Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Fitzroy Morrison-Bell, (19 April 1871 – 20 October 1960) was a British soldier and parliamentarian.

Family and education

He was born Ernest Fitzroy Morrison, the son of Sir Charles William Morrison, 1st Baronet and Louisa Maria Dawes, daughter of William Henry Dawes. In 1905, the family adopted the surname Morrison-Bell by royal licence for his father's mother, Mary Wilhelmina Morrison, daughter and heiress of John Morrison of the Royal Navy. His elder brother was Sir

Clive Morrison-Bell Sir Arthur Clive Morrison-Bell, 1st Baronet (19 April 1871 – 16 April 1956), known as Clive Morrison-Bell, was a British soldier and Conservative Party parliamentarian. Biography Arthur was the son of Sir Charles Morrison-Bell, 1st Baronet an ...

. Ernest was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

Military career

Morrison joined the

9th Lancers The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but w ...

as a second lieutenant on 5 December 1891, and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 5 September 1894. He was adjutant of his regiment from 20 April 1898 until 20 April 1902, during which the regiment served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

, and he was promoted captain on 1 January 1901 while in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. For his service in the war, he was mentioned in despatches by Lord Kitchener in his final despatch dated 23 June 1902.

Political career

Morrison-Bell was the Liberal Unionist Party candidate for Ashburton at the 1906 General Election. He was elected at the 1908 Ashburton by-election but lost the seat in the January 1910 General Election. He regained the seat at the December 1910 General Election. The seat was abolished in 1918 and he did not contest the election.Obituary, ''The Times'', 21 October 1960

Personal life

He married Maud Evelyn, daughter of Lt. Col. Francis Henry. Their granddaughter Susan is the Duchess of Richmond, having married

Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond, 10th Duke of Lennox, 10th Duke of Aubigny, 5th Duke of Gordon (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2017), styled Lord Settrington until 1935 and Earl of March and Kinrara between 1935 and 1989, w ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison-Bell, Ernest Fitzroy 1871 births 1960 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Eton College British Army personnel of the Second Boer War 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers Liberal Unionist Party MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Ashburton