Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry

Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry
Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry
Born	13 May 1878 (age 148)
Died	10 February 1949 (aged 70)
Occupation(s)	Aristocrat, statesman, politician
Known for	Secretary of State for Air (1930s), Leader of the House of Lords, resistance to Irish Home Rule

Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, (13 May 1878 – 10 February 1949), initially known as Lord Stewart until 1884 and subsequently as Viscount Castlereagh from 1884 to 1915, was a British aristocrat and statesman. He gained prominence in the United Kingdom primarily for his tenure as Secretary of State for Air during the 1930s and his diplomatic initiatives aimed at engaging with Nazi Germany. After stepping down from the Air Ministry in 1935, he continued serving in the Cabinet as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords. In Ireland, especially in Ulster, Londonderry is recognized for his vigorous resistance to Irish Home Rule in the early twentieth century.

Background and education

He was the eldest son of Charles, 6th Marquess of Londonderry and Lady Theresa Chetwynd-Talbot, daughter of the 19th Earl of Shrewsbury. His education was completed at Eton College followed by training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. His paternal lineage traced back to Ulster-Scots ancestry rooted in County Donegal.

Early career

On 22 May 1895, Lord Castlereagh received his commission as second lieutenant in the 2nd (Seaham) Durham Artillery Volunteer Corps, a subdivision of the Volunteer Force linked to the Royal Garrison Artillery (Western Division), which was under the command of his father who owned Seaham Colliery. After completing his studies at Sandhurst, he joined the Royal Horse Guards as a second lieutenant on 8 September 1897. He advanced to lieutenant on 30 August 1899 and took up the role of adjutant on 9 May 1900.

In early 1901, King Edward VII appointed him to a diplomatic delegation tasked with announcing the King's accession to Austria-Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey. Following the King's visit to Ireland in August 1903, he was appointed Member Fourth Class (Lieutenant) of the Royal Victorian Order, while his father was honored with the Knight Grand Cross. He stepped down from his adjutant position in March 1904 and earned promotion to captain in April that year.

With encouragement from his family, Castlereagh contested the Maidstone seat during the 1906 general election. Although he maintained his military commission, he was placed on half-pay status beginning January 1910. His influence within Unionist parliamentary ranks was limited until he resumed active military duty during the First World War.

First World War

Serving as Captain Castlereagh MP, he deployed to northern France early in the conflict, arriving in Paris on 29 August 1914 after being appointed ADC to General William Pulteney. Despite primarily holding a staff position, Castlereagh experienced combat firsthand and believed he had engaged an enemy soldier on 2 September 1914. His rank advanced to temporary major on 1 November and substantive major shortly thereafter on 7 November 1914.

Although initially hesitant to involve himself in Irish politics similarly to his father, wartime circumstances motivated him to support recruitment efforts in Ireland. Upon his father's death in February 1915, he inherited the title of Londonderry, along with considerable wealth and influence that bolstered his political standing, particularly within Ireland. In that year, Lord Londonderry was mentioned in despatches and rejoined his regiment, the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues). He witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of gas warfare during the first Battle of Ypres.

In 1916, Londonderry assumed second-in-command duties within The Blues under the 8th Cavalry Brigade. He served at the frontline during the brutal Battle of the Somme, where he observed significant casualties including the loss of his close associate Lieutenant Colonel Harold Brassey. From December 1916 until January 1917, he held acting rank as lieutenant colonel.

During 1917, Londonderry led a composite battalion formed from units within the 8th Cavalry Brigade with brevet rank as lieutenant-colonel. His command took part in mounted cavalry assaults on Monchy-le-Preux amid the Battle of Arras. Following the death of Brigadier-General Charles Bulkeley-Johnson, who was fatally shot, Londonderry temporarily assumed leadership of the brigade during their charge. The offensive resulted in heavy casualties among cavalrymen and substantial loss of horses. These intense experiences left a lasting impression on him.

After contributing to discussions at the Irish Convention between 1917 and 1918 and serving on the Viceroy's Advisory Council at Dublin Castle, Londonderry received promotion to brevet lieutenant-colonel on 7 November 1918. He concluded active military service on 10 September 1919 holding ranks of major and brevet lieutenant-colonel.

On 13 August 1920, he was named Honorary Colonel of the 55th Medium Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery, which succeeded his father's unit within the Territorial Army. He retained this honorary position until World War II when it transitioned into the 63rd (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery under command of Anti-Aircraft Command.

In the Northern Ireland Cabinet

In 1919, Londonderry received an appointment to the Air Council at Westminster by the postwar coalition government. The following year, he advanced to the position of Under-Secretary of State for Air. Feeling constrained, he utilized his Ulster affiliations to secure a place in the inaugural Cabinet of the Government of Northern Ireland in June 1921, serving as Leader of the Senate of Northern Ireland and Minister of Education. His agenda focused heavily on education reform, promoting secularization partly to diminish Catholic influence. Londonderry established the Lynn Commission, which opposed incorporating the Irish language into school curricula—a policy that was interpreted as endorsing Unionism and led to a Catholic boycott.

The Education Act he introduced in 1923 sought to encourage integrated Protestant-Catholic schooling by restricting religious instruction to after-school hours with parental approval. However, resistance from both Protestant and Catholic factions resulted in 1925 amendments that weakened its secular objectives. Londonderry stepped down from his roles in the Northern Ireland government in 1926 and vacated his parliamentary seat there in 1929.

In the British Cabinet

During the UK General Strike of 1926, Londonderry adopted a moderate approach, bolstered by the prosperity of his mines located in County Durham. His political standing and effectiveness led to his appointment to the Cabinet in 1928 as First Commissioner of Works. He continued into the emergency National Government formed under Prime Ministers Ramsay MacDonald and Stanley Baldwin in 1931, despite controversy surrounding Lady Londonderry’s perceived closeness to MacDonald.

Following the National Government’s electoral success in 1931, Londonderry was appointed Secretary of State for Air, a role that gained significance due to escalating international tensions. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria and subsequent fighting in Shanghai convinced him that maintaining a robust Royal Air Force was essential for deterring hostile actions and safeguarding British interests.

Throughout his tenure, he ensured the RAF’s core capabilities were maintained despite Treasury budget cuts, championed the development of key fighter aircraft such as the Hurricane and Spitfire, supported advancements in radar technology, and inaugurated Cranwell Staff College. Nevertheless, he underestimated German aerial strength during 1934–35.

While cautiously backing disarmament initiatives, Londonderry resisted any Cabinet proposals that might undermine RAF deterrence. This position drew criticism from Clement Attlee and members of the Labour Party, ultimately rendering him a political liability within the National Government. In 1935, he was removed from his Air Ministry post but retained Cabinet membership as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords. His association with the Anglo-German Fellowship earned him the nickname "Londonderry Herr."

Contacts with Nazi Germany

Feeling aggrieved by accusations that he misled Baldwin about the Luftwaffe and was labeled a "warmonger," Lord Londonderry embarked on unofficial diplomatic efforts to rehabilitate his standing. Historian Richard Griffiths differentiates between official government appeasers and private supporters of Nazi Germany, placing Londonderry among the latter—acting independently with ideological motivations. Londonderry became involved with the Anglo-German Fellowship, aiming to promote closer Anglo-German relations.

American journalist William Shirer described Londonderry as "an all-out pro-Nazi." Between January 1936 and September 1938, he traveled to Nazi Germany six times; a seventh trip scheduled for March 1939 was declined following the Nazi occupation of Prague. From 1936 onwards, his public remarks increasingly reflected sympathy toward Germany. The German ambassador Leopold von Hoesch regarded him as "one of those on whom the German government relied for the right opinions."

In May 1936, Londonderry hosted German Ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop at his estate in Northern Ireland, Mount Stewart, an event that attracted national attention due to Ribbentrop’s SS entourage. Later that year, he entertained Ribbentrop again at Wynyard Hall in County Durham (November 13–17), accompanying him during government briefings in London.

Prior to Edward VIII’s abdication, Nazis considered Londonderry an influential aristocrat. In October 1936, Hitler confided plans regarding future actions against Czechoslovakia and Poland, years before their invasions occurred. Londonderry passed this information to British official Lord Halifax in December 1936; however, British rearmament proceeded slowly. Ultimately, it was Londonderry’s prominent advocacy for Anglo-German friendship through the Anglo-German Fellowship that caused greater damage to his reputation than the original allegations that prompted his involvement.

Decline in Reputation

Confronted by criticism from anti-Nazi factions both within Westminster and beyond, Lord Londonderry released Ourselves and Germany in March 1938 to clarify his stance. After the Munich agreement of October 1938, he conceded that Hitler was reverting to the doctrines outlined in Mein Kampf. Londonderry's publicly expressed antisemitic opinions included attributing numerous global conflicts to Jewish influence.

Following a minor part in Neville Chamberlain's resignation in 1940, Londonderry was unable to secure favor with the incoming Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who regarded him as lacking competence. With the threat of internment looming, Londonderry retreated to Mount Stewart, where he authored Wings of Destiny (1943), a memoir that drew criticism from former associates. He passed away there in 1949.

At Mount Stewart, Londonderry maintained possession of an Allach porcelain figurine depicting an SS Fahnenträger (SS flag bearer), which had been gifted by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and remained in his collection despite the outbreak of war.

Lord Londonderry held the position of Lord Lieutenant of County Down from 1915 until 1949 and also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Durham between 1928 and 1949. He was Chancellor at both Durham University and Queen's University Belfast. In 1937, during King George VI's Coronation, he held the office of Mayor of Durham. Londonderry was appointed to the Irish Privy Council in 1918, the Privy Council of Northern Ireland in 1921, and the Imperial Privy Council in 1925. Additionally, he was made a Knight Companion of the Garter in 1919.

Family

On 28 November 1899, Lord Londonderry wed the Hon. Edith Helen Chaplin, eldest daughter of Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin and Lady Florence Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (daughter of the 3rd Duke of Sutherland) at St Peter's Church, Eaton Square. Their children included:

Lady Maureen Helen Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1900–1942), who married the Hon. Oliver Stanley in 1920; their offspring included Michael Charles Stanley and Kathryn Edith Helen Stanley DCVO, who served as a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II.
Edward Charles Stewart Robert Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902–1955)
Lady Margaret Frances Anne Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1910–1966), who married twice: initially to Frederick Alan Irving Muntz and subsequently to Hugh Falkus.
Lady Helen Maglona Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1911–1986), wed first in 1935 to Edward Jessel, 2nd Baron Jessel, with whom she had three children.
Lady Mairi Elizabeth Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1921–2009), married Derek William Charles Keppel, Viscount Bury; their daughters included Lady Elizabeth Mairi Keppel and Lady Rose Deirdre Margaret Keppel, both connected through marriage to prominent business families.

In addition to his legitimate children, Lord Londonderry fathered an illegitimate daughter, Dorothé Mabel Lewis (born 1900), with actress Fannie Ward. Dorothé first married Capt. Jack Barnato, nephew of mining tycoon Barney Barnato, and later wed Terence Plunket, 6th Baron Plunket, with whom she had three sons. Tragically, Lord and Lady Plunket perished together in a plane crash in 1938.

After experiencing a stroke following a gliding accident after World War II, Lord Londonderry died on 10 February 1949 at Mount Stewart, County Down, at age seventy.

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