Robert Villiers Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury, 1st Baronet (8 June 1897 – 8 December 1979) was a British Conservative politician.

Life and history

Grimston was the eldest son of the Rev. and Hon. Robert Grimston, Canon of St Albans, and grandson of James Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam. Grimston was educated at Windlesham House School and Repton School, before going on to the City and Guilds Engineering College and the University of London.

During World War I, he was commissioned into the RGA (6th Howitzers) in 1916 and served in Thessaloniki and Palestine from 1916 to 1919.

Grimston was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Westbury, Wiltshire in 1931, holding the seat until 1964. He served as a Junior Lord of the Treasury and Assistant Whip (unpaid) in 1937, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1938 to 1939, Treasurer of the Household from 1939 to 1942. He then held junior ministerial office as Assistant Postmaster-General from 1942 to 1945 and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply in 1945.

He was later Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means from 1962 to 1964, and was a member of the UK Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1960.

Grimston was created a Baronet on 11 March 1952^[1] and was raised to the peerage being created Baron Grimston of Westbury, of Westbury in the County of Wiltshire, on 11 December 1964.^[2]

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Robert Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury

Crest A Stag's Head erased proper attired Or Escutcheon Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Argent on a Fess Sable three Rowels of six points pierced Gules in the dexter chief an Ermine Spot Sable (Grimston); 2nd, Sable a Fess dancetty between two Leopards' Faces Or (Luckyn); 3rd, Argent three Bugle Horns Sable stringed Gules (Forrester) Supporters Dexter: a Stag reguardant proper attired Or; Sinister: a Horse reguardant Argent Motto Mediocria Firma (Moderate things are stable)[3]