Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel

Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel (2 July 1834 – 4 June 1913) was a British industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal politician. He sat Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire between 1880 and 1894 and was recognised as the leader of the Welsh MP's. Rendel was also involved in business and was a benefactor to University College of Wales at Aberystwyth, and served as its president from 1895 to 1913.

Background and education

Rendel was born at Plymouth, Devon, the son of the civil engineer James Meadows Rendel and his wife Catherine Jane, daughter of W. J. Harris.^[1][2] He was the brother of Alexander Meadows Rendel and George Wightwick Rendel. He was educated at Downside School, Eton and Oriel College, Oxford,^[1][2] graduating in Modern History. He was later called to the Bar.^[1] However, he was mostly involved in engineering and became manager of the London branch of the Armstrong gunnery company.^[1]

Political career

Rendel was the Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire between 1880 and his retirement in March 1894.^[1][2][3] Although an Englishman and an Anglican, he was popular in his Welsh-speaking constituency, and was nicknamed "the member for Wales" because of his vocal support for Welsh-related causes, such as the creation of the University of Wales. A close associate of William Ewart Gladstone, he was recognised as the leader of the Welsh members of parliament.^[1] He also supported disestablishment. On his retirement from the House of Commons in 1894 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Rendel, of Hatchlands in the County of Surrey.^[4] Apart from his political career Rendel was a benefactor to University College of Wales at Aberystwyth and served as its president from 1895 to 1913.^[1]

Family

Lord Rendel married Ellen Sophy, daughter of William Egerton Hubbard, in 1857. They had four daughters. The second daughter, the Honourable Maud Ernestine Rendel, married Henry Gladstone, the son of his close friend, William Ewart Gladstone. In 1888 Rendel acquired Hatchland Park in Surrey from the Sumner family. Lady Rendel died in May 1912, aged 74. Lord Hubbard survived her by just over a year and died in London in June 1913, aged 78. The peerage became extinct upon his death as he had no sons.^[2]

His eldest daughter, Rose Ellen, married Harry Goodhart, a former international footballer who became Professor of Latin at the University of Edinburgh. Their only son, Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel inherited Hatchlands^[5] and became a celebrated architect.^[6]

References

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

External links

• History of Hatchlands Park as seen on the National Trust's web site.