HL Deb 24 October 1967 vol 285 cc1513-6

2.26 p.m.

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE EARL OF LONGFORD)

My Lords, I am sure that the whole House would wish to pay tribute to-day to the memory of a much revered ex-Leader of the House and to a real benefactor to our country—I refer to the late Lord Stanhope. He came from a family which has given high service to the State for many generations and which has produced a most uncommon ration of remarkable men, be it in politics, science or literature. Among his forbears was the great Lord Chesterfield and the third Earl, known as "Citizen Stanhope".

As a young man, Lord Stanhope served in the Army with distinction and gallantry in the First World War, gaining the D.S.O. and the M.C. In 1918, on his return from the war, he was appointed to represent the War Office in your Lordships' House. Thereafter he filled a wide variety of offices, culminating in membership of the Cabinet from 1936 to 1940. At the time of his death, he was the oldest of the ex-Leaders of your Lordships' House.

He had a passionate interest in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich and gave to it generously of his time and enthusiasm. It is he whom we must thank, together with one other, for the existence of that Museum to-day. But there is another reason why I am sure we shall wish to remember Lord Stanhope. In 1959, the late Lord Stanhope, by a splendid stroke of generosity, gave Chevening, his noble home, its park and an endowment fund for the use of the nation. The estate was to be occupied either by the Prime Minister of the day or by someone, either Minister or member of the Royal family, for example, who was to be designated by the Prime Minister. I, as Lord Privy Seal, have at present the honour to be Chairman of the Trustees of this fine estate and therefore it is a special pleasure to me to testify to the beauties of Chevening.

While we must all sorrow at the passing of Lord Stanhope, and feel sad at the extinction of the two historic titles of Stanhope and Chesterfield, we have cause for gratitude in his wonderful and generous gift. We can all respect the memory of the late Earl.

LORD CARRINGTON

My Lords, the noble Earl the Leader of the House has spoken eloquently of Lord Stanhope's distinguished career. Even a cursory glance through Who's Who shows the many high Offices of State which Lord Stanhope held, culminating in his appointment as First Lord of the Admiralty and subsequently as Leader of your Lordships' House. In some ways it is rather sad that there should be so few of his contemporaries to pay tribute to him this afternoon and so few in your Lordships' House to speak with first-hand knowledge of Lord Stanhope when he was in his prime. There are, of course, a few who knew at first hand the gallant and distinguished service he gave in the First World War. My noble friend Lord Salisbury is one, because they were both serving in the Grenadier Guards at that time. There are certainly a number of Naval officers, retired and otherwise, who remember him as First Lord of the Admiralty and recall with admiration the work he did there.

I share with the noble Earl the Leader of the House the admiration for the work he did for the National Maritime Museum. It was largely due to his inspiration and to the way that he directed the benevolence of Sir James Caird that we have the National Maritime Museum—that magnificent Museum—as it stands to-day. I think there are still a few noble Lords who were here when he was Leader of the House, but even those who remember him when we first joined this House after the war can recapture something of the distinguished life of Lord Stanhope. He came from a family notable for its service to this country, and he followed the example of his forbears in his devotion to his country and in the many services he rendered to it. He did not seem to me, viewing it from the standpoint of a young man just entering politics, to be one of those people who was at all interested in his own advancement or, in the modern jargon, the sort of image that he created. He seemed to be, and I am sure he was, a man who by tradition served his country, and not for the rewards that he was likely to get, but regardless of the political misfortunes which might from time to time befall him and intent only on doing his job as best he might.

It is sad, too, I think, that there is no heir to this ancient title or to the property. But it was typical of Lord Stanhope to make so imaginative a gesture as to give his house and his estate to the nation with the wish that it might be used for a member either of the Government or of the Royal Family. My Lords, I think it will be a bad day for this country when there are no longer men like Lord Stanhope, brought up in the tradition of duty, service and unselfishness.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, I should like briefly to associate myself and noble Lords on these Benches with what the noble Earl the Leader of the House and the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition have said about the late Lord Stanhope. There can be few people who have given such an example of a life of service to their country as Lord Stanhope did. I think one can say that he showed himself to be the best type of cultivated, civilised and able man, prepared to work a great deal to no great gain and profit but merely for the sake of his country. There must be few noble Lords who have sat in this House for as long as he did; I think Lord Stanhope was a member of the House for 65 or 66 years, which must be something of a record. But I am sure the thing by which he will be permanently remembered—and both noble Lords have referred to it—is his magnificent gift of Chevening to the nation, with a sum of money for its upkeep.