Family politics
Country Life UK|April 15, 2020
Family politics Descendants of famous MPs tell Eleanor Doughty what it’s like to grow up in a house where politics dominate the day to day
Eleanor Doughty
Family politics

AMONG the mononymous household figures immortalised in bronze on Parliament Square —Disraeli, Churchill, Gandhi— is one Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby and three-time Prime Minister.

In a country house 200 miles away resides another Edward Stanley, the present Lord Derby, landowner and scuba-diver. Of the 19 Earls of Derby since 1485, nine of them have been called Edward. The 1st was King of Mann and Henry VII’s stepfather and the 7th was with Charles II at the Battle of Worcester. The 12th founded the Derby and the 13th patronised Edward Lear, who wrote The Owl and the Pussycat for his children.

Then, the politicians: the 14th Earl’s triple premiership, the 15th’s turn as Foreign Secretary. The 16th was governor-general of Canada, the 17th Secretary of State for War in the First World War.

Lord Derby, a former Grenadier Guard, grew up the son of a third son, never expecting to inherit a title: ‘Early on, I worked out that I wasn’t intending to be Prime Minister,​ crown Henry VII or employ Shakespeare.’ He is part of a curious group of British figureheads, the lives of whose ancestors are still taught in schools. Each has found their own way in the world, burdened (or not) by history.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COUNTRY LIFE UKView all
Tales as old as time
Country Life UK

Tales as old as time

By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Do the active farmer test
Country Life UK

Do the active farmer test

Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Country Life UK

Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin

Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
SOS: save our wild salmon
Country Life UK

SOS: save our wild salmon

Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Into the deep
Country Life UK

Into the deep

Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
It's alive!
Country Life UK

It's alive!

Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
There's orange gold in them thar fields
Country Life UK

There's orange gold in them thar fields

A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
True blues
Country Life UK

True blues

I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Oh so hip
Country Life UK

Oh so hip

Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
A best kept secret
Country Life UK

A best kept secret

Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024