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[[File:Lord-Ninian-Crichton-Stuart-by-Aberdare-Blog.jpg|thumbnail|Statue in Memory of Lord Ninian. Situated in Gorsedd Gardens, Cardiff. Sculpted by [[William Goscombe John]] (1860-1952)]]
Lieutenant-Colonel '''Lord Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart''' (15 May 1883 – 2 October 1915) was a British [[Member of Parliament]] killed in the [[First World War]]. The son of [[John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute]], he entered the military in 1903 and served in the [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders]] and the [[Scots Guards]] before deciding on a career in politics after he married. With his family having close ties to the city of [[Cardiff]] in Wales, he stood as a candidate for the [[Liberal Unionist Party]] party for the area of of Cardiff, [[Cowbridge]] and [[Llantrisant]], initially losing in [[United Kingdom general election, January 1910|January 1910]] before winning the seat in the [[United Kingdom general election, December 1910|December 1910 election]].
Lieutenant-Colonel '''Lord Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart''' (15 May 1883 – 2 October 1915) was a British [[Member of Parliament]] killed in the [[First World War]]. The son of [[John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute]], he entered the military in 1903 and served in the [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders]] and the [[Scots Guards]] before deciding on a career in politics after he married. With his family having close ties to the city of [[Cardiff]] in Wales, he stood as a candidate for the [[Liberal Unionist Party]] party for the area of of Cardiff, [[Cowbridge]] and [[Llantrisant]], initially losing in [[United Kingdom general election, January 1910|January 1910]] before winning the seat in the [[United Kingdom general election, December 1910|December 1910 election]].


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In 1905, Crichton-Stuart met the Honourable Ismay Preston, the only daughter of [[Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston]] and Georgina Jane Connelan,<ref name="Engage1">{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart – His Engagement Announced |newspaper=Tue Cardiff Times |page=7 |date=27 January 1906}}</ref> at the wedding of his brother [[John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute|John Crichton-Stuart]] and [[Augusta Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute|Augusta Bellingham]] where he was the best man and Preston was a bridesmaid.<ref name="Wed">{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Wed |newspaper=Evening Express |page=3 |date=16 June 1906}}</ref> The couple announced their engagement in January 1906 and were married six months later,<ref name="LNSK"/> on 16 June, at her family estate at Gormanston Castle.<ref name="Engage1/><ref name="Wed"/> Following their marriage, Crichton-Stuart transferred into the [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|Army Reserve]] and decided to enter into a career in politics in order to be closer to his wife and manage his family's estate.<ref name="WHM"/><ref name="LNSK"/>
In 1905, Crichton-Stuart met the Honourable Ismay Preston, the only daughter of [[Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston]] and Georgina Jane Connelan,<ref name="Engage1">{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart – His Engagement Announced |newspaper=Tue Cardiff Times |page=7 |date=27 January 1906}}</ref> at the wedding of his brother [[John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute|John Crichton-Stuart]] and [[Augusta Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute|Augusta Bellingham]] where he was the best man and Preston was a bridesmaid.<ref name="Wed">{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Wed |newspaper=Evening Express |page=3 |date=16 June 1906}}</ref> The couple announced their engagement in January 1906 and were married six months later,<ref name="LNSK"/> on 16 June, at her family estate at Gormanston Castle.<ref name="Engage1/><ref name="Wed"/> Following their marriage, Crichton-Stuart transferred into the [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|Army Reserve]] and decided to enter into a career in politics in order to be closer to his wife and manage his family's estate.<ref name="WHM"/><ref name="LNSK"/>


With his family having a history of serving in parliament for the Cardiff area, his great uncle [[John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute]] had held the post on two occasions, in August 1907, at a meeting of the Cardiff Conservative Association, he was invited by [[Herbert Cory]] and his supporting panel to be the [[Liberal Unionist Party|Unionist]] candidate for the United Boroughs of [[Cardiff]], [[Cowbridge]] and [[Llantrisant]].<ref name="Unionist">{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart Invited to Fight Cardiff as Unionist Candidate |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=16 August 1907}}</ref> However, he did not permanently reside in Cardiff until he and his wife moved there in April 1910, moving into Fenylan Court which had previously been the residence of [[William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart to Take Up Residence in Cardiff |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=1 April 1910}}</ref> He lost the election to [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] candidate [[David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda|David Alfred Thomas]] in [[United Kingdom general election, January 1910|January 1910]] but did manage to reduce the majority by half from the previous election in [[United Kingdom general election, 1906|1906]].<ref name="LNSK"/> A second election was held at the end of the year, in [[United Kingdom general election, December 1910|December]], in which Lord Ninian was successful in winning the seat in the from Liberal candidate [[Clarendon Hyde]], winning with a majority of 299 votes, a turnaround of 1,800 votes in the space of ten months.<ref name="LNSK"/>
With his family having a history of serving in parliament for the Cardiff area, his great uncle [[John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute]] had held the post on two occasions, in August 1907, at a meeting of the Cardiff Conservative Association, he was invited by [[Herbert Cory]] and his supporting panel to be the [[Liberal Unionist Party|Unionist]] candidate for the United Boroughs of [[Cardiff]], [[Cowbridge]] and [[Llantrisant]].<ref name="Unionist">{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart Invited to Fight Cardiff as Unionist Candidate |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=16 August 1907}}</ref> Soon after his appointment, Lord Ninian and his wife had their first child, named Ninian Patrick Crichton-Stuart, on 31 October 1907. He did not permanently reside in Cardiff until he and his wife moved there in April 1910, moving into Fenylan Court which had previously been the residence of [[William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart to Take Up Residence in Cardiff |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=1 April 1910}}</ref>

He lost the election to [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] candidate [[David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda|David Alfred Thomas]] in [[United Kingdom general election, January 1910|January 1910]] but did manage to reduce the majority by half from the previous election in [[United Kingdom general election, 1906|1906]].<ref name="LNSK"/> Despite his defeat, his popularity among voters was increasing and at the end of the election campaign a crowd of thousands of people came to see Lord Ninian and his wife travel to the train station and their carriage was pulled by hand by around 60 volunteers. The Evening Express remarked on the procession, stating "never before has a parliamentary candidate, victorious or defeated, been so honoured by the people of Cardiff".<ref>{{cite news |title=Popular Lord Ninian An Enthusiastic Send Off |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=21 January 1910}}</ref> On the [[polling day]], Lord Ninian's son caught a chill that he later died from at the age of 2 and he was buried near [[Falkland Palace]] in [[Fife]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart's Son |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=8 February 1910}}</ref> Lord Ninian did not permanently reside in Cardiff until he and his wife moved there in April 1910, moving into Fenylan Court which had previously been the residence of [[William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart to Take Up Residence in Cardiff |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=1 April 1910}}</ref> A second election was held at the end of the year, in [[United Kingdom general election, December 1910|December]], in which Lord Ninian was successful in winning the seat in the from Liberal candidate [[Clarendon Hyde]], winning with a majority of 299 votes, a turnaround of 1,800 votes in the space of ten months.<ref name="LNSK"/>


Lord Ninian became a well known figure in the city and was instrumental in promoting sport in the area. A keen sportsman himself, being proficient in shooting, fishing and motoring,<ref name="LNSK"/> he stabled horses in Cardiff and entered them into steeplechase competitions and races at [[Ely Racecourse]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart Engagament to Hon. Ismay Preston |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=24 January 1906}}</ref> In 1910, [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City Football Club]] had secured the lease of a plot of land in order to build a new stadium. During development, one of the guarantors for the club pulled out and Lord Ninian instead offered his support of the project. In recognition of his role in the building of the ground, the club dropped the original planned name of the ground, Sloper Park, and instead named it [[Ninian Park]].<ref name="FAEY">{{cite web |url=http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/article/1899-1920-724134.aspx |title=1899–1920 foundations & the early years |publisher=Cardiff City F.C. |author=Richard Shepherd |accessdate=25 August 2017}}</ref> The ground was officially opened on 1 September 1910 and Lord Ninian performed the kick-off for a [[Exhibition game|friendly]] match between Cardiff and [[Football League First Division]] side [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]].<ref name="WHM"/><ref>{{cite book | title=The South Wales Derbies | author=Dean P. Hayes | publisher=The Parrs Wood Press | page=7 | year=2003 | location=Manchester | isbn=1-903158-43-5}}</ref>
Lord Ninian became a well known figure in the city and was instrumental in promoting sport in the area. A keen sportsman himself, being proficient in shooting, fishing and motoring,<ref name="LNSK"/> he stabled horses in Cardiff and entered them into steeplechase competitions and races at [[Ely Racecourse]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart Engagament to Hon. Ismay Preston |newspaper=Evening Express |page=2 |date=24 January 1906}}</ref> In 1910, [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City Football Club]] had secured the lease of a plot of land in order to build a new stadium. During development, one of the guarantors for the club pulled out and Lord Ninian instead offered his support of the project. In recognition of his role in the building of the ground, the club dropped the original planned name of the ground, Sloper Park, and instead named it [[Ninian Park]].<ref name="FAEY">{{cite web |url=http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/article/1899-1920-724134.aspx |title=1899–1920 foundations & the early years |publisher=Cardiff City F.C. |author=Richard Shepherd |accessdate=25 August 2017}}</ref> The ground was officially opened on 1 September 1910 and Lord Ninian performed the kick-off for a [[Exhibition game|friendly]] match between Cardiff and [[Football League First Division]] side [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]].<ref name="WHM"/><ref>{{cite book | title=The South Wales Derbies | author=Dean P. Hayes | publisher=The Parrs Wood Press | page=7 | year=2003 | location=Manchester | isbn=1-903158-43-5}}</ref>
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On 9 March 1911, Lord Ninian was commissioned as a lieutenant-colonel 1912 of the 6th battalion in the [[Welch Regiment]] and took command of the battalion the following year.<ref name="chch"/> They were an experienced unit that were often used as a guard of honour during royal visits and Lord Ninian's wife Ismay choose the battalion colours of scarlet, silver and green.<ref name="WHM"/> to South Wales Following the outbreak of [[World War I]], he volunteered his battalion for service and they were shipped to France as part of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]], becoming one of the first territorial battalions to join the war.<ref>{{cite news |title=Col. Lord Ninian Stuart, M.P., Killed In Action |newspaper=Monmouth Guardian |page=1 |date=8 October 1915}}</ref> At the battalion drill hall in Swansea prior to their departure, Lord Ninian addressed the unit, stating "The greatest honour a man can receive is that he has been provided with a chance to give, if need be, the greatest that he has, which is his life, for his country. I do not doubt every man on this parade will give it and give it as willingly as I mean to give it myself."<ref name="WHM"/>
On 9 March 1911, Lord Ninian was commissioned as a lieutenant-colonel 1912 of the 6th battalion in the [[Welch Regiment]] and took command of the battalion the following year.<ref name="chch"/> They were an experienced unit that were often used as a guard of honour during royal visits and Lord Ninian's wife Ismay choose the battalion colours of scarlet, silver and green.<ref name="WHM"/> to South Wales Following the outbreak of [[World War I]], he volunteered his battalion for service and they were shipped to France as part of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]], becoming one of the first territorial battalions to join the war.<ref>{{cite news |title=Col. Lord Ninian Stuart, M.P., Killed In Action |newspaper=Monmouth Guardian |page=1 |date=8 October 1915}}</ref> At the battalion drill hall in Swansea prior to their departure, Lord Ninian addressed the unit, stating "The greatest honour a man can receive is that he has been provided with a chance to give, if need be, the greatest that he has, which is his life, for his country. I do not doubt every man on this parade will give it and give it as willingly as I mean to give it myself."<ref name="WHM"/>


On their arrival on the [[Western Front]], the 6th were initially used to support lines of communication for guard and fatigue duties, which greatly frustrated Lord Ninian who was eager to join the fighting. In July 1915, they were transferred to the fighting and took part in operations at [[Heuvelland]] where they were labelled "the lucky 6th" by other units due to their relatively low number of wounded and Lord Ninian gained a reputation as a leader who was "always concerned with the welfare of his men".<ref name="WHM"/>
On their arrival on the [[Western Front]], the 6th were initially used to support lines of communication for guard and fatigue duties, which greatly frustrated Lord Ninian who was eager to join the fighting. In July 1915, they were transferred to the fighting and took part in operations at [[Heuvelland]] where they were labelled "the lucky 6th" by other units due to their relatively low number of wounded and Lord Ninian gained a reputation as a leader who was "always concerned with the welfare of his men".<ref name="WHM"/> On the night of 1 October 1915, during the [[Battle of Loos]], the 6th battalion was part of a force that successfully charged and captured a set of enemy trenches at the [[Hohenzollern Redoubt]], near [[La Bassée]], despite suffering heavy losses. Prior to the battle, the 6th had not selpt for two days and had marched for 16 hours to reach the location.<ref name="chch"/> The following morning, the German troops launched a counter-attack to retake the trenches and, during the heavy fighting, he was shot in the head by a German sniper after firing his revolver over the trench parapet and died at the age of 32. His body was returned to battalion headquarters before being buried in the at the Bethune Town Cemetery in a Catholic ceremony.<ref>{{CWGC|id=62599|name=Crichton-Stuart, Lord Ninian Edward|access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref> An officer in his regiment reported that Lord Ninian "was to be found wherever danger threatened" and that his death had "cast a gloom" over the battalion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart's Burial |newspaper=The Cambria Daily Leader |page=4 |date=16 October 1915}}</ref> Lord Ninian had served for eleven months of the frontlines before his death.<ref name="LNSK"/> Of the 842 members of the 6th battalion that had begun the war, only 30 survived.<ref name="chch"/>


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After his death, his widow Ismay remarried on 30 April 1917 [[Archibald Maule Ramsay|Captain Archibald Henry Maule Ramsay]] (4 May 1894 – 11 March 1955), later a [[Unionist Party (Scotland)|Scottish Unionist]] [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Peebles and Southern Midlothian (UK Parliament constituency)|Peebles and South Midlothian]] 1931-1945. Ramsay and his wife had four sons together. She died on 16 February 1975 aged 92, and was survived by six of her eight children.<ref name="Ismay">{{cite web |url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p2401.htm#i24010 |title=Hon. Ismay Lucretia Mary Preston |publisher=thepeerage.com |accessdate=9 September 2017}}</ref>
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On the night of 1 October 1915, during the [[Battle of Loos]], the 6th battalion was part of a force that successfully charged and captured a set of enemy trenches at the [[Hohenzollern Redoubt]], near [[La Bassée]], despite suffering heavy losses. The following morning, the German troops launched a counter-attack to retake the trenches and, during the heavy fighting, he was shot in the head by a German sniper after firing his revolver over the trench parapet and died at the age of 32. His body was returned to battalion headquarters before being buried in the at the Bethune Town Cemetery in a Catholic ceremony.<ref>{{CWGC|id=62599|name=Crichton-Stuart, Lord Ninian Edward|access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref> An officer in his regiment reported that Lord Ninian "was to be found wherever danger threatened" and that his death had "cast a gloom" over the battalion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian Stuart's Burial |newspaper=The Cambria Daily Leader |page=4 |date=16 October 1915}}</ref> Lord Ninian had served for eleven months of the frontlines before his death.<ref name="LNSK"/> Lord Ninian is commemorated on Panel 8 of the [[Parliamentary War Memorial]] in Westminster Hall, one of 22 MPs that died during World War I to be named on that memorial.<ref>{{cite web|title=Recording Angel memorial Panel 8|publisher=UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk)|website=Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/cultural-collections/memorials/in-the-collection/world-war-i/wwi-angel-memorial/recording-angel-panel8/|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=List of names on the Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall|publisher=UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk)|website=Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/War-Memorial-Lists/War-Memorial-Westminster-Hall-WW1.pdf|format=pdf|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref> Lord Ninian is one of 19 MPs who fell in the war who are commemorated by heraldic shields in the Commons Chamber.<ref>{{cite web|title=Crichton-Stuart|publisher=UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk)|website=Heraldic shields to MPs, First World War|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/cultural-collections/memorials/in-the-collection/world-war-i/wars-heraldic-shields/crichton-stuart/|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref> A further act of commemoration came with the unveiling in 1932 of a manuscript-style [[Illuminated manuscript|illuminated]] book of remembrance for the House of Commons, which includes a short biographical account of the life and death of Lord Ninian.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=House of Commons War Memorial: Final Volumes Unveiled by The Speaker|day_of_week=Saturday |date=6 February 1932 |page_number=7|issue=46050}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Moss-Blundell|editor-first=Edward Whitaker|title=The House of Commons Book of Remembrance 1914–1918|publisher=E. Mathews & Marrot|year=1931}}</ref>

==Legacy==
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[[File:Lord-Ninian-Crichton-Stuart-by-Aberdare-Blog.jpg|thumbnail|Statue in Memory of Lord Ninian situated in Gorsedd Gardens, Cardiff]]
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Lord Ninian is commemorated on Panel 8 of the [[Parliamentary War Memorial]] in Westminster Hall, one of 22 MPs that died during World War I to be named on that memorial.<ref>{{cite web|title=Recording Angel memorial Panel 8|publisher=UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk)|website=Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/cultural-collections/memorials/in-the-collection/world-war-i/wwi-angel-memorial/recording-angel-panel8/|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=List of names on the Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall|publisher=UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk)|website=Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/War-Memorial-Lists/War-Memorial-Westminster-Hall-WW1.pdf|format=pdf|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref> Lord Ninian is one of 19 MPs who fell in the war who are commemorated by heraldic shields in the Commons Chamber.<ref>{{cite web|title=Crichton-Stuart|publisher=UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk)|website=Heraldic shields to MPs, First World War|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/cultural-collections/memorials/in-the-collection/world-war-i/wars-heraldic-shields/crichton-stuart/|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref> A further act of commemoration came with the unveiling in 1932 of a manuscript-style [[Illuminated manuscript|illuminated]] book of remembrance for the House of Commons, which includes a short biographical account of the life and death of Lord Ninian.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=House of Commons War Memorial: Final Volumes Unveiled by The Speaker|day_of_week=Saturday |date=6 February 1932 |page_number=7|issue=46050}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Moss-Blundell|editor-first=Edward Whitaker|title=The House of Commons Book of Remembrance 1914–1918|publisher=E. Mathews & Marrot|year=1931}}</ref>

A statute of Lord Ninian was commissioned soon after his death.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Ninian statue |newspaper=The Cambria Daily Leader |page=3 |date=1 January 1916}}</ref> Sculpted by [[Goscombe John|Sir William Goscombe John]], the statue was placed in Gorsedd Gardnes in [[Cathays Park]] and depicts Lord Ninian in military uniform with binoculars in his right hand and papers in his left in a design intended to show him surveying the battlefield.<ref>{{cite news |title=Statue of Lord Ninian |newspaper=The Cambria Daily Leader |page=2 |date=30 August 1916}}</ref>


== Family ==
== Family ==
[[File:Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart MP 2.png|thumb|left|Crichton-Stuart in a photograph published in ''The Illustrated London News'' on 17 December 1910]]
[[File:Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart MP 2.png|thumb|left|Crichton-Stuart in a photograph published in ''The Illustrated London News'' on 17 December 1910]]
Lord Ninian and his wife Ismay had four children together:
Lord Ninian married the Honourable Ismay Lucretia Mary Preston, daughter of [[Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston]] and Georgina Jane Connelan, on 16 June 1906; they had 4 children:
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* Ninian Patrick Crichton-Stuart (31 October 1907 – 4 February 1910)<ref name="Ismay"/>

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* Ninian Patrick Crichton-Stuart (31 October 1907 – 4 February 1910)
* Ismay Catherine Crichton-Stuart (23 December 1909 - 1989); she married, firstly, [[John Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury|John Anthony Hardinge Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury]] on 1 October 1930, but they divorced in 1936, having produced [[Earl of Halsbury|one son]] together. She married, secondly, Donald Walter Munro Ross on 30 August 1937, and had issue, one daughter with him.<ref>Darryl Lundy. [http://thepeerage.com/p7570.htm#i75692 "Ismay Catherine Crichton-Stuart"] ''The Peerage.com'' database. Retrieved 4 May 2008</ref>
* Ismay Catherine Crichton-Stuart (23 December 1909 - 1989); she married, firstly, [[John Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury|John Anthony Hardinge Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury]] on 1 October 1930, but they divorced in 1936, having produced [[Earl of Halsbury|one son]] together. She married, secondly, Donald Walter Munro Ross on 30 August 1937, and had issue, one daughter with him.<ref>Darryl Lundy. [http://thepeerage.com/p7570.htm#i75692 "Ismay Catherine Crichton-Stuart"] ''The Peerage.com'' database. Retrieved 4 May 2008</ref>
* Claudia Miriam Joanna Crichton-Stuart (24 June 1913 – 19 June 1985)<ref>According to [http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=REG&db=freer&id=I47398 some sources], she was married in 1948 to one Peter Vigne and lived in South Africa. However, Lundy's database, based on Burke's Peerage, gives no such marriage for her.</ref>
* Claudia Miriam Joanna Crichton-Stuart (24 June 1913 – 19 June 1985)<ref>According to [http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=REG&db=freer&id=I47398 some sources], she was married in 1948 to one Peter Vigne and lived in South Africa. However, Lundy's database, based on Burke's Peerage, gives no such marriage for her.</ref>
* Major Michael Duncan David Crichton-Stuart [[Military Cross|MC]] (14 March 1915 - 1981); he married Barbara Symes, daughter of Sir [[George Stewart Symes]], on 1 March 1941, and had issue one son and three daughters (the two elder being adopted). His son - [[Ninian Crichton Stuart]] is the Hereditary Keeper of [[Falkland Palace]], has one son and one daughter by his late wife.<ref>Darryl Lundy. [http://thepeerage.com/p2402.htm#i24014 "Michael Duncan David Crichton-Stuart"] ''The Peerage.com'' database. Retrieved 4 May 2008</ref>
* Major Michael Duncan David Crichton-Stuart [[Military Cross|MC]] (14 March 1915 - 1981); he married Barbara Symes, daughter of Sir [[George Stewart Symes]], on 1 March 1941, and had issue one son and three daughters (the two elder being adopted). His son - [[Ninian Crichton Stuart]] is the Hereditary Keeper of [[Falkland Palace]], has one son and one daughter by his late wife.<ref>Darryl Lundy. [http://thepeerage.com/p2402.htm#i24014 "Michael Duncan David Crichton-Stuart"] ''The Peerage.com'' database. Retrieved 4 May 2008</ref>

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After his death, his widow remarried on 30 April 1917 [[Archibald Maule Ramsay|Captain Archibald Henry Maule Ramsay]] (4 May 1894 – 11 March 1955), later a [[Unionist Party (Scotland)|Scottish Unionist]] [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Peebles and Southern Midlothian (UK Parliament constituency)|Peebles and South Midlothian]] 1931-1945; he is better known today as one of the most prominent British fascists. Ramsay and his wife had four sons together. Mrs Ramsay died 16 February 1975 aged 92, and was survived by six of her eight children.


== Other information ==
== Other information ==

Revision as of 10:48, 9 September 2017

Lord Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart
Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart
Born(1883-05-15)15 May 1883
Ayrshire, Scotland
Died2 October 1915(1915-10-02) (aged 32)
Loos-en-Gohelle, France
Buried
Béthune town cemetery
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1903–1915
RankLieutenant-Colonel
UnitWelch Regiment
Battles / warsWorld War I

Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart (15 May 1883 – 2 October 1915) was a British Member of Parliament killed in the First World War. The son of John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, he entered the military in 1903 and served in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and the Scots Guards before deciding on a career in politics after he married. With his family having close ties to the city of Cardiff in Wales, he stood as a candidate for the Liberal Unionist Party party for the area of of Cardiff, Cowbridge and Llantrisant, initially losing in January 1910 before winning the seat in the December 1910 election.

In 1912, he assumed control of the 6th battalion in the Welch Regiment. Upon the outbreak of World War I, he volunteered his unit for service and joined the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. After eleven months spent on the frontlines, he was shot in the head and killed in action when leading his men attempting to repel a German counter-attack on 2 October 1915.

Early life

Lord Ninian was born at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland.[1][2] He was the second son of John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute and the Honourable Gwendolen Mary Anne Fitzalan Howard, daughter of Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Glossop. Through his father's lineage, he was a direct descendant of the House of Stuart.[2]

He was educated at Harrow School, showing promise in mathematics and foreign languages, and was expected to enter the diplomatic service. In order to further his studies, he travelled to Russia and became a proficient Russian speaker.[3] However, he was forced to return home after contracting a severe fever during his studies and instead attended Christ Church college in Oxford once he had recovered. Part of his family's estate included numerous properties and considerable land in Cardiff and Lord Ninian frequently visited the city, including accompanying his father on visits to Bute docks as a child.[4] Crichton-Stuart later choose to enter the army and was commissioned in 1903 into the 3rd Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and then served for two years in the 1st Battalion, the Scots Guards as a 2nd lieutenant.[3]

Marriage, philanthropy & political career

Crichton-Stuart in a photograph published The Illustrated London News on 17 December 1910 following his election

In 1905, Crichton-Stuart met the Honourable Ismay Preston, the only daughter of Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston and Georgina Jane Connelan,[5] at the wedding of his brother John Crichton-Stuart and Augusta Bellingham where he was the best man and Preston was a bridesmaid.[6] The couple announced their engagement in January 1906 and were married six months later,[2] on 16 June, at her family estate at Gormanston Castle.[5][6] Following their marriage, Crichton-Stuart transferred into the Army Reserve and decided to enter into a career in politics in order to be closer to his wife and manage his family's estate.[3][2]

With his family having a history of serving in parliament for the Cardiff area, his great uncle John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute had held the post on two occasions, in August 1907, at a meeting of the Cardiff Conservative Association, he was invited by Herbert Cory and his supporting panel to be the Unionist candidate for the United Boroughs of Cardiff, Cowbridge and Llantrisant.[7] Soon after his appointment, Lord Ninian and his wife had their first child, named Ninian Patrick Crichton-Stuart, on 31 October 1907. He did not permanently reside in Cardiff until he and his wife moved there in April 1910, moving into Fenylan Court which had previously been the residence of William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely.[8]

He lost the election to Liberal candidate David Alfred Thomas in January 1910 but did manage to reduce the majority by half from the previous election in 1906.[2] Despite his defeat, his popularity among voters was increasing and at the end of the election campaign a crowd of thousands of people came to see Lord Ninian and his wife travel to the train station and their carriage was pulled by hand by around 60 volunteers. The Evening Express remarked on the procession, stating "never before has a parliamentary candidate, victorious or defeated, been so honoured by the people of Cardiff".[9] On the polling day, Lord Ninian's son caught a chill that he later died from at the age of 2 and he was buried near Falkland Palace in Fife.[10] Lord Ninian did not permanently reside in Cardiff until he and his wife moved there in April 1910, moving into Fenylan Court which had previously been the residence of William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely.[11] A second election was held at the end of the year, in December, in which Lord Ninian was successful in winning the seat in the from Liberal candidate Clarendon Hyde, winning with a majority of 299 votes, a turnaround of 1,800 votes in the space of ten months.[2]

Lord Ninian became a well known figure in the city and was instrumental in promoting sport in the area. A keen sportsman himself, being proficient in shooting, fishing and motoring,[2] he stabled horses in Cardiff and entered them into steeplechase competitions and races at Ely Racecourse.[12] In 1910, Cardiff City Football Club had secured the lease of a plot of land in order to build a new stadium. During development, one of the guarantors for the club pulled out and Lord Ninian instead offered his support of the project. In recognition of his role in the building of the ground, the club dropped the original planned name of the ground, Sloper Park, and instead named it Ninian Park.[13] The ground was officially opened on 1 September 1910 and Lord Ninian performed the kick-off for a friendly match between Cardiff and Football League First Division side Aston Villa.[3][14]

First World War and death

Crichton-Stuart from the Roll of Honour published in The Illustrated London News on 16 October 1915

On 9 March 1911, Lord Ninian was commissioned as a lieutenant-colonel 1912 of the 6th battalion in the Welch Regiment and took command of the battalion the following year.[1] They were an experienced unit that were often used as a guard of honour during royal visits and Lord Ninian's wife Ismay choose the battalion colours of scarlet, silver and green.[3] to South Wales Following the outbreak of World War I, he volunteered his battalion for service and they were shipped to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force, becoming one of the first territorial battalions to join the war.[15] At the battalion drill hall in Swansea prior to their departure, Lord Ninian addressed the unit, stating "The greatest honour a man can receive is that he has been provided with a chance to give, if need be, the greatest that he has, which is his life, for his country. I do not doubt every man on this parade will give it and give it as willingly as I mean to give it myself."[3]

On their arrival on the Western Front, the 6th were initially used to support lines of communication for guard and fatigue duties, which greatly frustrated Lord Ninian who was eager to join the fighting. In July 1915, they were transferred to the fighting and took part in operations at Heuvelland where they were labelled "the lucky 6th" by other units due to their relatively low number of wounded and Lord Ninian gained a reputation as a leader who was "always concerned with the welfare of his men".[3] On the night of 1 October 1915, during the Battle of Loos, the 6th battalion was part of a force that successfully charged and captured a set of enemy trenches at the Hohenzollern Redoubt, near La Bassée, despite suffering heavy losses. Prior to the battle, the 6th had not selpt for two days and had marched for 16 hours to reach the location.[1] The following morning, the German troops launched a counter-attack to retake the trenches and, during the heavy fighting, he was shot in the head by a German sniper after firing his revolver over the trench parapet and died at the age of 32. His body was returned to battalion headquarters before being buried in the at the Bethune Town Cemetery in a Catholic ceremony.[16] An officer in his regiment reported that Lord Ninian "was to be found wherever danger threatened" and that his death had "cast a gloom" over the battalion.[17] Lord Ninian had served for eleven months of the frontlines before his death.[2] Of the 842 members of the 6th battalion that had begun the war, only 30 survived.[1]

After his death, his widow Ismay remarried on 30 April 1917 Captain Archibald Henry Maule Ramsay (4 May 1894 – 11 March 1955), later a Scottish Unionist MP for Peebles and South Midlothian 1931-1945. Ramsay and his wife had four sons together. She died on 16 February 1975 aged 92, and was survived by six of her eight children.[18]

Legacy

Statue in Memory of Lord Ninian situated in Gorsedd Gardens, Cardiff

Lord Ninian is commemorated on Panel 8 of the Parliamentary War Memorial in Westminster Hall, one of 22 MPs that died during World War I to be named on that memorial.[19][20] Lord Ninian is one of 19 MPs who fell in the war who are commemorated by heraldic shields in the Commons Chamber.[21] A further act of commemoration came with the unveiling in 1932 of a manuscript-style illuminated book of remembrance for the House of Commons, which includes a short biographical account of the life and death of Lord Ninian.[22][23]

A statute of Lord Ninian was commissioned soon after his death.[24] Sculpted by Sir William Goscombe John, the statue was placed in Gorsedd Gardnes in Cathays Park and depicts Lord Ninian in military uniform with binoculars in his right hand and papers in his left in a design intended to show him surveying the battlefield.[25]

Family

Crichton-Stuart in a photograph published in The Illustrated London News on 17 December 1910

Lord Ninian and his wife Ismay had four children together:

  • Ninian Patrick Crichton-Stuart (31 October 1907 – 4 February 1910)[18]
  • Ismay Catherine Crichton-Stuart (23 December 1909 - 1989); she married, firstly, John Anthony Hardinge Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury on 1 October 1930, but they divorced in 1936, having produced one son together. She married, secondly, Donald Walter Munro Ross on 30 August 1937, and had issue, one daughter with him.[26]
  • Claudia Miriam Joanna Crichton-Stuart (24 June 1913 – 19 June 1985)[27]
  • Major Michael Duncan David Crichton-Stuart MC (14 March 1915 - 1981); he married Barbara Symes, daughter of Sir George Stewart Symes, on 1 March 1941, and had issue one son and three daughters (the two elder being adopted). His son - Ninian Crichton Stuart is the Hereditary Keeper of Falkland Palace, has one son and one daughter by his late wife.[28]

Other information

Unfinished chapel at Falkland, Fife, that is also a memorial to Crichton-Stuart

Lord Ninian held the office of Justice of the Peace (JP) for Fife.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Lieutenant Colonel Lord Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart MP". Christ Church. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Lord Ninian Stuart killed". Glamorgan Gazette. 8 October 1915. p. 8.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Dr Andrew Richardson (8 October 2015). "Welsh History Month: Lord Ninian - a soldier, a gentleman and a friend". WalesOnline. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Lord Bute Vists Cardiff Docks". Evening Express. 5 August 1904. p. 3.
  5. ^ a b "Lord Ninian Stuart – His Engagement Announced". Tue Cardiff Times. 27 January 1906. p. 7.
  6. ^ a b "Lord Ninian Wed". Evening Express. 16 June 1906. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Lord Ninian Stuart Invited to Fight Cardiff as Unionist Candidate". Evening Express. 16 August 1907. p. 2.
  8. ^ "Lord Ninian Stuart to Take Up Residence in Cardiff". Evening Express. 1 April 1910. p. 2.
  9. ^ "Popular Lord Ninian An Enthusiastic Send Off". Evening Express. 21 January 1910. p. 2.
  10. ^ "Lord Ninian Stuart's Son". Evening Express. 8 February 1910. p. 2.
  11. ^ "Lord Ninian Stuart to Take Up Residence in Cardiff". Evening Express. 1 April 1910. p. 2.
  12. ^ "Lord Ninian Stuart Engagament to Hon. Ismay Preston". Evening Express. 24 January 1906. p. 2.
  13. ^ Richard Shepherd. "1899–1920 foundations & the early years". Cardiff City F.C. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  14. ^ Dean P. Hayes (2003). The South Wales Derbies. Manchester: The Parrs Wood Press. p. 7. ISBN 1-903158-43-5.
  15. ^ "Col. Lord Ninian Stuart, M.P., Killed In Action". Monmouth Guardian. 8 October 1915. p. 1.
  16. ^ "Casualty Details: Crichton-Stuart, Lord Ninian Edward". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Lord Ninian Stuart's Burial". The Cambria Daily Leader. 16 October 1915. p. 4.
  18. ^ a b "Hon. Ismay Lucretia Mary Preston". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Recording Angel memorial Panel 8". Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall. UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk). Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  20. ^ "List of names on the Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall" (pdf). Recording Angel memorial, Westminster Hall. UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk). Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Crichton-Stuart". Heraldic shields to MPs, First World War. UK Parliament (www.parliament.uk). Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  22. ^ "House of Commons War Memorial: Final Volumes Unveiled by The Speaker". The Times. No. 46050. London. 6 February 1932. p. 7. template uses deprecated parameter(s) (help)
  23. ^ Moss-Blundell, Edward Whitaker, ed. (1931). The House of Commons Book of Remembrance 1914–1918. E. Mathews & Marrot.
  24. ^ "Lord Ninian statue". The Cambria Daily Leader. 1 January 1916. p. 3.
  25. ^ "Statue of Lord Ninian". The Cambria Daily Leader. 30 August 1916. p. 2.
  26. ^ Darryl Lundy. "Ismay Catherine Crichton-Stuart" The Peerage.com database. Retrieved 4 May 2008
  27. ^ According to some sources, she was married in 1948 to one Peter Vigne and lived in South Africa. However, Lundy's database, based on Burke's Peerage, gives no such marriage for her.
  28. ^ Darryl Lundy. "Michael Duncan David Crichton-Stuart" The Peerage.com database. Retrieved 4 May 2008
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Cardiff
December 1910 – 1915 		Succeeded by
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