William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst (21 August 1855 – 2 November 1921) was a British Liberal politician and colonial governor. He was

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

between 1895 and 1900 and Lord Chamberlain of the Household between 1912 and 1921.

Background and early life

Mansfield was the son of

William Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst General William Rose Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst (21 June 1819 – 23 June 1876) was a British military commander who served as Commander-in-Chief of India from 1865 to 1870. In Bombay now Mumbai, there is local train station named after B ...

, and

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

, daughter of Robert Fellowes, and a noted suffragist. He served in the Coldstream Guards, achieving the rank of lieutenant.thepeerage.com William Mansfield, 1st and last Viscount Sandhurst
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Political career

Mansfield succeeded his father as Baron Sandhurst in 1876, aged 20, and was entitled to a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

from his 21st birthday a few months later. When the Liberals came to power under

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

in 1880, he was appointed a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (withou ...

, a post he held until 1885 when the Liberals left office. He was Under-Secretary of State for War in Gladstone's brief 1886 administration and again from 1892 to 1895 under Gladstone and Lord Rosebery. In 1895 he was made

, a post he held until February 1900. After he had stepped down, he was appointed an extra Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander ( GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointmen ...

(GCSI) on 9 March 1900. Lord Sandhurst did not initially serve in the Liberal administrations headed by

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. He served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 19 ...

and

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...

but was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

in 1907. He did return to ministerial office in 1912 when Asquith appointed him Lord Chamberlain of the Household (succeeding his brother-in-law Lord Spencer). He continued in this post until his death in 1921, the last five years under the premiership of

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...

. In 1917 he was made Viscount Sandhurst, of Sandhurst in the County of Berkshire. According to the historian

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...

, Sandhurst was "regarded by his brother officers in the Coldstream Guards as ‘incurably dense’ ndconsidered by officials in his presidency to be almost illiterate."

Family

Lord Sandhurst married, firstly, Lady Victoria, daughter of Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer, on 20 July 1881. They had two children, who both died in infancy: The Honourable John Robert Mansfield (4 September 1882–5 September 1882) and the Honourable Elizabeth Mansfield (9 June 1884–17 October 1884). After his first wife's death in March 1906 he married secondly Eleanor, younger daughter of Matthew Arnold and widow of Armine Wodehouse, on 5 July 1909. There were no children from this marriage. Lord Sandhurst died in 1921, aged 66. The viscountcy became extinct on his death while the barony was inherited by his brother, John Mansfield. Lady Sandhurst died in December 1934.

Arms

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandhurst, William Mansfield, 1st Viscount 1855 births 1921 deaths Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Governors of Bombay Liberal Party (UK) Lords-in-Waiting Members of London County Council Progressive Party (London) politicians Members of the London School Board Members of the Bombay Legislative Council Eldest sons of British hereditary barons Viscounts created by George V