William Leveson-Gower, 4th Earl Granville
William Spencer Leveson-Gower, 4th Earl Granville, KG, GCVO, CB, DSO (11 July 1880 – 25 June 1953), styled The Honourable William Leveson-Gower until 1939, was a British naval commander and governor from the Leveson-Gower family.
The Earl Granville | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Governor of Northern Ireland | |
| In office 7 September 1945 – 1 December 1952 | |
| Monarchs | George VI Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Abercorn |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Wakehurst |
| Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man | |
| In office 1937–1945 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Preceded by | Sir Montagu Butler |
| Succeeded by | Sir Geoffrey Bromet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Spencer Leveson-Gower 11 July 1880 |
| Died | 25 June 1953 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville Castila Rosalind Campbell |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1894–1935 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands | Coast of Scotland |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Background
editLeveson-Gower was the younger son of Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, by his second wife Castilia Rosalind Campbell (daughter of Walter Frederick Campbell).[1]
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Career
editAfter Wixenford School, William Leveson-Gower joined the Royal Navy in 1894.[2] He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant in 1900, and lieutenant on 26 June 1902,[3] when he was re-appointed to the torpedo cruiser HMS Scout.[4] In August 1902 he was posted to HMS Hood, serving with the Mediterranean Fleet.[5]
Promotion to commander followed in 1913.[2] Leveson-Gower served in the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1919.[2]
Leveson-Gower was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1924, aide-de-camp to the King in 1929 and Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland in 1931.[2] He was made a Companion of the Bath in 1930 and retired in 1935.[2]
Leveson-Gower became Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man in 1937.[6] He set up the War Consultative Committee in November 1939 to act as a 'war cabinet' during World War II.[7] The committee consisted of members of the House of Keys and the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man.[8]
In 1939 Leveson-Gower succeeded his elder brother in the earldom.[6] Granville was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1945 and became Governor of Northern Ireland in 1945, serving until 1952.[6] He was made a Knight Companion of the Garter that same year.[6]
Family
editIn 1916, Lord Granville married Lady Rose Bowes-Lyon, the second surviving daughter of the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and elder sister of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. They had two children, five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren:
- Lady Mary Cecilia Leveson-Gower (12 December 1917 – 13 February 2014), who married Sir Samuel Clayton (8 January 1918 – February 2004) on 7 July 1956. They had two children and one grandson:
- Gilbert Falkingham Clayton (4 September 1958), who married Rosalind Mullen in 1994. They have one son:
- Samuel Wittewronge Kit Clayton (February 2002)
- Rose Cecilia Clayton (25 January 1960), who married William Wordie Stancer on 9 July 1993. They have one son:
- Jamie Wordie "Jock" Stancer (4 June 2001)
- Gilbert Falkingham Clayton (4 September 1958), who married Rosalind Mullen in 1994. They have one son:
- Granville James Leveson-Gower, 5th Earl Granville (6 December 1918 – 31 October 1996), who married Doon Aileen Plunket (1931–2003) on 9 October 1958. They had three children and nine grandchildren:
- Granville George Fergus Leveson-Gower, 6th Earl Granville (10 September 1959), who married Anne Topping on 23 May 1997. They have three children:
- Lady Rose Alice Leveson-Gower (16 April 1998)
- George James Leveson-Gower, Lord Leveson (22 July 1999)
- Lady Violet May Leveson-Gower (5 August 2002)
- Lady Marcia Rose Aileen Leveson-Gower (10 February 1961 – 3 August 2005), who married Jonathan Charles Bulmer in 1986. They had four children:
- Hesper Rose Constance Bulmer (1990)
- James Alexander Howard Bulmer (1992)
- Hector Charles Marcus Bulmer (1993)
- Lara Bulmer (29 August 1995)
- The Hon. Niall James Leveson-Gower (24 August 1963), who married Amanda Blaxell in 1996. They have one set of twins:
- Charlie Leveson-Gower (14 February 2000)
- Honor Leveson-Gower (14 February 2000)
- Granville George Fergus Leveson-Gower, 6th Earl Granville (10 September 1959), who married Anne Topping on 23 May 1997. They have three children:
Lord Granville died in June 1953, aged 72. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. The Countess Granville died in 1967.[6]
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References
edit- ^ Walford, Edward (1869). The County Families of the United Kingdom Or, Royal Manual of the Titled and Untitled Aristocracy of Great Britain and Ireland. R. Hardwicke. p. 425.
- ^ a b c d e "William Leveson-Gower, 4th Earl Granville Video". Ovguide.com. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ "No. 27448". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 26 June 1902. p. 4198.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36810. London. 3 July 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36826. London. 22 July 1902. p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e "The Peerage". The Peerage. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ Kermode, D. G. (2008). Ministerial Government in the Isle of Man: The First Twenty Years, 1986-2006. Douglas: Manx Heritage Foundation. p. 33.
- ^ Kermode, D. G (2001). Offshore Island Politics: The Constitutional and Political Development of the Isle of Man in the Twentieth Century. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. p. 136.