Timothy Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley
Encyclopedia
Timothy Wentworth Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley (22 November 1928 – 8 April 2008) was a United Kingdom
politician and an Anglican clergyman. He was politically active, successively, in the Liberal Party
, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party
. A life peer
since 1967, he became the first Green Party member of either of the British Houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom
when he joined the Green Party in 1999.
, was a Conservative
MP
for Aylesbury
, and his paternal grandfather, Hubert Beaumont
, was the Radical
MP for Eastbourne
from 1906 to 1910 and son of Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Baron Allendale
. His mother, Faith Pease, died when Tim Beaumont was six. His maternal grandfather was the Liberal
politician Joseph Albert Pease, 1st Baron Gainford.
Beaumont was educated at Eton College
and Gordonstoun School. He studied agriculture at Christ Church, Oxford
, where he joined the Bullingdon Club
and founded the Wagers club, devoted, in the words of one author, to "bringing back the devil-may-care atmosphere of the Regency Bucks". He graduated with a Fourth, and then trained for the orders
at Westcott House
in Cambridge
. He was ordained
as a deacon
in 1955 and as a priest
in 1956. He married Mary Rose Wauchope (a cousin of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
) in 1955, with whom he had had two sons and two daughters (Hubert Wentworth, Alaric Charles Blackett, Atalanta Armstrong, and Ariadne Grace Beaumont), and a total of ten grandchildren. His son, Alaric, died in a road traffic accident in 1980. Also in that year, Hubert married Katherine Abel Smith, a great-great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria
.
, Hong Kong
and served as assistant chaplain
at St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong
between 1955–1957 and then was Vicar of Christ Church Kowloon Tong
until 1959. Having received a substantial inheritance in that year, he returned to England to live in Mayfair
and then Hampstead
. Meanwhile, he was an honorary curate
at St Stephen's Church in Rochester Row, Westminster
, from 1960 to 1963. He represented the Diocese of London
in the Church Assembly from 1960 to 1965. He became involved in church reform, supporting the Parish and People movement, and was editor of the political weekly Time and Tide
and then the church reform magazine Prism (later New Christian, which merged with American Christian Century). Considering his views and lifestyle incompatible with his position as a priest, he resigned his orders in 1973.
He returned to the cloth in 1984 and became priest-in-charge of St Philip and All Saints with St Luke, Kew
in the Diocese of Southwark
, and then retiring to Clapham
in 1991.
The Mary Rose School
, Kowloon Tong
, Hong Kong
, is named after his wife.http://www.mrs.edu.hk/Intro/index.html It is a special school.
, he became its joint honorary treasurer in 1962-1963. He was created a Liberal Life peer
as Baron
Beaumont of Whitley, of Child's Hill in Greater London
in 1967. He was chair of the Liberal Party in 1967-1968 and then President in 1969-1970. In Parliament, he was Liberal spokesman on education and the arts until 1986. He also served as leader of the Liberals in the Council of Europe
. He was co-ordinator of the Green Alliance
from 1978 to 1980.
He joined the Liberal Democrats, but, objecting to their support for free trade
, he moved to the Green Party in 1999, and became the Green Party spokesman on agriculture.
In a memorable action, Lord Beaumont put forth in May 1996 a bill
to "draw up a plan to prohibit piped music and the showing of television programmes in the public areas of hospitals and on public transport; and to require the wearing of headphones by persons listening to music in the public areas of hospitals and on public transport."
equality campaign group Press for Change. He was chairman of the Albany Trust
between 1969–1971, chairman of the Institute of Research into Mental and Multiple Handicap between 1971–1973, president of the British Federation of Film Societies
between 1973–1979, and a member of the executive of Church Action on Poverty
. He was chairman of "Exit" (as the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, the present-day Dignity in Dying
, was known in the early 1980s) in 1980. He edited "The Selective Ego", an abridged volume of the diaries of James Agate
, published in 1976, and a "Liberal Cookbook", published in 1972. He also wrote a food column for the Illustrated London News
from 1976–80, and wrote the book "The End of the Yellowbrick Road", published in 1997.
Baron Beaumont of Whitley died at St Thomas' Hospital
in London after being hospitalised for several weeks. He was survived by his wife, one of their two sons, and their two daughters.
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...
politician and an Anglican clergyman. He was politically active, successively, in the 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...
, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
. A life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
since 1967, he became the first Green Party member of either of the British Houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
when he joined the Green Party in 1999.
Early and private life
Tim Beaumont's father, Major Michael BeaumontMichael Beaumont
Michael Wentworth Beaumont TD, DL, JP was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician.-Biography:...
, was a 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...
MP
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,...
for Aylesbury
Aylesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Aylesbury is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party has held the seat since 1924, and held it at the 2010 general election with a 52.2% share of the vote.-Boundaries:...
, and his paternal grandfather, Hubert Beaumont
Hubert Beaumont (Liberal politician)
Hubert George Beaumont , styled The Honourable from 1906, was a British politician.He was third the son of Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Baron Allendale and his wife Lady Margaret Anne de Burgh, daughter of Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde. Beaumont was educated at Eton College and then at...
, was the Radical
Radicals (UK)
The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century, who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to transform the Whigs into the Liberal Party.-Background:...
MP for Eastbourne
Eastbourne (UK Parliament constituency)
Eastbourne is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election. Traditionally a safe Conservative seat, Eastbourne became very marginal following the 1990...
from 1906 to 1910 and son of Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Baron Allendale
Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Baron Allendale
Wentworth Blackett Beaumont, 1st Baron Allendale was a British industrialist and Liberal politician.Allendale was the eldest son of Thomas Beaumont and his wife Henrietta Jane Emma, daughter of John Atkinson, and was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge...
. His mother, Faith Pease, died when Tim Beaumont was six. His maternal grandfather was the 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...
politician Joseph Albert Pease, 1st Baron Gainford.
Beaumont 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 Gordonstoun School. He studied agriculture at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he joined the Bullingdon Club
Bullingdon Club
The Bullingdon Club is a socially exclusive student dining club at Oxford University. The club has no permanent rooms and is notorious for its members' wealth and destructive binges. Membership is by invitation only, and prohibitively expensive for most, given the need to pay for the uniform,...
and founded the Wagers club, devoted, in the words of one author, to "bringing back the devil-may-care atmosphere of the Regency Bucks". He graduated with a Fourth, and then trained for the orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
at Westcott House
Westcott House, Cambridge
Westcott House is a Church of England theological college based in Jesus Lane located in the centre of the university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Its main activity is training people for ordained ministry in Anglican churches...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. He was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in 1955 and as a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1956. He married Mary Rose Wauchope (a cousin of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, GCVO, RDI is an English photographer and film maker. He was married to Princess Margaret, younger daughter of King George VI and younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II....
) in 1955, with whom he had had two sons and two daughters (Hubert Wentworth, Alaric Charles Blackett, Atalanta Armstrong, and Ariadne Grace Beaumont), and a total of ten grandchildren. His son, Alaric, died in a road traffic accident in 1980. Also in that year, Hubert married Katherine Abel Smith, a great-great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
Church career
He became an Anglican priest in KowloonKowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and served as assistant chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong
St. John's Cathedral , officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road, Central, is an Anglican cathedral in Hong Kong. It is the Diocesan cathedral of the...
between 1955–1957 and then was Vicar of Christ Church Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong , formerly Kau Lung Tong, is an area in Hong Kong. Within New Kowloon, it is administratively divided by Kowloon City District and Sham Shui Po District...
until 1959. Having received a substantial inheritance in that year, he returned to England to live in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
and then Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
. Meanwhile, he was an honorary curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St Stephen's Church in Rochester Row, Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, from 1960 to 1963. He represented the Diocese of London
Diocese of London
The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...
in the Church Assembly from 1960 to 1965. He became involved in church reform, supporting the Parish and People movement, and was editor of the political weekly Time and Tide
Time and Tide (magazine)
Time and Tide was a British weekly political and literary review magazine founded by Margaret, Lady Rhondda in 1920. It started out as a supporter of left wing and feminist causes and the mouthpiece of the feminist Six Point Group. It later moved to the right along with the views of its owner...
and then the church reform magazine Prism (later New Christian, which merged with American Christian Century). Considering his views and lifestyle incompatible with his position as a priest, he resigned his orders in 1973.
He returned to the cloth in 1984 and became priest-in-charge of St Philip and All Saints with St Luke, Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
in the Diocese of Southwark
Anglican Diocese of Southwark
The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 44 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was formed on May 1, 1905 from part of the Diocese of Rochester...
, and then retiring to Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
in 1991.
The Mary Rose School
Mary Rose School
Mary Rose School is a 2-19 community special school in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England that opened in February 2007 and educates 110 pupils. The opening of the school, due for September 2006, was delayed by design and construction issues. The school takes children with a wide range of severe and...
, Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong , formerly Kau Lung Tong, is an area in Hong Kong. Within New Kowloon, it is administratively divided by Kowloon City District and Sham Shui Po District...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, is named after his wife.http://www.mrs.edu.hk/Intro/index.html It is a special school.
Political career
After making a substantial donation to the Liberal PartyLiberal 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...
, he became its joint honorary treasurer in 1962-1963. He was created a Liberal Life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Beaumont of Whitley, of Child's Hill in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in 1967. He was chair of the Liberal Party in 1967-1968 and then President in 1969-1970. In Parliament, he was Liberal spokesman on education and the arts until 1986. He also served as leader of the Liberals in the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
. He was co-ordinator of the Green Alliance
Green Alliance
Green Alliance is a charity and an independent think tank focused ambitious leadership for the environment in the United Kingdom . We have a track record of over 30 years, working with the most influential leaders from the NGO, business, and political communities...
from 1978 to 1980.
He joined the Liberal Democrats, but, objecting to their support for 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...
, he moved to the Green Party in 1999, and became the Green Party spokesman on agriculture.
In a memorable action, Lord Beaumont put forth in May 1996 a bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
to "draw up a plan to prohibit piped music and the showing of television programmes in the public areas of hospitals and on public transport; and to require the wearing of headphones by persons listening to music in the public areas of hospitals and on public transport."
Other achievements
Beaumont was a patron of transgenderTransgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
equality campaign group Press for Change. He was chairman of the Albany Trust
Albany Trust
The Albany Trust was founded in the United Kingdom as a registered charity in May 1958 to complement the Homosexual Law Reform Society . It takes its name from The Albany, in Piccadilly, London, where J.B...
between 1969–1971, chairman of the Institute of Research into Mental and Multiple Handicap between 1971–1973, president of the British Federation of Film Societies
British Federation of Film Societies
The British Federation of Film Societies is the national agency for the development and support of the film society and community cinema movement in the UK....
between 1973–1979, and a member of the executive of Church Action on Poverty
Church Action on Poverty
Church Action on Poverty is a UK-based national ecumenical Christian social justice charity, committed to tackling poverty in the United Kingdom. CAP works in partnership with churches and with people in poverty themselves to find solutions to poverty, locally, nationally and globally.CAP was...
. He was chairman of "Exit" (as the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, the present-day Dignity in Dying
Dignity in Dying
Dignity in Dying is a United Kingdom nationwide campaigning organisation. It is funded by voluntary contributions from members of the public, and as of December 2010, it claimed to have 25,000 actively subscribing supporters...
, was known in the early 1980s) in 1980. He edited "The Selective Ego", an abridged volume of the diaries of James Agate
James Agate
James Evershed Agate was a British diarist and critic. In the period between the wars, he was one of Britain's most influential theatre critics...
, published in 1976, and a "Liberal Cookbook", published in 1972. He also wrote a food column for the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
from 1976–80, and wrote the book "The End of the Yellowbrick Road", published in 1997.
Baron Beaumont of Whitley died at St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
in London after being hospitalised for several weeks. He was survived by his wife, one of their two sons, and their two daughters.
Coat of arms
The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the barony is: Gules, a lion rampant or armed and langued azure between eight crescents in orle of the second. This can be translated as: a red shield with a golden lion rampant with blue claws and tongue between eight golden crescents arranged around the edge of the shield.External links
- Obituary—Lord Beaumont, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 11 April 2008 - The Rev Lord Beaumont of Whitley, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 11 April 2008 - Green Party - Green Party peer Lord Beaumont dies, aged 80
- Press release announcing his joining the Green Party
- The Peerage - Profile
- Green Party's Lord Beaumont dies, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 10 April 2008