Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Sir Edward Thomas Bolitho (born 30 December 1955) is a former

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer, who has served as

Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. Since 1742, all the Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall. Lord Lieutenants * John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1554 * John Bourchier, 2nd ...

since 2011.

Early life

Bolitho was born into a Cornish gentry family at

Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, the elder son of Major Simon Edward Bolitho, MC, High Sheriff of Cornwall (1956–57), and grandson of Sir Edward Bolitho, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall (1936–62). After

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

, he went up to

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

, but returned to Cornwall in 1998 after serving in the

. In 1979, Bolitho married Alexandra, younger daughter of

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Morgan Morgan-Giles, and the couple have three children, twin daughters and a son; all are enthusiastic

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates () are a professional rugby union team who play in the RFU Championship, Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. The Cornish Pirates team are the 'First XV' o ...

supporters.

Military career

Bolitho joined the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in 1978, serving with the regiment for 20 years. He commanded the 1st

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

between 1993 and 1995, being appointed

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Later life

On returning to Cornwall, Bolitho took over the management of Bolitho Estates, a family-owned business which develops, renovates, and leases out farms, houses, and commercial properties. It also manages some leisure activities, including Trewidden,

Trengwainton Garden Trengwainton (, meaning ''farm of eternal springtime'') is a garden situated in Madron, near Penzance, Cornwall, England, UK, which has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1961. The garden is noted for its collection of exotic trees ...

(in partnership with the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

) and holiday properties, being closely involved in conservation matters. Bolitho is also Chairman of the South West Region committee of the

Country Land and Business Association The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is a membership organisation representing landowners, property owners and businesses owners in England and Wales. Until 2000, the organisation was known as the Country Landowners Association. The ...

(CLA) and plays a part in other local activities, including the

Sea Cadets Sea cadets are members of a cadets youth program sponsored by a national naval service, aimed for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or ...

, the Penwith Farming Forum, as well as the Royal Cornwall Show. Bolitho served as

High Sheriff of Cornwall Sheriffs and high sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list: The right to choose high sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall. The Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Privy Council, chaired by the sovereign, chooses the sheriff ...

from March 2011 until March 2012, and jointly from September 2012 as

, succeeding

Lady Mary Holborow Lady Mary Christina Holborow (née Stopford; 19 September 1936 – 9 June 2017) was a British magistrate who was Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. She was a daughter of the 8th Earl of Courtown. On retirement as a magistrate ( justice of the peace ...

, having served as a Deputy Lieutenant (2008–11). He has been Chairman of the Association of Lord-Lieutenants since 2018. Admitted as a

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

and then a

Liveryman A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are styled the "Wors ...

of the

Goldsmiths' Company The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths (commonly known as ''The Goldsmiths' Company'' and formally styled ''The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London''), is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City ...

, Bolitho is also a member of HM Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, and in 2018 became a

Commander of the Order of St John The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

(CStJ). Bolitho was appointed

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(KCVO) in the

2024 New Year Honours The 2024 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...

References

External links

Trengwainton

Trewidden

www.burkespeerage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolitho, Edward 1955 births Living people People from Penzance Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Grenadier Guards officers High sheriffs of Cornwall Lord-lieutenants of Cornwall Officers of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of St John Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Culture of Cornwall Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order