Adelbert Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow

Adelbert Wellington Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow GCVO VD PC DL JP (19 August 1844 – 17 March 1921), was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician.

The Earl Brownlow
Paymaster General
In office
March 1887 – 1889
MonarchQueen Victoria
Prime MinisterThe Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded byThe Earl Beauchamp
Succeeded byThe Earl of Jersey
Under-Secretary of State for War
In office
1 January 1890 – 11 August 1892
MonarchQueen Victoria
Prime MinisterThe Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded byThe Lord Harris
Succeeded byThe Lord Sandhurst
Personal details
Born19 August 1844 (1844-08-19)
Lowndes Street, London
Died17 March 1921 (1921-03-18) (aged 76)
Belton, Lincolnshire
Political partyConservative
SpouseLady Adelaide Chetwynd-Talbot (1844–1917)
Parent(s)John Egerton, Viscount Alford
Lady Marianne Margaret Compton

Background and education

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Brownlow was the second son of John Egerton, Viscount Alford, eldest son and heir apparent of John Cust, 1st Earl Brownlow. His mother was Lady Marianne Margaret, daughter of Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton, generally known as Lady Marian Alford. His father had predeceased his own father in 1851 when Adelbert was only seven years old and thus the earldom and estates had passed to Adelbert's elder brother. Adelbert was educated at Eton.

Political career

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In 1866 Brownlow was elected to the House of Commons for North Shropshire.[1] However, he was forced to resign his seat the following year when he succeeded in the earldom of Brownlow (and viscountcy of Alford) on the death of his older brother, and entered the House of Lords. He held office under Lord Salisbury as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board from 1885 to 1886, as Paymaster General from 1887 to 1889 and as Under-Secretary of State for War from 1889 to 1892 and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1887.[2]

Apart from his political career he was also Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire from 1867 to 1921, a Deputy Lieutenant for Hertfordshire and a Justice of the Peace for Shropshire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire and Buckinghamshire.[3] He served as treasurer of the Salop Infirmary in Shrewsbury in 1872.[4]

Military career

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Brownlow served with the Grenadier Guards as lieutenant from 1863 to 1866,[5] and was later commanding officer of the Bedfordshire Volunteer Infantry Brigade between 1889 and 1892, and Home Counties Brigade in 1895.[6] He was Honorary Colonel of the 4th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment from 1868 to 1908,[3] of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment from 1883 to 1901,[3] and of the Lincolnshire Yeomanry and 4th Volunteer Battalion of the Hertfordshire Regiment from 1901.[3] He was awarded the Volunteer Decoration.

Courtier

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The Countess Brownlow by Frederic Leighton, 1879.

Brownlow was a Volunteer Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 1921 New Year Honours for his services to the Royal Household.[7]

Family

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Lord Brownlow married Lady Adelaide Chetwynd-Talbot, daughter of Henry Chetwynd-Talbot, 18th Earl of Shrewsbury, in 1868. They had no children. She died in March 1917, aged 73. Lord Brownlow survived her by four years and died in March 1921, aged 75. On his death the Earldom of Brownlow and Viscountcy of Alford became extinct while he was succeeded in his Barony and Baronetcy by his second cousin, Adelbert Cust.

References

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  1. ^ "House of Commons Constituencies: Shankill to Southampton". Leigh Rayment. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "No. 25721". The London Gazette. 15 July 1887. p. 3827.
  3. ^ a b c d Kelly's Handbook of the Titled, Landed and Official Classes, 1920. Kelly's. p. 270.
  4. ^ Keeling-Roberts, Margaret (1981). In Retrospect, A Short History of the Royal Salop Infirmary. J. and M. Keeling-Roberts. p. xiii. ISBN 0-9507849-0-7.
  5. ^ "Death of Earl Brownlow - Former M.P. for North Shropshire". Shrewsbury Chronicle. 25 March 1921. p. 8.
  6. ^ Mate, Charles H., ed. (1907). Shropshire, Historical, Descriptive, Biographical - Volume II, Biographical. Mate. p. 9.
  7. ^ "No. 32178". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1921. p. 8.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for North Shropshire
1866–1867
With: John Ormsby-Gore
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Secretary to the
Local Government Board

1885–1886
Succeeded by
Preceded by Paymaster General
1887–1889
Succeeded by
Preceded by Under-Secretary of State for War
1889–1892
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire
1867–1921
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
John Egerton-Cust
Earl Brownlow
1867–1921
Extinct
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by
John Egerton-Cust
Baron Brownlow
1867–1921
Succeeded by
Adelbert Cust