The Lord Ashcombe | |
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| Coat of arms | Cubitt arms.svg |
| Born | George Cubitt (1828-06-04)4 June 1828 |
| Died | 26 February 1917(1917-02-26) (aged 88) |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
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| Parents | Thomas Cubitt Mary Anne Warner |
| Occupation | Politician |
George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe,PC, DL (4 June 1828 – 26 February 1917) ofDenbies House,Dorking, Surrey, was a Britishpolitician and peer, a son ofThomas Cubitt, the leading London builder and property developer of his day.
Cubitt was educated atTrinity College,Cambridge, where he graduated with first aBA and later took hishonorary MA.[1] He won election as aConservativeMP forWest Surrey from 1860 to 1885, and then forEpsom until 1892, when elevated to theLords asBaron Ashcombe,of Dorking, in the County of Surrey and of Bodiam Castle, in the County of Sussex,[2] having been invested as aPrivy Counsellor in 1880.[3] He also served as Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion,Royal West Surrey Regiment, and Deputy Lieutenant of thecounties of bothSurrey andMiddlesex.
Hansard shows he made 81 speeches or questions in Parliament, from 1863 to 1909, including contributing in four years of the 1890s and two years of the 1900s.[4]
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Denbies, a large hillside north ofDorking,Surrey was part of the inheritance from his father; Cubitt lived in the mansion built by his father there until 1905, much of which has been taken up by a viticulture centre, spa hotel, restaurant and vineyard.[5]
Upmarket street Ashcombe Road in Dorking is named after his peerage as is its amenityThe Ashcombe School, the town's main senior school.
Through his funds he founded a landmark, hilltop church of St Barnabas,Ranmore Common, provided for the Denbies Estate's owners and employees.[6] Collaborative historians' work theVictoria County History states it is "a handsome stone church, with chancel, nave, and aisles in 13th-century style".[6]
Cubitt purchasedBodiam Castle and its 24 acres (9.7 ha) from Fuller's grandson in 1849, possibly local farmer ThomasLevett, descendant of an old Sussex family and owner of Court Lodge Farm a seller in a later smaller sale nearby, for over £5,000 (£660,000 today).[7].Lord Curzon decided that "so rare a treasure [as Bodiam Castle] should neither be lost to our country nor desecrated by irreverent hands". Curzon made enquiries about buying the castle, but Cubitt did not wish to sell. However, after Cubitt's death, Curzon was able to make a deal with Cubitt's son; he bought the castle and its lands in 1916.[8] Curzon began a programme of investigation at Bodiam in 1919, and with architectWilliam Weir more greatly restored parts of the castle. Its museum, design and authenticity make it a significant English tourist attraction.
While an MP forWest Surrey, Cubitt and his wife Laura, Lady Ashcombe were among the founders and benefactors ofSt Catherine's School inBramley, Surrey in 1885. One of the schoolhouses was named in his honour after his death. His wife's gift to the school was aSanatorium, which cared for sick pupils. A stained glassed window in the school chapel, dedicated toSt Cecilia, was created by Cubitt in remembrance of his wife after she died in 1904. The patron of the school is their great-great-granddaughterQueen Camilla.[9][10]
His will passed assets worth£42,168 (equivalent to about £3,000,000 in 2023) its executor being his surviving son.[11]
He died on 26 February 1917[12] and was buried in the churchyard of St Barnabas's.[5]
Cubitt married Laura Joyce, daughter ofRev. James Joyce, Vicar ofDorking, on 14 June 1853 and with her had 9 children; 3 sons, though only the third,Henry, survived beyond infancy, and 6 daughters, one of whom died in infancy:
He is the maternal great-great grandfather ofQueen Camilla, wife of KingCharles III.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWest Surrey 1860–1885 With:John Ivatt Briscoe, to 1870 Lee Steere, 1870–1880 St John Brodrick, 1880–1885 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forEpsom 1885–1892 | Succeeded by |
| Church of England titles | ||
| Preceded by | Second Church Estates Commissioner 1874–1879 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Ashcombe 1892–1917 | Succeeded by |