Richard Acland
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Thomas Dyke Acland, 15th Baronet (26 November 1906 – 24 November 1990) was one of the founding members of the British Common Wealth Party
. He had previously been a Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) and joined the Labour Party
in 1945. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND).
(MP). Born in Broadclyst
, Devon
, he was educated at Rugby School
and Balliol College, Oxford
and became a barrister
and architect. He served as a lieutenant in the Royal North Devon Yeomanry
.
Acland stood for Parliament
without success for Torquay
at the 1929 general election
. He was elected Liberal MP for Barnstaple
at the 1935 election
, having first contested the seat in the 1931 general election
. He was a junior whip
for the Liberals. His politics changed course subsequently, as seen in the various pamphlet
s he wrote, and in 1942 he broke from the Liberals to found the socialist Common Wealth Party
with J. B. Priestley
, opposing the coalition between the major parties. He advocated public land ownership and donated his West Country
estate at Killerton
, Devon to the National Trust
.
The Common Wealth Party had shown signs during World War II
of a breakthrough, especially in London
and Merseyside
, and winning three by-elections. However, the 1945 general election
was a severe disappointment. Only one Member of Parliament (Ernest Millington) was elected and other figures had left or joined the Labour Party
. Acland himself lost in Putney
, where he came third. He then joined Labour and was selected to fight the Gravesend
seat following the expulsion of Labour MP Garry Allighan
for making allegations of corruption. He won the Gravesend by-election in November 1947
with a majority of 1,675.
Back in Parliament, Acland served as Second Church Estates Commissioner 1950–51.
In 1955, he resigned from Labour in protest against the party's support for the Conservative government's nuclear defence
policy, and lost Gravesend as an independent the same year, allowing the Conservatives to take the seat from the official Labour candidate, Victor Mishcon. He helped form the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND) in 1957 and was senior lecturer in education at St. Luke's College of Education, Exeter.
Acland was married to Anne Stella Alford, an architect, with whom he had four sons. He succeeded his father as baronet
in 1939. He died in Exeter
aged 83.
Common Wealth Party
The Common Wealth Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom in the Second World War. Thereafter, it continued in being, essentially as a pressure group, until 1993.-The war years:...
. He had previously been a Liberal
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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) and joined the Labour Party
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...
in 1945. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
(CND).
Career
Acland was the son of Sir Francis Acland, a Liberal Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP). Born in Broadclyst
Broadclyst
Broadclyst is a village and civil parish that lies approximately 5 miles northeast of the city of Exeter, in the district of East Devon, England, on the B3181. In 2001 its population was 2830....
, 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...
, he was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
and became a barrister
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 architect. He served as a lieutenant in the Royal North Devon Yeomanry
Royal Devon Yeomanry
The Royal Devon Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, it participated in the Boer War, World War I and World War II and now forms a squadron of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry.-History:...
.
Acland stood for Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
without success for Torquay
Torquay (UK Parliament constituency)
Torquay was a county constituency in Devon, South West England, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
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 was elected Liberal MP for Barnstaple
Barnstaple (UK Parliament constituency)
Barnstaple was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Barnstaple in Devon, in the South West of England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member.The constituency...
at the 1935 election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
, having first contested the seat in the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
. He was a junior whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
for the Liberals. His politics changed course subsequently, as seen in the various pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
s he wrote, and in 1942 he broke from the Liberals to found the socialist Common Wealth Party
Common Wealth Party
The Common Wealth Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom in the Second World War. Thereafter, it continued in being, essentially as a pressure group, until 1993.-The war years:...
with J. B. Priestley
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
, opposing the coalition between the major parties. He advocated public land ownership and donated his West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
estate at Killerton
Killerton
Killerton is an 18th-century house in Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon, England, which, with its hillside garden and estate, has been owned by the National Trust since 1944 and is open to the public...
, Devon to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
The Common Wealth Party had shown signs during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
of a breakthrough, especially in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, and winning three by-elections. However, the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
was a severe disappointment. Only one Member of Parliament (Ernest Millington) was elected and other figures had left or joined the Labour Party
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...
. Acland himself lost in Putney
Putney (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections 1950–1979:-Elections 1918–1945:-Notes and references:...
, where he came third. He then joined Labour and was selected to fight the Gravesend
Gravesend (UK Parliament constituency)
Gravesend was a county constituency centred on the town of Gravesend, Kent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election....
seat following the expulsion of Labour MP Garry Allighan
Garry Allighan
Garry Allighan was a British journalist and Labour Party Member of Parliament . His birth name was Ernest Alligan...
for making allegations of corruption. He won the Gravesend by-election in November 1947
Gravesend by-election, 1947
The Gravesend by-election, 1947 was a by-election held on 26 November 1947 to fill the vacant British House of Commons seat of Gravesend. The vacancy arose when the sitting Member of Parliament , Garry Allighan, was expelled from the House for making allegations of corruption.The seat was...
with a majority of 1,675.
Back in Parliament, Acland served as Second Church Estates Commissioner 1950–51.
In 1955, he resigned from Labour in protest against the party's support for the Conservative government's nuclear defence
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
policy, and lost Gravesend as an independent the same year, allowing the Conservatives to take the seat from the official Labour candidate, Victor Mishcon. He helped form the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
(CND) in 1957 and was senior lecturer in education at St. Luke's College of Education, Exeter.
Acland was married to Anne Stella Alford, an architect, with whom he had four sons. He succeeded his father as baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1939. He died in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
aged 83.
Key Publications
- Unser Kampf (Our Struggle), Penguin Books, 1940
- The Forward March, Allen & Unwin, 1941
- What Will It Be Like in the New Britain?, Victor Gollancz, 1942
- How Can It Be Done, MacDonald, 1943
External links
- History of St Luke's, Exeter http://education.exeter.ac.uk/pages.php?id=133