4th Baron Acton (1941-2010)

[Michael Rhodes]

__.The 4th Baron Acton has died at the age of 69. Richard Gerald Lyon-
Dalberg-Acton died at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 10 October, 2010. He was b
30 July 1941, son of John Emerich Henry [Lyon-Dalberg-Acton], 3rd
Baron Acton, CMG MBE (1907-89), by his wife the Hon Daphne Strutt (b.
5 Nov 1911; d. 18 Feb 2003), 2nd dau. of Robert John [Strutt], 4th
Baron Rayleigh, by his first wife Lady Mary Hilda Clements, 2nd dau.
of Robert Bermingham [Clements], 4th Earl of Leitrim; he m (1)28 Aug
1965 Hilary Juliet Sarah Cookson (d. 25 Oct 1973), 2nd dau. of Dr
Osmond Lawrence Charles Cookson, of Perth, Western Australia, Married
(2)1 Jan 1974 (div. 1987) Judith Todd, dau. of Hon Sir Garfield Todd,
Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, of Hokonui Ranch, PO Dadaya,
Zimbabwe;
mar. (3)1988 Prof Patricia Nassif, only dau. of M Morey Nassif, of
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. Lord Acton was created a life peer in 2000 as
Baron Acton of Bridgnorth, of Aldenham in the County of Shropshire
(Life Peerage)
He is succeeded by the only child of his 1st union, the Hon John
Charles Ferdinand Harold Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 19 Aug 1966.

--==--

[Ronald]

The ancestors of the new baron: http://heirsofeurope.blogspot.com/2010/10/lyon-dalberg-acton.html

Ronald

[bx...@yahoo.com]

With this passing, outside of Lord Snowdon, are there any hereditary
peers remaining who are also life peers?

Thanks.

Brooke

On Oct 15, 1:54 am, Michael Rhodes <mig73allenford2...@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

[Turenne]

On 15 Oct, 21:46, "b...@yahoo.com" <b...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> With this passing, outside of Lord Snowdon, are there any hereditary
> peers remaining who are also life peers?
>

I should think that there are one or two. Baron Gascoyne-Cecil, (now
Marquess of Salisbury, previously Viscount Cranborne), James Alexander
Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas (Earl of Selkirk) and Baron
Carrington spring to mind.

Richard L

[marquess]

The earl of Crawford and B

[ThomasFoolery]

The 18th Lord Berkley (created Baron Guterbock in 2000)
The 6th Lord Carrington (created Baron Carrington of Upton is 1999)
The 3rd Viscount Chandos (created Baron Lyttelton of Aldershot in
2000)
The 29th Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, K.T., G.C.V.O., D.L., P.C.
(created Baron Balniel in 1973 before inheriting the earldoms)
The 3rd Lord Grenfell (created Lord Grenfell of Kilvey in 2000)
The 14th Earl of Mar and Kellie, D.L. (created Baron Erskine of Alloa
Tower in 1999)
The 4th Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (created Baron Ponsonby of
Roehampton in 2000)
The 6th Lord Redesdale (created Lord Mitford in 2000)
The 1st Earl of Snowdon, G.C.V.O. (created Baron Armstrong-Jones in
1999)
The 3rd Lord Windlesham, C.V.O., P.C. (created Baron Hennessy in 1999)
The 7th Marquess of Salisbury, P.C. (created Baron Gascoyne-Cecil in
1999)

So the number is currently, by my count, at eleven. There are also 2
hereditary peeresses by marriage (Viscountess Halisham and Viscountess
Eccles) who sit with hereditary titles.

I wonder whether the current Lord Salisbury would have been awarded a
life peerage in 1999 had he not previously served as Leader of the
House, since he was called up by a writ of acceleration. Had he not
been first in line to a title, he would have, presumably, just been
give a regular old life peerage. Along the same lines, I wonder why a
writ of accelation was NOT used for the current Earl of Crawford, as
he was heir apparent to the title at that time.

[William]

Did he not die rather than pass?

[Turenne]

On 16 Oct, 09:15, William <william.arbuth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Did he not die rather than pass?
>

Brooke is American. They use euphemisms more than we do :)

Richard L

[Turenne]

ThomasFoolery, is there any reason that you haven't included the Earl
of Selkirk (Baron Selkirk of Douglas) in your list?

RL

[Dennis Cunniff]

Of course. As in "kicked the bucket, shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible: he is an ex-parrot".  Clearly explainable as a cultural difference.

-Dennis

[Turenne]

On 16 Oct, 19:40, Dennis Cunniff <dcunn...@bellatlantic.net> wrote:

>
> Of course. As in "kicked the bucket, shuffled off his mortal coil,  
> run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible: he is  
> an ex-parrot".  Clearly explainable as a cultural difference.
>

Aaaaagh!....touché :)

Richard

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Three points:

First, thanks to everyone who answered my question. Didn't realize
there were quite that many hereditary peers/life peers.

Second, in answer William's question, it's just a personal preference
of mine to say that someone "passed" rather than "died." Whatever
words we use, I think we can all agree the result is the same.

Third, we should take note of a recent (Oct. 6th) posting by Mr.
Rhodes That post was to announce the birth of one John Edward Roger
Lyon-Dalberg-Acton on Sept. 17th. This child may very well be a
future Lord Acton. Here's my reasoning: unless something changed
since the publishing of Debrett's 2008, the new Baron is married but
childless.
The heir presumptive is his uncle, Rev. Canon the Hon. John Charles
(b. 1943). He is unmarried.

Next in line is another uncle, the Hon. Robert Peter (b. 1946). He
has three sons, the elder of which is Christopher Richard Henri (b.
1977) who is the father of the new baby John.

Brooke

> > > --==--- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[ThomasFoolery]

I did include Baron Selkirk of Douglas on the list because he no
longer holds any hereditary titles, having disclaimed them in 1994,
three years before being created a life baron. Hence, he is NOT
presently the Earl of Selkirk, nor is addressed as such in the Lords.
I agree though, he does deserve an honourable mention.

[ThomasFoolery]

Soon to be added to this list will be The 13th Marquess of Lothian,
P.C., Q.C. (Michael Ancram), who will be awarded a life peerage.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/press-notices/2010/10/peerage-for-the-rt-hon-michael-ancram-56048

The announcement does not mention his title. It might be interesting
to see what he goes by in the House of Lords. All other life/
hereditary peers use their hereditary titles, but he has never really
used the Marquessate (though he never disclaimed it). I wonder if he
has a choice.

> > Richard L- Hide quoted text -

[marquess]

He probably doesn't I would have thought, it may well be that he can
choose to be known by his life peerage, but only if he has disclaimed
his herditary title, one would have thought!

On 2 Nov, 06:46, ThomasFoolery <mmp...@eden.rutgers.edu> wrote:
> Soon to be added to this list will be The 13th Marquess of Lothian,

> P.C., Q.C. (Michael Ancram), who will be awarded a life peerage.http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/press-notices/2010/10/peerage-for-the...

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Richard R]

The Marquess of Salisbury was cr Baron GASCOYNE-CECIL, of Essendon, co
Rutland (Life Baron) in 1999.

[Turenne]

>
> On Nov 2, 4:18 am, marquess <marquessmarqu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> > He probably doesn't I would have thought, it may well be that he can
> > choose to be known by his life peerage, but only if he has disclaimed
> > his herditary title, one would have thought!
>

I'm almost certain that he does have a choice. Since he only has
daughters there is no reason why he shouldn't go by the title Baron
Ancram. Lord Kerr of Ancram or Lord Kerr of Devizes would also make
sense.

Richard L

[Richard R]

The Telegraph's obit:
[Extract] Richard Gerald Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, later the 4th baron and
11th baronet, was born on July 30 1941, and spent his earliest years
at Aldenham, Shropshire, on an estate that had been in the family for
three centuries. The baronetcy had been created in 1644 to mark an
ancestor's loyalty to Charles I; the peerage had been created by
Gladstone in 1869 for Sir John Acton, a liberal Catholic widely
considered the greatest historian of his day.
... It was after his father's death in 1989 that Acton found his niche
as a peer. Though nervous by nature, he was a thoughtful and sometimes
passionate contributor, especially on Zimbabwe and southern Africa,
the Commonwealth, prison reform and mental health. In the Lords he was
often seen in the tea room, drinking Coca-Cola alongside Ruth Rendell,
the novelist and fellow Labour peer, a particular friend.
He much admired his historian forebear, the 1st Lord Acton, often
correcting the first words of his most-quoted adage and stressing the
wisdom of the lesser-known latter parts of it: "Power tends to corrupt
and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always
bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority. There is
no greater heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/8105798/Lord-Acton.html