Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster
Encyclopedia
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
JP
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...
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....
(24 April 1910 – 19 February 1979), was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
soldier, landowner, businessman and politician. In the 1970s he was the richest man in Britain.
He was born ‘’’Robert Grosvenor’’’ in 1910. His father, Lord Hugh Grosvenor
Lord Hugh Grosvenor
Captain Lord Hugh William Grosvenor was the son of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster and his second wife, formerly The Hon...
, was the sixth son and tenth child of the first Duke of Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
by his second wife, the Hon. Katherine Cavendish. His mother, Lady Mabel Crichton, was the daughter of the 4th Lord Erne
John Crichton, 4th Earl Erne
John Henry Crichton, 4th Earl Erne KP, PC , known as Viscount Crichton from 1842 to 1885, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Conservative politician....
. Robert’s cousins included the 4th Lord Chesham
Baron Chesham
Baron Chesham, of Chesham in the County of Buckingham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1858 for the Hon. Charles Cavendish, who had earlier represented Aylesbury, Newtown, East Sussex, Youghal and Buckinghamshire in the House of Commons as a Liberal...
, the 8th Lord Hertford
Hugh Seymour, 8th Marquess of Hertford
Hugh Edward Conway Seymour, 8th Marquess of Hertford was the son of Brig.-Gen. Lord Henry Charles Seymour and the grandson of Hugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford....
, the 2nd Lord Cambridge
George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge
George Francis Hugh Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge, GCVO , known as Prince George of Teck until 1917 and as Earl of Eltham from 1917 to 1927, was a descendant of the British Royal Family. He was the elder son of the 1st Marquess of Cambridge, formerly the Duke of Teck, and his wife, the...
(a first cousin of King Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
and King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
); the 4th Duke of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn
James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn . He was the son of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn and Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham...
and the 2nd
Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster
Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster GCVO DSO was the son of Victor Alexander Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor and Lady Sibell Mary Lumley, the daughter of the 9th Earl of Scarborough...
and 3rd
William Grosvenor, 3rd Duke of Westminster
William Grosvenor, 3rd Duke of Westminster was the son of Lord Henry Grosvenor and a grandson of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster. On his mother's side, he was a great x2 grandson of William IV....
Dukes of Westminster. The 2nd Duke was a lover of Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
.
Grosvenor had a military career. He was commissioned into the 11th (City of London) Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
(Territorial Army) in 1938. He reached the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
during the Second World War. He transferred to the City of London Yeomanry in 1947 and the North Irish Horse
North Irish Horse
The North Irish Horse is a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War...
in 1949. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in 1953 and resigned his commission in 1960.
He lived 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...
most of his life. His house was on an island in the middle of Lough Erne
Lough Erne
Lough Erne, sometimes Loch Erne , is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne. The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further up the river and so is named Upper...
. In the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, he was elected to Parliament as member for Fermanagh & South Tyrone
Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)
Fermanagh and South Tyrone is a Parliamentary constituency in the British House of Commons. The current MP for the constituency is Michelle Gildernew of Sinn Féin....
. Re-elected in 1959
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
, he retired in 1964
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, he was succeeded by his cousin, the Marquess of Hamilton
James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, KG , is the current Duke of Abercorn in the Peerage of Ireland, having succeeded his father in June 1979. The son of James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn, and Lady Mary Crichton...
. In parliament he stuck mainly to constituency issues, but was responsible for a bill to help increase adoptions, which became the Adoption Act 1964. He was described in his predecessor’s maiden speech as popular and well-liked.
On 3 December, 1946, he married Hon. Viola Maud Lyttelton
Viola Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
Viola, Duchess of Westminster, was the widow of Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster.Born Viola Maud Lyttelton, she was the daughter of Sir John Cavendish Lyttelton, 9th Viscount Cobham and Violet Yolande Leonard and a direct descendant of William I.She married Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of...
, a daughter of the 9th Viscount Cobham and they had three children:
- Lady Leonora Mary GrosvenorLeonora Anson, Countess of LichfieldLeonora Anson, Countess of Lichfield, LVO, was born as Leonora Mary Grosvenor, a daughter of the 5th Duke of Westminster....
(b. 1 February 1949), married Thomas Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield and had issue. - Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of WestminsterGerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of WestminsterMajor-General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, , is the son of Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Hon. Viola Maud Lyttelton. He is the owner of property company Grosvenor Group...
(b. 22 December 1951), married Natalia PhillipsNatalia Grosvenor, Duchess of WestminsterNatalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster is the wife of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster.The Duchess of Westminster is the younger daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife, Georgina Wernher. Her elder sister is Alexandra, Duchess of Abercorn...
and had issue. - Lady Jane Meriel Grosvenor (b. 8 February 1953), married Guy David Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe and had issue.
In 1963, his cousin died and his brother Gerald
Gerald Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster
Colonel Gerald Hugh Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster DSO PC was the son of Captain Lord Hugh William Grosvenor and Lady Mabel Crichton and a grandson of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster....
became Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
. This gave Robert Grosvenor the style ‘’’Lord Robert Grosvenor’’’. Upon his brother’s death he became ‘’’5th Duke of Westminster’’. Although he took his seat in the House of Lords, he never spoke, surprisingly considering his political career.
The Duke of Westminster was appointed honorary colonel of the North Irish Horse in 1971. He died in Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
in 1979.