Robert Trotter Hermon-Hodge, 1st Baron Wyfold, (23 September 1851 – 3 June 1937) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. Born Robert Trotter Hodge, he was the son of G W Hodge of

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

. He was educated at

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

and

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

. In 1877 he married Frances Caroline Hermon, only daughter of

Edward Hermon Edward Hermon (2 April 1822 – 6 May 1881) was a British cotton magnate and Conservative Party politician. At the 1868 general election he was elected on his first attempt a Member of Parliament (MP) for the two-seat constituency of Preston ...

, Member of Parliament (MP) for Preston. In 1903 he added her surname to his own to become "Hermon-Hodge".

Parliamentary career

He entered politics in 1884, when he was adopted as Conservative candidate for the Wallingford seat. When the seat was abolished by the

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (sometimes called the "Reform Act of 1885"). It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that r ...

, he contested the newly created

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

seat in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, and won it in the 1886 general election, marking his first return to the

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

. He served one term losing the seat at the next election in 1892, and narrowly failing to be re-elected in an 1893 by-election.The Constitutional Year Book
1904, published by

Conservative Central Office The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), formerly known as Conservative Central Office (CCO), is the headquarters of the British Conservative Party, housing its central staff and committee members, including campaign coordinators and man ...

, page 147 (171 in web page), Lancashire North East Hodge gained his longest spell in the Commons from the 1895 general election as MP for the Southern or Henley Division of

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. He held the seat in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

and was defeated in the Liberal landslide of

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

. His years for this seat proved longer than the total years he served in three separate chunks at other times. He was announced as a recipient of a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list, published on 26 June 1902, for the coronation of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

, though the ceremony was later postponed. On 24 July 1902 he was created a Baronet, of

Wyfold Court Wyfold Court is a country house at Rotherfield Peppard in south Oxfordshire. It is a Grade II* listed building. After use of the house as a mental hospital, it had been converted into apartments by the year 2000. History The house was designed b ...

in the Parish of Checkendon in the county of Oxford. He returned to the Commons for a third time when he won a by-election in March 1909 at

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

. Re-elected at the ensuing poll in January 1910, he stood down for the election in December of the same year. In May 1917, Valentine Fleming, the sitting MP for Henley, was killed fighting on the Western Front. An election was announced and Hermon-Hodge was returned unopposed for his old seat at the by-election in June. He retired from parliament at the post-

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

general election in 1918. In May 1919 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Wyfold, of

in the

County Palatine of Lancaster Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

and participated in the Lords 34 times, all before 1931. His son did so 13 times all in the 1937-1938 period.

Life outside parliament

He enjoyed the life of a country gentleman at the family estate of

, near

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

. He was an enthusiastic sportsman, being a member of various hunts in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. He also participated in deer-stalking, shooting and fishing. He attended the

Henley Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

each year, and is remembered in the name of the

Wyfold Challenge Cup The Wyfold Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless fours at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through so ...

. He was also a leading

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and was for thirty years a member of the

Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars (QOOH) was a Yeomanry Cavalry regiment of the British Army's auxiliary forces, formed in 1798. It saw service in the Second Boer War with 40 and 59 Companies of the Imperial Yeomanry and was the first Yeomanry ...

. He was in command of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry during the Second Boer War. He was placed under orders to proceed to South Africa, but was forbidden by his medical advisers to undertake any active service. He remained honorary colonel of the regiment at the time of his death. He had seven sons-two of whom died in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

-and one daughter. His wife died in 1929, and Lord Wyfold died in June 1937, aged 85.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyfold, Robert Hermon-Hodge, 1st Baron 1851 births 1937 deaths People educated at Clifton College Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Deputy lieutenants of Oxfordshire Politics of the London Borough of Croydon UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs who were granted peerages Politics of Hyndburn Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars officers Barons created by George V