FitzRoy Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan

FitzRoy John Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan (born November 8, 1927 - January 24, 2010 in Abergavenny , Monmouthshire ) was a British peer and politician .

Life

FitzRoy Somerset was born to FitzRoy Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan (1885–1964) and Julia Hamilton. He attended Westminster School and served as a captain in the Welsh Guards . He studied at Magdalen College of the University of Oxford and then Agricultural Sciences at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester . He later took over the management of the family estates in Monmouthshire.

He was the campaign manager for Michael Foot , the former British MP in the Blaenau Gwent constituency . From 1970 to 1983 he was Chairman of the Board (Chairman) of Cwmbran Development Corporation. This company was founded in 1949 to lead the development of the city of Cwmbran in order to improve the infrastructure and create jobs . He was chairman of the board of directors of the Courtyard Arts Trust (1974-1983), the Bath Preservation Trust (1975-1977) and the Bath Society (from 1977). He was also President of the Bath Center National Trust.

In 1958 Somerset was appointed Monmouthshire Justice of the Peace . Since 1971 he was Deputy Lieutenant.

In 1973 he married Alice Baily. The marriage remained childless and was divorced in 1981. Somerset last lived alone with a maid in his home in Cefntilla Court , the family ancestral home . He died after a brief illness in Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny.

Membership in the House of Lords

Lord Raglan was a member of the House of Lords from September 1964 to November 1999 . There he was a member of the Sub-Committee for Food and Agriculture (Sub-Committee D Food and Agriculture) . From 1974 to 1985 and again from 1987 to 1992 he was a member of the Committee on the Affairs of the European Communities (Committee on European Communities) . From 1976 to 1978 he was its chairman.

social commitment

Somerset was heavily involved in charitable organizations and foundations . At societies in his house he often used his social position for fundraising purposes . From 1974 to 1990 he was a member of the UK Housing Association (later UK Housing Trust ), a non-profit housing association for social housing . From 1982 to 1989 he was its president, from 1975 to 1989 chairman for the Wales region. From 1989 to 1991 he was chairman of the United Welsh Housing Association, from 1991 he was its president.

Somerset was also the patron of the Monmouthshire Crossroads, a charity that provides recreation and care breaks for family carers . He was the patron of Parity, an organization that advocates legal and social equality between men and women .

He was also the patron of the Usk Farmers' Club and the Raglan Baroque Players . Raglan was particularly enthusiastic about late baroque music . This led to the founding of the Raglan Baroque Players and the introduction of the traditional New Year's Eve concerts of the Raglan Baroque Players . Raglan invited several renowned artists to concerts at his country estate; Among other things, the British harpsichordist and conductor Nicholas Kraemer performed the Brandenburg Concerts .

Trivia

Somerset was an avid car fanatic and racing driver . He had a particular soft spot for classic cars of the brand Bugatti . In his short inaugural address in the House of Lords, which he gave in 1965, he gave a car breakdown as the reason for his delay and apologized for his inappropriate appearance. He owned at least three old Bugatti models and had been President of the Bugatti Owners' Club since 1988 . His Bugatti was also featured in a 1996 TV documentary by BBC Wales Today .

Web links

• FitzRoy Somerset at Hansard (English)
• Obituary article on the Daily Telegraph homepage

Individual evidence

1. ↑ FitzRoy John Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan on thepeerage.com , accessed August 19, 2015.
2. ^ Tributes paid to Lord Raglan - "a true gentleman" obituary in: South Wales Argus of January 26, 2010.
3. ^ Mr FitzRoy Somerset Entry by Hansard
4. ↑ The Rt Hon the Lord Raglan, DL's Biography  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Entry on Debretts (excerpts available online)  
5. ↑ Death of Lord Raglan obituary (with photo) in: Monmouthscire Beacon, January 27, 2010.
6. ↑ Welcome to PARITY Homepage Parity
7. ↑ Lord Raglan dies in hospital near his Usk home BBC News January 25, 2010.

predecessor	Office	successor
FitzRoy Somerset	Baron Raglan 1964-2010	Geoffrey Somerset, 6th Baron Raglan