The Lord Hesketh | |
|---|---|
| Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms | |
| In office 22 May 1991 –16 September 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | Lord Denham |
| Succeeded by | Viscount Ullswater |
| Minister of State for Industry | |
| In office 2 November 1990 –21 May 1991 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher John Major |
| Preceded by | Douglas Hogg |
| Succeeded by | post vacant |
| Parliamentary under-secretary of State for Environment | |
| In office 31 January 1989 –2 November 1990 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Virginia Bottomley |
| Succeeded by | David Heathcoat-Amory |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office 28 October 1971 –11 November 1999 hereditary peer | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Fermor-Hesketh |
| Succeeded by | seat abolished House of Lords Act 1999 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh 28 October 1950 |
| Political party | UKIP |
| Other political affiliations | Conservative (until 2011) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Ampleforth College |
Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, 3rd Baron Hesketh, KBE, PC (born 28 October 1950) is a British peer and UK Independence Party politician.
Hesketh succeeded in the barony (and baronetcy) on 6 October 1955, aged four, when his father, Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh, died aged 39. His mother, Christian Mary McEwen, Dowager Lady Hesketh, served as the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1981. [1]
He was educated at Ampleforth College, Yorkshire. [2] He went on to work for Dean Witter in San Francisco before returning to manage his family's businesses. [3]
Hesketh automatically became a member of the House of Lords but took no active part in politics until he met Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after the Irish Republican Army's bomb attack on her in Brighton on 12 October 1984. Thatcher visited Easton Neston and in conversation, Hesketh explained that he did not occupy his seat in the House of Lords. He later explained, "Mrs Thatcher asked me if I served on a regular basis in the House, and when I told her no, she said, 'You must. It's your duty, and I expect you to be there.'" [1] From that point Hesketh worked under Thatcher, whom he described as "the most outstanding person I ever worked with" [4] and held the office of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment between 1989 and 1990 and was Minister of State in the Department of Trade and Industry between 1990 and 1991.
On 22 May of that year, he became Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms (Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords) under the next prime minister, John Major, a position he kept until 16 September 1993. [2] During his period in office as Chief Whip he helped secure the Local Government Finance Act 1992, which introduced council taxes, and the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993, [5] which ratified the Maastricht Treaty.
Hesketh lost his seat in the House of Lords in 1999, when the House of Lords Act 1999 removed all but 92 hereditary peers, and he was not one of the 92 who were elected to keep their seats.
In 2003, he became treasurer of the Conservative Party, resigning in 2006 owing to his own financial difficulties, and was formerly a board member of The Conservative Party Foundation. [3]
On 10 October 2011, Hesketh defected to the UK Independence Party, in response to Prime Minister David Cameron ruling out a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. [6] During the years 2011/12 Hesketh donated approximately £31,000 to that party. [7]
Known for his love of motor racing, Hesketh founded Hesketh Racing in 1972, best known for competing in Formula One from 1973 to 1978. The team was famous for its flamboyant and patriotic approach to the sport and for refusing sponsorship. Between 1973 and 1975 the team had some success with the English driver James Hunt, including winning the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix. He later was president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, from 1993 to 2000.
Hesketh formed Hesketh Motorcycles plc. In 1982 a modern purpose built factory was set up to manufacture the Hesketh V1000 motorcycles in Daventry. However, there were numerous problems. The bikes were heavy, made worse by a high riding style; and unreliable, with numerous manufacturing problems adding to an overheating rear cylinder due to lack of air flow. The resultant bad press combined on top of an under-developed bike, lack of cash and a collapsing market meant that after the production of 139 bikes, the company went into receivership. The Triumph Motorcycles co-operative looked at buying the rights to the machine, as they lacked a new model beyond the aged Triumph Bonneville. A V1000 machine even appeared with a Triumph badge on its tank, but Triumph also lacked funding to buy and develop the machine. In 1983, Lord Hesketh formed a new company called Hesleydon Ltd to manufacture a revamped V1000 with a full fairing, called the Vampire. However, although the company had produced a motorcycle with export potential in mind, the Vampire retained too many of the V1000's faults and only 40 were produced before the company closed again in 1984.
In 1994 Hesketh helped set up British Mediterranean Airways (BMED). He also became chairman of the new airline – a role in which he continued until early 2007, when BMED was purchased for £30 million by UK Airline BMI. He subsequently served as an "independent director" of Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan. [8]
Hesketh joined the board of Babcock International Group on 6 October 1993, becoming non-executive deputy chairman on 26 April 1996. He was forced to resign in November 2010 after a comment regarding the Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to The Daily Telegraph newspaper, in which he was reported as saying the project would make the country a "laughing stock". [9]
On 21 May 1977, Lord Hesketh married Hon. Claire Georgina Watson, a daughter of Rupert Watson, 3rd Baron Manton and the former Mary Elizabeth Hallinan. Together, they are the parents of three children who use the surname Hesketh day-to-day: [2]
In 2006, Lord Hesketh's financial difficulties forced him to sell the family seat, Easton Neston, at Towcester, Northamptonshire—the only surviving completed house by the English baroque architect Nicholas Hawksmoor—and all furnishings of the house, including even the family portraits. [11] [12] He sold off the estate and Gothic village of Hulcote piecemeal. [13]
In 1997, Hesketh was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).[ citation needed ] Hesketh was portrayed by British actor Christian McKay in the 2013 biographical drama Rush .
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| Ancestors of Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, 3rd Baron Hesketh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Baron Hesketh, of Hesketh in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1935 for Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 8th Baronet, who had previously briefly represented Enfield in the House of Commons as a Conservative. As of 2010 the titles are held by his grandson, the third Baron, who succeeded his father in 1955. Lord Hesketh held junior ministerial positions in the Conservative administrations of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. However, he lost his seat in the House of Lords after the House of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the upper chamber of Parliament.
Henry George Reginald Molyneux Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, , was a British peer and racing manager to Queen Elizabeth II from 1969 until his death. From his birth until September 1987, he was known by the courtesy title Lord Porchester.
Earl of Pomfret was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1721 for Thomas Fermor, 2nd Baron Leominster. The title became extinct upon the death of the fifth earl in 1867.
Easton Neston is a large grade I listed country house in the parish of Easton Neston near Towcester in Northamptonshire, England. It was built by William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster (1648–1711), in the Baroque style to the design of the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor.
Towcester Racecourse is a greyhound racing track and former horse racing venue at Towcester in Northamptonshire, England. It has staged the English Greyhound Derby in 2018, 2021 and has won the contract for the next 5 years from 2022.
Leon Max is a Russian-American fashion designer and retailer.
Hesketh may refer to:
Hesketh Motorcycles is a British motorcycle manufacturer, initially based in Daventry and Easton Neston, Northamptonshire, England.
Bury Mount Motte is the remains of an earthwork motte and bailey fortification or ancient castle in Towcester in Northamptonshire, and has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The Motte probably dates back to the 11th century when it was a Norman fortification, but over time it has been subject to neglect.
Rodney Gould was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and UK short circuit specialist.
Fermor is a surname, a variant of Farmer. Notable people with the surname include:
The Hesketh V1000 is a 992 cc (60.5 cu in) OHC V-twin motorcycle with 4 valves per cylinder. It was originally designed and built by Hesketh Motorcycles in Daventry, Northamptonshire. Sales proved disappointing as the motorcycle was expensive and, at 86 bhp, it was somewhat underpowered given its hefty dry weight of 244 kg (538 lb).
Richard Fermor (1480x84–1551), was an English wool merchant. His father, Thomas Fermor, was also a wool merchant in Witney, Oxfordshire. By 1505 Richard was a merchant of the staple at Calais.
Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 5th Baronet was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1862 to 1872.
Easton Neston is situated in south Northamptonshire, England. Though the village of Easton Neston which was inhabited until around 1500 is now gone, the parish retains the name. At the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish remained less than 100 and was included in the town of Towcester.
Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh DL, was a British peer and soldier.
Christian Mary McEwen, Lady Hesketh, OBE, DL was a British politician, journalist and educationist.
George William Richard Fermor, 5th Earl of Pomfret was an English peer.
Rupert Francis John Carington, 7th Baron Carrington,, is a British banker, hereditary peer and crossbench member of the House of Lords.
Sir George Fermor of Easton Neston was an English soldier and landowner.
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