Ronald Nall-Cain, 2nd Baron Brocket
Encyclopedia
Ronald Nall Nall-Cain, 2nd Baron Brocket (4 August 1904 – 24 March 1967) was a Conservative Party
politician in the United Kingdom
.
Born into a millionaire brewing family, Nall-Cain was educated at Eton College
and Oxford University, where he captained the golf
team. He became a barrister and a Hertfordshire County Council
lor. He was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament
(MP) for Liverpool Wavertree at a by-election in 1931
, and was a close associate of Neville Chamberlain
. The title of Baron Brocket
had been created for his father Charles Nall-Cain, a baronet
and Justice of the Peace
in 1933. Arthur Nall-Cain succeeded a year later and was elevated to the House of Lords
.
Brocket inherited two grand houses: Brocket Hall
in Hertfordshire
and Bramshill Park, in Hampshire
. In the 1930s, he bought the Knoydart estate and became an infamous absentee landlord, opposing the rights of crofters and dismissing and evicting workers, preferring the estate for shooting and fishing. He eventually owned 13,000 acres (53 km²) in England and 62,000 in Scotland. His homes were used for entertaining supporters of Germany
and Brocket became a committed member of the Anglo-German Fellowship
, and known in society as a Nazi
sympathiser.
So identified was Brocket with the cause of Germany that he attended Hitler's 50th birthday celebration and was a close friend of Joachim von Ribbentrop
. According to Neville Chamberlain
, Foreign Secretary the Earl of Halifax used him as a conduit to convey to the leading Nazis
the views of the British government.
After the outbreak of World War II
, Brocket continued to work for an understanding between Britain and Germany. He urged a negotiated peace settlement and tried to arrange talks with Hitler. He had a contact with Hermann Goering through a Swedish
intermediary called Bengt Berg
. Brocket worked closely with the historian Arthur Bryant
, who shared his views and helped bring the negotiations to the attention of the Foreign Office. However, he was informed that the proposal to grant Germany control over Poland and Czechoslovakia was not acceptable to the British government.
After the war, in 1948, some returning soldiers (the so-called Seven Men of Knoydart) who had fought the Nazis decided to seize a portion of Knoydart - but the land raid failed. Brocket sold the Knoydart estate shortly afterwards. In 1949, he bought the Carton House
estate in Ireland
.
Brocket was married to Angela Pennyman in 1927. Their daughter, Elizabeth, married Thomas Taylour, 6th Marquess of Headfort. Their son, Ronald, pre-deceased him in 1961, so the titles passed to his grandson, Charles
.
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...
politician in the United Kingdom
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...
.
Born into a millionaire brewing family, Nall-Cain was educated at Eton College
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"....
and Oxford University, where he captained the golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team. He became a barrister and a Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
lor. He was elected as Conservative 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) for Liverpool Wavertree at a by-election in 1931
Liverpool Wavertree by-election, 1931
The Liverpool Wavertree by-election, 1931 was a parliamentary by-election held in England for the House of Commons constituency of Liverpool Wavertree on 23 June 1931. It was won by the Conservative Party candidate Ronald Nall-Cain.- Vacancy :...
, and was a close associate of Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
. The title of Baron Brocket
Baron Brocket
Baron Brocket, of Brocket Hall in the County of Hertford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1933 for the businessman Sir Charles Nall-Cain, 1st Baronet. He was Chairman of the brewing firm of Robert Cain & Sons , which had been founded by his father Robert Cain...
had been created for his father Charles Nall-Cain, a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
and 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...
in 1933. Arthur Nall-Cain succeeded a year later and was elevated 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....
.
Brocket inherited two grand houses: Brocket Hall
Brocket Hall
Brocket Hall is a country house in Hertfordshire, England, from London by road. It was built for Sir Matthew Lamb, 1st Baronet, in around 1760 to designs by the architect James Paine. It stands on the site of two predecessors, the first of which was built in 1239 and the second in about 1430. It...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and Bramshill Park, in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. In the 1930s, he bought the Knoydart estate and became an infamous absentee landlord, opposing the rights of crofters and dismissing and evicting workers, preferring the estate for shooting and fishing. He eventually owned 13,000 acres (53 km²) in England and 62,000 in Scotland. His homes were used for entertaining supporters of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Brocket became a committed member of the Anglo-German Fellowship
Anglo-German Fellowship
The Anglo-German Fellowship was a group which existed from 1935 to 1939 and aimed to build up friendship between the United Kingdom and Germany; it was widely perceived as being allied to Nazism...
, and known in society as a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
sympathiser.
So identified was Brocket with the cause of Germany that he attended Hitler's 50th birthday celebration and was a close friend of Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
. According to Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
, Foreign Secretary the Earl of Halifax used him as a conduit to convey to the leading Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
the views of the British government.
After the outbreak of 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...
, Brocket continued to work for an understanding between Britain and Germany. He urged a negotiated peace settlement and tried to arrange talks with Hitler. He had a contact with Hermann Goering through a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
intermediary called Bengt Berg
Bengt Berg
Bengt Magnus Kristoffer Berg was a Swedish ornithologist, zoologist, wildlife photographer, and writer....
. Brocket worked closely with the historian Arthur Bryant
Arthur Bryant
Sir Arthur Wynne Morgan Bryant, CH, CBE , was a British historian and a columnist for the Illustrated London News. His books included studies of Samuel Pepys, accounts of English eighteenth- and nineteenth-century history, and a life of George V...
, who shared his views and helped bring the negotiations to the attention of the Foreign Office. However, he was informed that the proposal to grant Germany control over Poland and Czechoslovakia was not acceptable to the British government.
After the war, in 1948, some returning soldiers (the so-called Seven Men of Knoydart) who had fought the Nazis decided to seize a portion of Knoydart - but the land raid failed. Brocket sold the Knoydart estate shortly afterwards. In 1949, he bought the Carton House
Carton House
Carton House was one of Ireland's greatest stately homes and one time ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster. Located west of Dublin, in Maynooth, County Kildare, the Carton demesne runs to 1,100 acres . For two hundred years it possessed the finest example in Ireland of a...
estate in 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...
.
Brocket was married to Angela Pennyman in 1927. Their daughter, Elizabeth, married Thomas Taylour, 6th Marquess of Headfort. Their son, Ronald, pre-deceased him in 1961, so the titles passed to his grandson, Charles
Charles Nall-Cain, 3rd Baron Brocket
Charles Ronald George Nall-Cain, 3rd Baron Brocket , also known as Charlie Brocket, is a peer, former prisoner and television presenter in the United Kingdom....
.