Gavin Henderson, 2nd Baron Faringdon
The Lord Faringdon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 March 1902 |
| Died | 29 January 1977 (aged 74) |
| Spouse | Hon. Honor Chedworth Philipps (1927-1931) |
| Parent | Lt.-Col. Hon. Harold Greenwood Henderson & Lady Violet Charlotte Dalzell |
(Alexander) Gavin Henderson, 2nd Baron Faringdon (20 March 1902 – 29 January 1977) was a British Labour politician.
He was the son of Lt-Col. the Hon. Harold Henderson and grew up in Shellingford. Henderson was sent to Eton College, then attended McGill University in Montreal, before graduating from Christ Church, Oxford, in 1924.[1]
Described by David Cargill as a "roaring pansy", Henderson was known for his effeminate demeanour, once opening a speech in the House of Lords with the words "My dears" instead of "My Lords".[2] His marriage, to the Hon. Honor Chedworth Philipps (the daughter of Owen Philipps, 1st Baron Kylsant), lasted only four years (consecrated in 1927; annulled in 1931).[1]
He succeeded to the title of 2nd Baron Faringdon, and inherited the estate of Buscot Park from his grandfather Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon in 1934.[3] In early life he had been prominent among the bright young things,[4] but by the late 1930s had joined the Labour Party, and was a keen supporter of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, after serving in a field hospital in Aragon in 1936. In 1938 he gave a home to 40 child evacuees from Spain, as well as to several other notable exiles, at his Oxfordshire estate.[5]
A noted pacifist, Faringdon served in the London Fire Brigade during World War II. Post-war he was a prominent member of the Fabian Society, and also served on the London County Council. He was elected as a councillor on 16 April 1958 for the Woolwich West division but was defeated by a Conservative at the 1961 election.[6][7] Following his defeat, he was appointed an alderman, a post he held until 1965.[8] He then served on the Greater London Council's Historic Buildings Committee.[3]
Gavin Henderson died in 1977 without issue, and was succeeded by his nephew Charles Michael Henderson as 3rd Baron Faringdon.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Vol. 1 (107th ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd. p. 1389.
- ^ Wheen, Francis (2001). Tom Driberg: The Soul of Indiscretion. London: Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins. p. 258. ISBN 1-84115-575-6.
- ^ a b "Owners of the Buscot Park Estate". Buscot Park & The Faringdon Collection. 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ Johnson, Gaynor (May 2007) [2004]. "Henderson, (Alexander) Gavin, second Baron Faringdon (1902–1977)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31218. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Murphy, Martin (September 2004). "The Exiles of Eaton Hastings" (PDF). Basque Children of ’37 Association Newsletter (2): 4–5.
- ^ "London County Council Election Results. Many Labour Gains". The Times. 17 April 1958. p. 5.
- ^ "London County Council Election Results. Labour Retain Control". The Times. 14 April 1961. p. 8.
- ^ Jackson, William Eric (1965). Achievement: A Short History of the London County Council. Longmans. p. 262.