Cecil William Norton, 1st Baron Rathcreedan (23 June 1850 – 7 December 1930), 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...

 Liberal Party

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...

 politician.

Norton was the son of William Norton, Rector of Baltinglass

Baltinglass

Baltinglass or Baltinglas is a town in south-west County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated on the River Slaney near the border with County Carlow and County Kildare, on the N81 road. Its Irish name means "the way of Conglas", Conglas being a member of the mythological warrior collective, the Fianna...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. He was elected to the House of Commons

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 Newington West

Newington West (UK Parliament constituency)

Newington West was a parliamentary constituency in the Newington area of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- History :...

 in 1892, a seat he held until 1916, and served under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman

Henry Campbell-Bannerman

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...

 and H. H. Asquith

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...

 as a Junior Lord of the Treasury

Lord of the Treasury

In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...

 from 1905 to 1910 and as Assistant Postmaster General

United Kingdom Postmaster General

The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...

 from 1910 to 1916. The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Rathcreedan, of Bellehatch Park in the County of Oxford. He later held office under David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...

as Assistant Parliamentary Secretary (unpaid) to the Ministry of Munitions and Supply from 1919 to 1921.

Lord Rathcreedan married, firstly, Cecilia, daughter of James Kennedy and widow of William Thomas Cavendish, in 1880. After her death in 1898 he married, secondly, Marguerite Cecil, daughter of Sir Charles Philip Huntington, 1st Baronet, in 1903. He died in December 1930, aged 80, and was succeeded in the barony by his son from his second marriage, Charles. Lady Rathcreedan died in 1955.