Courtenay Mansel
Encyclopedia
Sir Courtenay Cecil Mansel, 13th Baronet (25 February 1880 – 4 January 1933) was a Welsh landowner and farmer, barrister
and Liberal Party
politician who later joined the Conservatives
.
Mansel of Muddlescombe in Carmarthenshire
. The Mansel Baronets
date back to the early 17th century. When his father died in 1892, Courtenay was considered to have succeeded as the 13th Baronet and held the title for eleven years. However it was discovered that the first marriage of his grandparents in Scotland (there was a later one in England) was not invalid as had been thought and that his uncle Colonel Edward Berkely Mansel, not his father Richard Mansel, should have succeeded to the title in 1883. He therefore stood aside and allowed his uncle to bear the title. Edward Mansel died in 1908 without children and Courtenay Mansel once again succeeded to the baronetcy.
The branch of the family which inherited the Mansel baronetcy had the surname Philipps. Courtenay reverted to this name after he relinquished the title and married Mary Philippa Agnes Germaine Littlewood under this name in 1906. They had three sons. Lady Mansel died in 1958.
in 1918. During the First World War, Mansel served in the Royal Flying Corps
and later transferred to the newly formed Royal Air Force
leaving with the rank of Captain. He later served as a Justice of the Peace
for the counties of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire.
. In 1908, the sitting Liberal MP for Swansea
, George Newnes
, announced his intention to stand down at the next election and Mansel was publicly mentioned as a possible successor. In the end the Liberal Association chose Alfred Mond
to fight the seat. In 1912, a vacancy arose in East Carmarthenshire and Mansel was among those contesting the Liberal nomination. His aristocratic
and landowning background told against him however in a strongly non-conformist constituency, which at that time included the industrial town of Llanelli
.
when he stood as Liberal candidate for Coventry
. Rather to his chagrin, having attended on Prime Minister
David Lloyd George
at a special meeting at Number 10 Downing Street Mansel was not awarded the Coalition coupon
. This was bestowed instead upon the Conservative candidate Edward Manville. The election was contested by five candidates in all. Mansel aced an Independent Liberal candidate, David Marshall Mason
the previous MP as well as Labour
and another Independent. In what was essentially a two-horse race between Conservative and Labour candidates, Mansel came in third but scored only 10% of the vote and lost his deposit
.
seat of Penryn and Falmouth
. He faced a four-cornered contest at the 1922 general election
. In addition to Conservative
and Labour opponents he also faced a Lloyd George National Liberal
, the former MP for Truro, George Hay Morgan, the Truro seat having been abolished in boundary changes. Mansel finished in second place with 32% of the poll, behind the Conservative candidate, Captain Denis Shipwright
who obtained 43%. Labour were third with 16.5% and Morgan came bottom of the poll with 8% and lost his deposit.
, Mansel again contested Penryn and Falmouth but this time in a straight fight with Shipwright. The reunion of the Lloyd George and Asquithian wings of the Liberal Party around the traditional Liberal policy of Free Trade
resulted in a surge of support for Liberal candidates and Mansel was returned with a majority of 6,586 votes.
, however, the Conservative vote had revived. The Labour Party also decided to stand a candidate in the 1924 general election in Penryn and Falmouth thus splitting the anti-Tory vote. As a result Mansel lost his seat to the new Tory candidate, George Pilcher, with Labour in third place. The combined Liberal and Labour vote amounted to 57% of the poll and in a straight fight Mansel could well have retained the seat.
, a landowner who had been to one of the top public schools
in England, Mansel’s views were not those associated with the radical tradition
in the Liberal Party. He favoured the traditional Gladstonian
approach of unfettered Free Trade
and retrenchment or economy in government finance. For example, when he was asked for his views on placing a legal limit of 48 hours per week for working men, he replied that hours of work should be left to negotiation between "master and man".
the Liberal MP for Carmarthen
defected from the Liberal Party to the Conservatives, following a profound disagreement with Lloyd George over the party’s agricultural and land policy. In October 1925 the party had published the report Land and the Nation. The report, which came also to be known as the Green Book, set out radical proposals to improve the position of the rural poor. Controversially it proposed to end private ownership of agricultural land, turning farmers into so-called ‘cultivating tenants’ who would be supervised by county agricultural committees. These policies provoked strong opposition inside the Liberal Party, with many Liberals, Sir Alfred Mond being a leading dissident. A colleague of Mansel’s in South West England
, Maxwell Ruthven Thornton
the Liberal MP for Tavistock
in Devon
also resigned from the party over the Green Book believing its contents were tantamount to socialism.
In the interests of unity, the Liberal Party took steps to modify the Green Book proposals after the initial furore but Mond had decided to go. Carmarthen Liberals were therefore looking to adopt a new candidate and they turned to Mansel whose family home, Maesycrugiau Manor, was in the county. Mansel had retained strong links with Carmarthenshire Liberalism and was also a prominent member of the local branch of the National Farmers’ Union. Mansel turned them down on the grounds that he was committed to his Penryn and Falmouth seat but he also expressed severe doubts about the Green Book policies, even as amended, saying they were incompatible with the tenets of Liberalism and echoing Mond’s description of the report’s approach as socialist. Mansel soon followed Mond into the Tory Party.
and went to the House of Lords
as the first Baron Melchett
. This caused a by-election in Carmarthen
and Mansel was chosen by the Conservative Party as their candidate. In a tight contest the Liberal candidate William Nathaniel Jones
won by the narrow majority of 47 votes over Labour’s Daniel Hopkin
. Mansel came bottom of the poll with just under 30% of the poll.
. At the 1929 general election
he contested the University of Wales
seat for the Conservatives. He came third in a three-cornered contest which was won conformably for the Liberals by Ernest Evans
.
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and 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 who later joined the Conservatives
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...
.
Family
Courtenay Cecil Mansel was the son of Sir Richard Mansel, 12th BaronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
Mansel of Muddlescombe in Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
. The Mansel Baronets
Mansel Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Mansel, all in the Baronetage of England. One creation is extant as of 2008....
date back to the early 17th century. When his father died in 1892, Courtenay was considered to have succeeded as the 13th Baronet and held the title for eleven years. However it was discovered that the first marriage of his grandparents in Scotland (there was a later one in England) was not invalid as had been thought and that his uncle Colonel Edward Berkely Mansel, not his father Richard Mansel, should have succeeded to the title in 1883. He therefore stood aside and allowed his uncle to bear the title. Edward Mansel died in 1908 without children and Courtenay Mansel once again succeeded to the baronetcy.
The branch of the family which inherited the Mansel baronetcy had the surname Philipps. Courtenay reverted to this name after he relinquished the title and married Mary Philippa Agnes Germaine Littlewood under this name in 1906. They had three sons. Lady Mansel died in 1958.
Career
Mansel went in for the law and was called to the Bar at the Middle TempleMiddle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1918. During the First World War, Mansel served in the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
and later transferred to the newly formed Royal Air Force
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...
leaving with the rank of Captain. He later served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for the counties of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire.
1908-1912
Mansel was considered as prospective Liberal candidate for two Welsh seats before he eventually stood for Parliament in 1918United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
. In 1908, the sitting Liberal MP for Swansea
Swansea (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea was a borough constituency. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, George Newnes
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet was a publisher and editor in England.-Background and education:...
, announced his intention to stand down at the next election and Mansel was publicly mentioned as a possible successor. In the end the Liberal Association chose Alfred Mond
Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett
Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st Baron Melchett PC, FRS , known as Sir Alfred Mond, Bt, between 1910 and 1928, was a British industrialist, financier and politician...
to fight the seat. In 1912, a vacancy arose in East Carmarthenshire and Mansel was among those contesting the Liberal nomination. His aristocratic
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
and landowning background told against him however in a strongly non-conformist constituency, which at that time included the industrial town of Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
.
1918
Mansel did not therefore fight a Parliamentary election until the 1918United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
when he stood as Liberal candidate for Coventry
Coventry (UK Parliament constituency)
Coventry was a borough constituency which was represented in the House of Commons of England and its successors, the House of Commons of Great Britain and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom....
. Rather to his chagrin, having attended on Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
at a special meeting at Number 10 Downing Street Mansel was not awarded the Coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
. This was bestowed instead upon the Conservative candidate Edward Manville. The election was contested by five candidates in all. Mansel aced an Independent Liberal candidate, David Marshall Mason
David Marshall Mason
David Marshall Mason was a Scottish Liberal, later Liberal National politician, banker and businessman.-Family and Education:...
the previous MP as well as Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and another Independent. In what was essentially a two-horse race between Conservative and Labour candidates, Mansel came in third but scored only 10% of the vote and lost his deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
.
1922
In 1922, Mansel was adopted as the Liberal candidate for the CornishCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
seat of Penryn and Falmouth
Penryn and Falmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn and Falmouth was the name of a constituency in Cornwall represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1950. From 1832 to 1885 it was a parliamentary borough returning two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system...
. He faced a four-cornered contest at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
. In addition to 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...
and Labour opponents he also faced a Lloyd George National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
, the former MP for Truro, George Hay Morgan, the Truro seat having been abolished in boundary changes. Mansel finished in second place with 32% of the poll, behind the Conservative candidate, Captain Denis Shipwright
Denis Shipwright
Denis Ewart Bernard Kingston Shipwright FRSA was a British soldier and Royal Air Force officer who served throughout both world wars. In his youth he became a motor racing driver; after a brief political career, he found it difficult to find work but eventually went into the film industry...
who obtained 43%. Labour were third with 16.5% and Morgan came bottom of the poll with 8% and lost his deposit.
1923
At the next general election which took place in 1923United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Mansel again contested Penryn and Falmouth but this time in a straight fight with Shipwright. The reunion of the Lloyd George and Asquithian wings of the Liberal Party around the traditional Liberal policy of Free Trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
resulted in a surge of support for Liberal candidates and Mansel was returned with a majority of 6,586 votes.
1924
By the time of the 1924United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, however, the Conservative vote had revived. The Labour Party also decided to stand a candidate in the 1924 general election in Penryn and Falmouth thus splitting the anti-Tory vote. As a result Mansel lost his seat to the new Tory candidate, George Pilcher, with Labour in third place. The combined Liberal and Labour vote amounted to 57% of the poll and in a straight fight Mansel could well have retained the seat.
Political orientation
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a member of the British aristocracyAristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, a landowner who had been to one of the top public schools
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
in England, Mansel’s views were not those associated with the radical tradition
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
in the Liberal Party. He favoured the traditional Gladstonian
Gladstonian Liberalism
Gladstonian Liberalism is a political doctrine named after the British Victorian Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party, William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstonian Liberalism consisted of limited government expenditure and low taxation whilst making sure government had balanced budgets...
approach of unfettered Free Trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
and retrenchment or economy in government finance. For example, when he was asked for his views on placing a legal limit of 48 hours per week for working men, he replied that hours of work should be left to negotiation between "master and man".
Leaving the Liberals
In 1926, Sir Alfred MondAlfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett
Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st Baron Melchett PC, FRS , known as Sir Alfred Mond, Bt, between 1910 and 1928, was a British industrialist, financier and politician...
the Liberal MP for Carmarthen
Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)
Carmarthen was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1542 and 1997...
defected from the Liberal Party to the Conservatives, following a profound disagreement with Lloyd George over the party’s agricultural and land policy. In October 1925 the party had published the report Land and the Nation. The report, which came also to be known as the Green Book, set out radical proposals to improve the position of the rural poor. Controversially it proposed to end private ownership of agricultural land, turning farmers into so-called ‘cultivating tenants’ who would be supervised by county agricultural committees. These policies provoked strong opposition inside the Liberal Party, with many Liberals, Sir Alfred Mond being a leading dissident. A colleague of Mansel’s in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, Maxwell Ruthven Thornton
Maxwell Ruthven Thornton
Maxwell Ruthven Thornton was an English Liberal politician and lawyer.-Early life:Thornton was the son of George Ruthven Thornton MA, the Vicar of St Barnabas’ church in Kensington. He was educated at St Paul's School . He went into the law, becoming a solicitor in 1901...
the Liberal MP for Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
also resigned from the party over the Green Book believing its contents were tantamount to socialism.
In the interests of unity, the Liberal Party took steps to modify the Green Book proposals after the initial furore but Mond had decided to go. Carmarthen Liberals were therefore looking to adopt a new candidate and they turned to Mansel whose family home, Maesycrugiau Manor, was in the county. Mansel had retained strong links with Carmarthenshire Liberalism and was also a prominent member of the local branch of the National Farmers’ Union. Mansel turned them down on the grounds that he was committed to his Penryn and Falmouth seat but he also expressed severe doubts about the Green Book policies, even as amended, saying they were incompatible with the tenets of Liberalism and echoing Mond’s description of the report’s approach as socialist. Mansel soon followed Mond into the Tory Party.
Carmarthen by-election, 1928
Mond continued to sit for Carmarthen, now as a Conservative, until 1928 when he was given a peeragePeerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and went to 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....
as the first Baron Melchett
Baron Melchett
Baron Melchett, of Landford in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 5 June 1928 for Sir Alfred Mond, 1st Baronet, Chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries and a former First Commissioner of Works and Minister of Health...
. This caused a by-election in Carmarthen
Carmarthen by-election, 1928
The Carmarthen by-election, 1928 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Carmarthen in West Wales on 28 June 1928.- Vacancy :...
and Mansel was chosen by the Conservative Party as their candidate. In a tight contest the Liberal candidate William Nathaniel Jones
William Nathaniel Jones
William Nathaniel Jones was a Welsh Liberal politician, businessman and soldier.Jones who served as a Justice of the Peace in Carmarthenshire married Margaret Francis of Llandilo. In 1923 he was nominated as one of the Sheriffs of Carmarthenshire...
won by the narrow majority of 47 votes over Labour’s Daniel Hopkin
Daniel Hopkin
Major Daniel Hopkin MC was a British soldier, barrister and Labour Party politician.-Early life:Hopkin was born in Llantwit Major in South Wales, the son of a farm labourer who died in 1893 when Daniel was seven...
. Mansel came bottom of the poll with just under 30% of the poll.
University of Wales seat
Mansel made one final effort to re-enter the House of CommonsBritish 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...
. At the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
he contested the University of Wales
University of Wales (UK Parliament constituency)
University of Wales was a university constituency electing one member to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1918 to 1950. It returned one Member of Parliament , elected under the first-past-the-post voting system....
seat for the Conservatives. He came third in a three-cornered contest which was won conformably for the Liberals by Ernest Evans
Ernest Evans (politician)
Ernest Evans was a Liberal Party politician from Wales.-Family and education:Ernest Evans was born at Aberystwyth, the son of Evan Evans, the Clerk to the Cardiganshire County Council and his wife Annie Davies...
.
Death
Mansel died suddenly on 4 January 1933 aged 54 years. He was succeeded as 16th Baronet by his eldest son John Philip Ferdinand Mansel (1910–1947).Publications
Mansel published two books of poems.- The Masque of King Charles VI and other poems; John Ouseley, London 1912
- The South Wind; Allen & Unwin, Lonson 1923