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The Lord-Lieutenants and their Deputies

The county personified

Miles Jebb
Phillimore, 216pp, £25,

Juliet Townsend

Wednesday, 12th March 2008

Juliet Townsend on the new book from Miles Jebb

Through the 18th and early 19th centuries the Lieutenancy was seen as a political appointment, but by 1884 Lord Rosebery described the office as one of ‘mere ornament and repose’. In the intervening century much has changed. Who could dispute, looking at the dustjacket picture of that fine figure of a man Sir Thomas Dunne, present doyen of Lieutenants, that the holder of the office in full uniform can still be an ornament? — but there is precious little repose about the job, which has accrued, over time, responsibility for supporting every kind of volunteering activity, including the Magistracy and Reserve Forces, and for being the focal point for celebrating events such as the Millennium or the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

There are many misconceptions which all Lord Lieutenants encounter. They are constantly confused with the High Sheriff and are asked whether they have enjoyed ‘their year,’ which can be irritating for those who have been labouring diligently for a quarter of a century. It is also assumed that their only task is presiding over royal visits. Jebb does much to dispel these errors, and entertains the reader along the way with anecdotes about some of the more eccentric examples; the Marquess of Aberdeen, for instance, who tried to introduce the Queen to the Queen Mother at the Braemar Games, or the ‘Red Lord Lieutenant,’ Sir Charles Trevelyan, who decorated his gateposts at Wallington with the Royal coat of arms on one side and the hammer and sickle on the other.

Some lieutenancies have encountered problems with the reorganisation of local government. Berkshire is now administered by six unitary authorities, with no county council. When the Lord Lieutenant plaintively inquired of a Downing Street official, ‘where is Berkshire now?’ he received the daunting reply: ‘You are Berkshire.’

It was good to see the Deputy Lieutenants receive due recognition in the book. An institution which can boast Samuel Pepys and Penelope Keith among its members, must have something to recommend it.

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