Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow
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Peregrine Francis Adelbert Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow (27 April 1899 – 28 July 1978), was a British peer.
Brownlow was the son of Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow, and his wife Maud Buckle. He was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and fought in both the First and Second World Wars. He was Mayor of Grantham between 1934 and 1935 and was briefly involved in national politics when he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Aircraft Production Lord Beaverbrook from 1940 to 1941. Brownlow also served as Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire from 1936 to 1950.
During the 1930's Brownlow was a close friend and Lord-in-waiting to the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII. The prince and his mistress Wallis Simpson spent many weekends at Brownlow's country house Belton House. Upon the prince's accession to the throne, Lord Brownlow became heavily involved in the abdication crisis which followed the new King's intention to marry Simpson. Brownlow personally accompanied Simpson on her flight to France to escape the media attention, and vainly attempted to talk Simpson into renouncing the King.[1] Returning to England, Brownlow attempted to enlist the support of the King's mother Queen Mary, but she refused to even receive him. [2]. Brownlow's career as a courtier was coming to a close.
Following the abdication, he attempted to extricate himself from the ex-King's circle, refusing to attend the exiled King's marriage ceremony in 1937. For this Edward and his wife, now the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, regarded Brownlow as treacherous. The Duchess in particular never forgave the man who once championed her. Brownlow died some 40 years later without having received one word of comfort or gratitude from the couple [3]. However, lacking the Duchess's forgiveness was one thing; following the accession of the new King George VI, Brownlow was horrified to read, without prior warning, in the Court Circular that he had been replaced as the sovereign's Lord-in-Waiting. Phoning Buckingham Palace for an explanation, he was given the curt information that his resignation had been accepted - he had never tendered it. It was also made clear to him that the new king and his consort, Queen Elizabeth, had ordered that Brownlow's name was never to appear in the "Court Circular" again [4]. Today, The National Trust has mounted a permanent exhibition at Belton displaying Brownlow's relationship with the Windsors. Nowhere does the information provided mention Brownlow's fall from grace with both the Windsors and the establishment.
Lord Brownlow married three times. He married firstly Katherine, daughter of Brigadier General Sir David Alexander Kinloch, 11th Baronet, in 1927. They had three children. After his first wife's death in 1952 he married secondly Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Sarsfield Kent Power, in 1954. She died in 1966 and Brownlow married thirdly Leila Joan, daughter of Philip Guy Reynolds, in 1969. He died in July 1978, aged 79, and was succeeded in his titles by his second but eldest surviving son Edward John Peregrine Cust.
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Earl of Yarborough |
Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire 1936–1950 |
Succeeded by Lord Willoughby de Eresby |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Adelbert Salisbury Cockayne Cust |
Baron Brownlow 1927–1978 |
Succeeded by Edward John Peregrine Cust |
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- (2006) Belton House. The National Trust. ISBN 1-84359-218-5.
- Thornton, Michael. Royal Feud. London: Michael Joseph Ltd.. ISBN 0-330-29505-5.
