Christopher Vane, 10th Baron Barnard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 October 1888 |
| Died | 19 October 1964 |
| Occupation | military officer |
Christopher William Vane, 10th Baron Barnard CMG, OBE, MC, TD (28 October 1888 – 19 October 1964[1]), was a British peer and military officer.[1]
Lord Barnard was born on 28 October 1888,[1] the second son of Henry de Vere Vane, 9th Baron Barnard, and his wife, the Lady Catharine Sarah Cecil, who was daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Exeter,[2] at Barnard Castle in County Durham.[1]
Following in the footsteps of his father, he attended Eton College,[2] but unlike many of his ancestors studied at Trinity College, Cambridge,[1] for a B.A.[3] rather than attending the University of Oxford. It was at Cambridge that he joined the Freemasons, being initiated into Isaac Newton University Lodge.[4]
Upon the completion of his degree, he entered the armed services, participating in World War I[3] as a major in the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry[2] in which he was awarded the Military Cross[2] and wounded in action twice.[1] The citation for his MC, which appeared in The London Gazette in July 1918, reads as follows:
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. His company was the last of the battalion to evacuate the trenches. He remained behind until all his men were clear, and assisted in giving covering fire with the last platoon, although badly wounded. He set a fine example and cheered his men on, quite regardless of his own safety.[5]
His eldest brother, the Hon. Henry Cecil Vane, heir apparent to the barony of Barnard, also served in the Great War[3] but was subsequently wounded and died of those wounds shortly thereafter in 1917,[6] leaving his younger brother heir apparent to the title of Baron Barnard.[6]
In 1922, Lord Barnard gained the rank of major in the 6th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry[1] and served with distinction in the battalion until 1931.[2]
Upon his retirement from the armed services, Lord Barnard took a number of roles, mostly in the service of County Durham.[1] Between 1920 and 1963 he was Master[2] and, subsequently, Joint Master[1] of the Zetland Hunt and between the years 1958 and 1964 the Lord Lieutenant of Durham.[3] He was also a County Commissioner for the Durham Boy Scouts Association.[2] He was a keen horticulturist.[7]
He was a member of Brooks's gentleman's club[2][3] and resided at Raby Castle.[2] Unlike his father, he did not keep a London season home at 20 Belgrave Square, SW.[2]
On 14 October 1920 he married Sylvia Mary Straker[2] the daughter of Hubert Straker, at St Agatha's, Gilling West, and had three children:[2]
Lord Barnard received many honours. In 1930 he was invested as a Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George[2] and gained the honorary rank of Colonel in the service of the 6th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, his former unit.[1] He was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1955.[2][3]
In 1964 he gave up the Lord Lieutenancy of County Durham. Notably, a few weeks before his death[7] he divested himself of all but 1,713 acres (693 ha) of the 53,000-acre (21,000 ha) Raby estate.[7] He also resigned from the presidency of the County Territorial Army and Air Force Association.[7] He died on 19 October 1964[3] at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne.[7]