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1878-1949
The family seat of the Londonderry's
was Mountstewart
House in County Down, their association with Ireland began when
one of their ancestors Colonel W Stewart was granted an estate near
Movilla in County Donegal. The family's financial and social success
was attained by astute political maneuvering and a series of fortuitous
marriages. The 7th Marques was educated at Eaton and Sandhurst,
in 1906 he entered the House of Commons as a Conservative member.
He served in the First World War, in 1915 upon the death of his
father he succeeded to the title.
In 1919 he was appointed Finance
Member of the Air Council, a year later he was appointed Under Secretary
of State for Air. When the Northern Ireland government was set up
in 1821 he resigned his post with the Air Council. He was leader
of the Senate and Minister of Education for NI between the years
of 1921-26, he was largely responsible for the controversial 1923
Education Act, which became known as 'The Londonderry Act'
Londonderry was an enthusiastic
aviator, he was largely responsible for the establishment of Northern
Ireland's first civil airport at Newtownards in County Down, in
1928 he was appointed First Commissioner of Works and in 1931 became
Secretary of State for Air, in this post he pushed for re-equipping
the Royal Air Force. In 1942 he was appointed first regional commissioner
of the Northern Ireland Air Training Corps.
Lord Londonderry was married
to Edith Helen Chaplain daughter of Henry, 1st Viscount Chaplin
(1840-1923) they spent much of their time at Mountstewart although
Lady Edith frequently entertained many of the leading figures of
the social, literary and political world of her time at their London
home, Londonderry House in Park Lane. She also played an active
part in numerous war and peace time charities, after the First World
War she remodeled the gardens at Mountstewart employing soldiers
returned from the war. In the years leading up to the second World
War Londonderry caused more than a little controversy by befriending
Goring and Ribbentrop, the latter visited them at Mountstewart,
landing his plane at Newtownards airport. Another frequent visitor
to Mountstewart was Winston Churchill to whom they were related,
Churchill once owned a hotel on the County antrim coast to the best
of my recollection it was the Ballygally
Castle Hotel, now owned by the Hastings Group. Londonderry was
Chancellor of The Queen's University of Belfast and the University
of Durham. |
