John Lyttelton, 11th Viscount Cobham
Encyclopedia
John William Leonard Lyttelton, 11th Viscount Cobham (15 June 1943–13 July 2006) was a nobleman in the United Kingdom
. He was known as "Johnny Lyttelton" to his friends and family.
He was educated at Eton
, where his father had been before him, and at Christ's College, Christchurch while his father was Governor-General of New Zealand
. He later attended the Royal Agricultural College
in Cirencester
.
He married Penelope Ann Cooper in 1974, and inherited the family's titles and 200-year-old Worcestershire
mansion, Hagley Hall
, on his father's death in 1977. Facing steep death duties and high maintenance costs, he auctioned his family's 700-year archive for £164,000. The hall was converted into a conference venue, although it also remained the family home.
He was a member of the Conservative Party
, but shyness
prevented him from taking the seat in the House of Lords
that his hereditary peerage entitled him to. He left the Conservatives in 1992, in protest at Michael Heseltine
's announcement that many coal mines would be closed. His first wife was a special adviser to David Mellor
when Mellor was Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
in 1992. Lady Cobham was later to leave her husband for Mellor, and they were divorced on 30 August 1995. Lord Cobham had to sell family heirlooms to pay his former wife a £
1 million divorce settlement. He later confessed to having contemplated suicide over the break-up of his marriage, and admitted sitting in his drawing room
holding a loaded shotgun
.
Lord Cobham remarried on 1 August 1997 Lisa Clayton
, the first British woman to have sailed single-handed and non-stop around the world.
He opposed the introduction of the ban on fox hunting
, and said he would rather go to prison than to prevent hunting from taking place on his estate.
Lord Cobham died in Spain
. He had no children, and his titles were inherited by his younger brother, Christopher
.
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...
. He was known as "Johnny Lyttelton" to his friends and family.
He was educated at Eton
Eton 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"....
, where his father had been before him, and at Christ's College, Christchurch while his father was Governor-General of New Zealand
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
. He later attended the Royal Agricultural College
Royal Agricultural College
The Royal Agricultural College is a higher education institution located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world...
in Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
.
He married Penelope Ann Cooper in 1974, and inherited the family's titles and 200-year-old Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
mansion, Hagley Hall
Hagley Hall
Hagley Hall is an 18th century house in Hagley, Worcestershire. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton , secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer...
, on his father's death in 1977. Facing steep death duties and high maintenance costs, he auctioned his family's 700-year archive for £164,000. The hall was converted into a conference venue, although it also remained the family home.
He was a member of 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...
, but shyness
Shyness
In humans, shyness is a social psychology term used to describe the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness experienced when a person is in proximity to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar people...
prevented him from taking the seat 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....
that his hereditary peerage entitled him to. He left the Conservatives in 1992, in protest at Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
's announcement that many coal mines would be closed. His first wife was a special adviser to David Mellor
David Mellor
David John Mellor, QC is a British politician, non-practising barrister, broadcaster, journalist and football pundit. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary of State for National Heritage , before...
when Mellor was Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage...
in 1992. Lady Cobham was later to leave her husband for Mellor, and they were divorced on 30 August 1995. Lord Cobham had to sell family heirlooms to pay his former wife a £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1 million divorce settlement. He later confessed to having contemplated suicide over the break-up of his marriage, and admitted sitting in his drawing room
Drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
holding a loaded shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
.
Lord Cobham remarried on 1 August 1997 Lisa Clayton
Lisa Clayton
Lisa Lyttelton, Dowager Viscountess Cobham is the first British woman to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world...
, the first British woman to have sailed single-handed and non-stop around the world.
He opposed the introduction of the ban on fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, and said he would rather go to prison than to prevent hunting from taking place on his estate.
Lord Cobham died in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He had no children, and his titles were inherited by his younger brother, Christopher
Christopher Charles Lyttelton, 12th Viscount Cobham
Christopher Charles Lyttelton, 11th Viscount Cobham is a nobleman in the United Kingdom.He inherited the title on 13 July 2006 on the death of his elder brother, John Lyttelton, 11th Viscount Cobham....
.