Charles Williams, Baron Williams of Elvel
Charles Williams, Baron Williams of Elvel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Cuthbert Powell Williams 9 February 1933 |
| Died | 30 December 2019 (aged 86) Chelsea, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Business leader, politician, cricketer |
| Years active | 1950s–2019 |
| Known for | British business leadership, Labour life peerage, first-class cricket career |
| Notable work | Gentlemen & Players: The Death of Amateurism in Cricket (2012) |
Charles Cuthbert Powell Williams, Baron Williams of Elvel, (9 February 1933 – 30 December 2019), was a prominent British business leader, Labour life peer, and member of the House of Lords. In his twenties, he engaged in first-class cricket during his university years and continued to play for several seasons afterward. He was also the stepfather of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Early life
Born on 9 February 1933, Williams was the son of Dr Norman Powell Williams, who held the position of Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford from 1927 to 1943, and Muriel de Lérisson Cazenove, belonging to a landed gentry lineage. His education included attendance at Westminster School followed by Christ Church, Oxford, where he obtained a BA in literae humaniores in 1955 and subsequently an MA. Later, he earned a BSc from the London School of Economics in 1964. Between 1955 and 1957, Williams fulfilled his National Service as a Subaltern stationed at the Headquarters of the King's Royal Rifle Corps in Winchester and Libya.
Cricket career
Williams was a right-handed batsman who typically occupied the middle order. Throughout his career, he appeared in 87 first-class cricket matches—40 representing Essex and 42 playing for Oxford University. His debut for Oxford University came in 1952 when he scored 53 runs against Sussex. The following year, he recorded his maiden century with an innings of 115 versus Free Foresters. The 1954 season marked his first achievement of surpassing 1,000 runs in a year, accumulating 1,128 runs at an average of 30.48; highlights included innings of 115 against Lancashire and an unbeaten 139 against Hampshire.
In 1955, Williams captained Oxford University. Although the team faced a difficult season without any victories and interruptions due to weather, he started strongly by scoring 120 against Gloucestershire. After completing university, he secured his first County Championship century for Essex with a score of 119 against Leicestershire and ended that season with his highest run total and average: 1,219 runs at an average of 31.25.
During his National Service period (1956–57), Williams played cricket sporadically but notably scored an unbeaten 125 for Combined Services against Warwickshire in 1956. He also represented Essex and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), taking part in the Gentlemen v Players fixture—the final chapter before amateur cricket was discontinued.
Williams returned to play for Essex in 1958, bringing additional reliability to their batting order; however, his success was limited during his last first-class appearances in 1959. His playing career coincided with cricket’s transformation from amateurism to professionalism—a transition he later explored in his 2012 publication titled Gentlemen & Players: The Death of Amateurism in Cricket.
Business career
From 1958 until 1964, Williams was employed by British Petroleum Co. Ltd. Between 1964 and 1966, he acted as personal assistant to the manager of the Guatemala branch of the Bank of London and Montreal. He then worked in mergers and acquisitions at Eurofinance SA Paris from 1966 to 1970. His tenure as managing director at Baring Bros & Co. Ltd spanned from 1971 to 1977. Subsequently, Williams chaired the Price Commission between 1977 and 1979 and served on the board of Mirror Group Newspapers plc from 1985 through to 1992. Additionally, he held managing director roles at Henry Ansbacher & Co. Ltd (1979–1982) and at Henry Ansbacher Holdings (1982–1985).
Public service
Williams unsuccessfully contested the Colchester seat as a Labour candidate during the 1964 General Election and later pursued the Labour nomination for Vauxhall in 1976. He served as chair of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields from 1988 to 1990 and was a trustee at Westminster School between 1989 and 1999. As president of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales from 1989 to 1995, he played a leading role and continued to hold significant positions within the organization afterward. Honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1980, he was elevated to the peerage in 1985 as Baron Williams of Elvel, representing Labour in the House of Lords. In 2013, he was appointed to the Privy Council.
Personal life
In 1975, Williams wed Jane Gillian Portal (1929–2023). His stepson is the Most Reverend Justin Welby, the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, who acknowledged Williams as a supportive stepfather. Williams passed away due to heart disease at his residence in Chelsea on 30 December 2019, aged 86.
Works
- 1993: The Last Great Frenchman: A Life of General de Gaulle
- 1996: Bradman: An Australian Hero
- 2000: Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany
- 2005: Pétain, recipient of the 2006 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography
- 2009: Harold Macmillan
- 2012: Gentlemen & Players: The Death of Amateurism in Cricket