord Weatherill
Bernard Weatherill
Bruce Bernard Weatherill, Baron Weatherill, PC, DL, KStJ was a British Conservative Party politician who became Speaker of the House of Commons.-Tailor:...
, Convenor of the Cross-Bench Peers. However, Lord Cranborne gave his party's approval without consulting the Leader, William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, who knew nothing and was embarrassed when Blair told him of it in the House of Commons. Hague then sacked Lord Cranborne, who accepted his error, saying that he had "rushed in, like an ill-trained spaniel".
All former Leaders of the House of Lords who were hereditary peers accepted Life Peerages to keep them in the House in 1999. Lord Cranborne, who had received the title Baron Gascoyne-Cecil, of Essendon in the County of 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....
, remained active on the backbenches, until the House adopted new rules for declaration of financial interests which he believed were too onerous. He took 'Leave of Absence' on 1 November 2001. He was therefore out of the House when he succeeded his father as 7th Marquess on 11 July 2003.
In January 2010, Lord Salisbury and Owen Paterson
Owen Paterson
Owen William Paterson is a British Conservative Party politician and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He is the Member of Parliament for North Shropshire.-Early life and career:Paterson was born in Whitchurch, Shropshire...
hosted secret talks at Hatfield House
Hatfield House
Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and has been the home of the Cecil...
, involving the Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
, the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The 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...
and the Conservative Party
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...
. These talks prompted speculation that the Tories were attempting to create a pan-unionist front to limit Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
in the general election of 2010.
Personal life: ancestry, lineage, and family
Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil was born on 30 September 1946 as the eldest child and first-born son of the Honourable Robert and Mollie Gascoyne-Cecil, who became Viscount and Viscountess Cranborne in 1947, when his great-grandfather the 4th Marquess of Salisbury (son and heir of the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, thrice Prime Minister) died on 4 April.His father the 6th Marquess succeeded his father, the 5th Marquess of Salisbury (1893–1972), and generally eschewed a political career unlike his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
(1830–1903) had been a late Victorian Prime Minister; the 4th Marquess of Salisbury
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury
James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, CB, PC , known as Viscount Cranborne from 1868 to 1903, was a British statesman.-Background and education:...
(1861–1947) had been Tory Leader of the House of Lords; the 5th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury, KG, PC , known as Viscount Cranborne from 1903 to 1947, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...
(1893–1972) had been also a leading Conservative politician in the House of Lords.
The Marquesses of Salisbury were descended from the 1st Marquess, a courtier and favorite of King George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, who was himself a descendant of Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC was an English administrator and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke...
and one of the men who brought about the accession of King James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. Robert Cecil was himself a younger son of Elizabeth's courtier-advisor William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
, the descendant of a Welsh soldier David Cyssell - the family name is still pronounced "Siss-el" not "Sess-il".
His mother Marjorie "Mollie" Olein Wyndham-Quin was a descendant of Windham Wyndham-Quin, 5th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl on her father's side, and of George Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford
George Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford
George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford DL, JP was a British soldier and peer.The elder son of the 3rd Earl of Bradford and Selina Louisa Forester, Bridgeman was educated at Harrow School, and served in the 1st Life Guards and the Shropshire Yeomanry Cavalry, reaching the rank of...
, via her maternal grandmother. Lady Salisbury is a noted gardener, who has advised several other beginning gardeners including Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
. His parents had seven children, of whom four sons and a daughter survive, although two sons predeceased them.
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil began using Robert as his preferred Christian name from his 21st birthday. In 1970, aged 23, he married Hannah Stirling, niece of Lt Col David Stirling
David Stirling
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
(a co-founder of the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
) and a descendant of the Lords Lovat, Scottish Catholic aristocrats. The marriage was initially opposed by his family, mostly because she is a Roman Catholic.
During the 1970s, Lord and Lady Cranborne had two sons and three daughters (including twins), of whom the two elder daughters are married. Until recently, they lived at Cranborne Manor
Cranborne Manor
Cranborne Manor is a grade I listed country house in the county of Dorset in southern England.The manor dates back to the thirteenth century, and was originally a hunting lodge. It was remodelled for the 1st Earl of Salisbury in the early 17th century...
, Dorset. The family seat is Hatfield House
Hatfield House
Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and has been the home of the Cecil...
, once home to Queen Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
which was given the family by James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
in exchange for the Cecil family house Theobalds. The Salisbury family is very wealthy, with land in Dorset, Hertfordshire, and in London; and with heirlooms at Hatfield House. The 7th Marquess ranked 325th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
Sunday Times Rich List 2008
The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 was published on 27 April 2008.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
, with an estimated wealth of £250m in property.
The Marquess of Salisbury's heir is his elder son Robert Edward "Ned" William Gascoyne-Cecil, called Viscount Cranborne (b. 1970). The heir is currently unmarried, though he does have a daughter born out of wedlock in 2001. The younger son Lord James has recently married and fathered one son, Thomas Richard James (b 2009).
Titles
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Esquire (1946–1947)
- The Hon. Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (1947–1972)
- Viscount Cranborne (1972–1979)
- Viscount Cranborne MP (1979–1987)
- Viscount Cranborne (1987–1994)
- The Rt Hon. Viscount Cranborne, PC (1994–2003)
- The Most Hon. The Marquess of Salisbury, PC (2003–present)
External links
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080627113932/http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/salisbury.html
- www.stirnet.com
- The young elite 1-10
- UK Parliament publications archive site