Thomas Agar-Robartes, 6th Viscount Clifden

Summary

Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, 6th Viscount Clifden (1 January 1844 – 19 July 1930), styled The Honourable Thomas Agar-Robartes between 1869 and 1882 and known as The Lord Robartes from 1882 to 1899, was a British landowner and Liberal politician.

The Viscount Clifden
Lord Clifden by Walter William Ouless, 1887.
Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
In office
1906–1915
MonarchsEdward VII
George V
Preceded byAlexander Peckover
Succeeded byCharles Adeane
Personal details
Born1 January 1844
Grosvenor Place, London
Died19 July 1930(1930-07-19) (aged 86)
NationalityBritish
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Mary Dickenson
(died 1921)
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford

Background and education edit

Agar-Robartes was born at Grosvenor Place, London, the son of Thomas Agar-Robartes, 1st Baron Robartes,[1] and Juliana Pole-Carew, daughter of Reginald Pole-Carew, of East Antony, Cornwall.[2] He was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1870.[1]

On the death of his father in 1882 he inherited the Lanhydrock estate in Cornwall and arranged for Lanhydrock House to be rebuilt following a fire in 1881 that had killed his mother. He and his family were to live there from 1885.

Public life edit

In 1880 Agar-Robartes was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for Cornwall East, a seat he held until 1882, when he succeeded his father in the barony and entered the House of Lords.[1][3] On 10 September 1899 he also succeeded his kinsman as sixth Viscount Clifden.

In 1891, as chairman of the Agar-Robartes Bank, he took over the ownership of Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire from Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke in payment of debts. After a few years, it was leased out. He later served as Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire from 1906 to 1915.[1]

Family edit

 
Lanhydrock House

Lord Clifden married Mary Dickinson, daughter of Francis Henry Dickinson, of Kingweston House, Somerset, in 1878. They had ten children, of whom one died in infancy. Their eldest son the Honourable Thomas Agar-Robartes (had a twin sister[4]) was also a Liberal politician, killed in World War I.

Lady Clifden died in January 1921. Lord Clifden survived her by nine years and died in July 1930, aged 86. He was buried at Lanhydrock House, Cornwall. He was succeeded in his titles by his second but eldest surviving son Francis.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e thepeerage.com Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, 6th Viscount Clifden of Gowran
  2. ^ cracroftspeerage.co.uk Clifden, Viscount (I, 1781 – 1974) Archived 2 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
  4. ^ "Births, Marriages, Deaths". The Cornishman. No. 99. 3 June 1880. p. 8.

External links edit

  • Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Clifden
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Cornwall East
1880–1882
With: William Copeland Borlase
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
1906–1915
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Viscount Clifden
1899–1930
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baron Robartes
1882–1930
Succeeded by