The Lord Brocket | |
|---|---|
 Brocket in the 1930s | |
| Member of Parliament forLiverpool Wavertree | |
| In office 23 June 1931 – 1934 | |
| Preceded by | John Tinné |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Cleary |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Ronald Nall Nall-Cain (1904-08-04)4 August 1904 |
| Died | 24 March 1967(1967-03-24) (aged 62) |
| Political party | Conservative British People's Party |
| Spouse | Angela Beatrix Pennyman |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Charles Nall-Cain, 3rd Baron Brocket (grandson) Christopher Taylour, 7th Marquess of Headfort (grandson) |
| Residence(s) | Brocket Hall,Bramshill Park,Knoydart,Carton House |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Oxford University |
Arthur Ronald Nall Nall-Cain, 2nd Baron BrocketKStJ (4 August 1904 – 24 March 1967) was a prominent BritishNazi sympathiser andConservative Party politician in theUnited Kingdom.
He was born into a millionaire brewing family on 4 August 1904. His father,Charles Nall-Cain, was created abaronet in 1921 andBaron Brocket ofBrocket Hall in 1933. After his death a year later, Arthur succeeded to his titles.[1]
Nall-Cain was educated atEton College andOxford University, where he captained thegolf team. He became a barrister and aHertfordshire County Councillor.[1]
He was elected as ConservativeMember of Parliament (MP) forLiverpool Wavertree at aby-election in 1931,[2] and was a close associate ofNeville Chamberlain. After his father died, Nall-Cain was required to leave theHouse of Commons as he was elevated to theHouse of Lords.[1]
Brocket became known in society as aNazi sympathiser.[3] He became a committed member of theAnglo-German Fellowship, and his homes were used for entertaining supporters ofGermany. Brocket, who consideredMinister for Foreign AffairsJoachim von Ribbentrop a close personal friend, was so enamoured with Nazi Germany, he attendedHitler's 50th birthday celebration in Berlin in 1939.[4] According to Neville Chamberlain,Foreign Secretary, theEarl of Halifax used Brocket as a conduit to convey the views of the British government to the leading GermanNazis.
At the outbreak ofWorld War II in September 1939, Brocket continued to work for an understanding between Britain and Germany. He urged a negotiated peace settlement and tried to arrange talks with Hitler. He had contact withHermann Göring through theSwedishornithologistBengt Berg. Brocket also worked closely with the historianArthur Bryant, who shared his far right views, to bring the negotiations to the attention of the UK Foreign Office. However, Brocket was informed that the proposal to grant Germany control over Poland and Czechoslovakia was not acceptable to the British government.[5] Brocket was interned at the outbreak of war and his properties sequestrated by theWar Office.[6]
In the 1930s, Brocket bought Inverie House and theKnoydart estate inLochaber,Scotland. He would eventually own 13,000 acres (53 km2) in England and 62,000 in Scotland.[3] As anabsentee landlord, he only used the Knoydart estate for shooting and fishing while opposing the rights ofcrofters and dismissing and evicting workers. At the outbreak of war, the house and estate was taken over by the British Army when Brocket was interned; it was used to traincommandos andSOE agents.[7] After the war, the British government returned ownership of the estate to Brocket. He ordered that anything which might have been used or touched by SOE agents removed from Inverie House; all the cutlery, crockery and toilets were dumped in the sea at the mouth ofLoch Nevis.[8]
In 1948, some returning Highland soldiers, who would become known asSeven Men of Knoydart, decided to take a stand against Brocket and the way he managed his estate. The group claimed portions of the Knoydart estate in aland raid. But after Brocket took legal action to get them evicted, the group agreed to vacate the land as a good faith action for court. However, once they left they were dispossessed and they lost the case.[9] Shortly afterwards Brocket sold the Knoydart estate. In 1949, he bought theCarton House estate inIreland.
Brocket inheritedBrocket Hall inHertfordshire, and boughtBramshill House inHampshire in 1936.[10] In 1927, Brocket married Angela Beatrix Pennyman, younger daughter of Rev.Preb. William GeoffreyPennyman ofOrmesby Hall in Yorkshire.[11] Together, they were the parents of:[1]
Through his eldest son, he was a grandfather to convicted fraudsterCharles Ronald George Nall-Cain, 3rd Baron Brocket (b. 1952), of Brocket Hall,[14] and great-grandfather ofPrincess Antalya of Prussia (daughter of the 3rd Lord Brocket), and through his daughter grandfather toChristopher Taylour, 7th Marquess of Headfort.[15]
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Nall-Cain died on 24 March 1967 and was succeeded by his grandson,Charles.[1]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLiverpool Wavertree 1931–1934 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Baron Brocket 1934–1967 | Succeeded by |