__NOTOC__ John Primatt Redcliffe Redcliffe-Maud, Baron Redcliffe-Maud, (3 February 1906 – 20 November 1982), was a British civil servant and diplomat.

Early life

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, Maud was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

. He gained a Second in Classical Moderations in 1928 and a First in Literae Humaniores ('Greats') in 1928. At Oxford he was a member of the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University a ...

(OUDS). In 1928, he gained the one-year Henry P. Davison scholarship to

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

where he was awarded an A.B. in 1929.''Who's Who, 1965'', London : A. & C. Black, 1965, p.2063 From 1929 to 1932 he was a junior research fellow of

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

and from 1932 to 1939 fellow (Praelector in Politics) and dean of the college. He was awarded a Rhodes Travelling Scholarship to Africa in 1932 and held a university lectureship in Politics at Oxford University, 1938–1939.

Civil service

During World War II, he was

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

Birkbeck College Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public research university located in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. Established in 1823 as the London Mechanics' ...

, London (1939–1943) and was also based at Reading Gaol, working for the Ministry of Food. He was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...

in 1942, and after the war he worked at the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

(1945–1952), rising to

permanent secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

there, and then at the Ministry of Fuel and Power until 1958. He was made a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in 1946, and was raised to a

Knight Grand Cross A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1955. ''Inter alia'', Maud appeared on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

programme ''

The Brains Trust ''The Brains Trust'' was an informational BBC radio and later television programme popular in the United Kingdom in the 1940s and 1950s, on which a panel of experts tried to answer questions sent in by the audience. History The series was crea ...

'' in 1958. He was High Commissioner to the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

from 1959 to 1961, and Ambassador from 1961, when the country became a republic and left the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. In 1963, he became Master of

, where he had been a fellow before the war.

The Maud Committee

In March 1964, Maud was appointed by Minister for Housing and Local Government Sir

Keith Joseph Keith Sinjohn Joseph, Baron Joseph, (17 January 1918 – 10 December 1994), known as Sir Keith Joseph, 2nd Baronet, for most of his political life, was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a minister under f ...

, at the request of local council associations, to head a departmental committee looking into the management of local government. The Maud Committee reported three years later."Management of Local Government", Committee on the Management of Local Government, HMSO, 1967. During the course of the inquiry, Maud was chosen to head a

royal commission A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...

on the reform of all

local government in England Local government in England broadly consists of three layers: civil parishes, local authorities, and regional authorities. Every part of England is governed by at least one local authority, but parish councils and regional authorities do not ex ...

. He was awarded a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

age, hyphenating his surname to become Baron Redcliffe-Maud, of the City and County of

in 1967. The Report of the Royal Commission on Local Government in England, popularly known as the

Redcliffe-Maud Report The Redcliffe-Maud Report (Cmnd.4040) was a 1969 command paper report from the Royal Commission on Local Government in England, under the chairmanship of Lord Redcliffe-Maud. The commission was formed in 1966 to examine the structure of local go ...

, was published in 1969. It advocated the wholesale reform of local council boundaries and the institution of large unitary councils based on the principle of mixing rural and urban areas. Accepted by the Labour government of

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

with minor changes, the opposition from rural areas convinced the Conservative opposition to oppose it and no further action was taken after the Conservatives won the 1970 general election.

Retirement

He retired as Master of University College in 1976, to be succeeded by the leading lawyer Lord Goodman. His 1973 portrait by Ruskin Spear can be seen in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, London. Another portrait hangs in the Hall at University College in Oxford.

Family

Redcliffe-Maud was married to Jean Hamilton, who was educated at

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The colle ...

. His son, Humphrey Maud, was one of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's favourite boys while he was at Eton. Sir John intervened to curtail Humphrey's frequent visits to stay with Britten on his own. The incident is described in John Bridcut's '' Britten's Children''.

Death and legacy

John Redcliffe-Maud is buried in

Holywell Cemetery Holywell Cemetery lies behind St Cross Church, Oxford, St Cross Church in St Cross Road, Oxford, England, south of Holywell Manor on Manor Road, Oxford, Manor Road and north of Longwall Street, in the parish of Holywell, Oxford, Holywell. Histo ...

, Oxford. His archive is held by the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

Library. Redcliffe-Maud House at the

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

Annexe known as " Stavertonia" in

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian architecture, Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the co ...

is named in honour of him.

Books

* Redcliffe-Maud, John, ''Experiences of an Optimist: The Memoirs of John Redcliffe-Maud''. London:

Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited is a publishing imprint and originally a British publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half- Scot half- American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''Jame ...

, 1981. (.) * Redcliffe-Maud, Lord, & Wood, Bruce, ''English Local Government Reformed''. Oxford University Press, 1974. .

References

External links

*
Catalogue of the Redcliffe-Maud papers
at th

of the

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Redcliffe-Maud, John Redcliffe-Maud, Baron Civil servants from Bristol Ambassadors and high commissioners of the United Kingdom to South Africa Commissioners of the Bechuanaland Protectorate 1906 births 1982 deaths People educated at Summer Fields School People educated at Eton College Alumni of New College, Oxford Harvard University alumni Fellows of University College, Oxford Masters of Birkbeck, University of London Life peers created by Elizabeth II Masters of University College, Oxford Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Education Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Power Civil servants in the Ministry of Food Civil servants in the Ministry of Reconstruction 1950s in Bechuanaland Protectorate 1960s in Bechuanaland Protectorate 1960s in South Africa Burials at Holywell Cemetery Diplomatic peers