Robert Shirley, 13th Earl Ferrers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Earl Ferrers PC DL
Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In office January 1988 – May 1997
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	The Lord Belstead
Succeeded by	The Baroness Jay of Paddington
In office November 1979 – May 1983
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Lord Goronwy-Roberts
Succeeded by	The Lord Belstead
Minister of State for Environment and Countryside
In office 6 July 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	The Viscount Ullswater
Succeeded by	Michael Meacher
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs
In office 20 July 1994 – 6 July 1995
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Minister of State for Home Affairs
In office 10 January 1988 – 20 July 1994
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	The Earl of Caithness
Succeeded by	Michael Forsyth
Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 7 May 1979 – 13 June 1983
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Edward Stanley Bishop
Succeeded by	John Selwyn Gummer
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 8 January 1974 – 4 March 1974
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Peggy Fenner
Succeeded by	Roland Moyle
Lord-in-waiting Government Whip
In office 5 January 1971 – 8 January 1974
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	The Lord Bethell
Succeeded by	The Lord Sandys
In office 3 December 1962 – 10 October 1964
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Preceded by	The Marquess of Lothian
Succeeded by	Lord Hobson
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
as a hereditary peer 31 January 1955 – 11 November 1999
Preceded by	The 12th Earl Ferrers
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
as an elected hereditary peer 11 November 1999 – 13 November 2012
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	The 5th Viscount Ridley
Personal details
Born	Robert Washington Shirley (1929-06-08)8 June 1929
Died	13 November 2012(2012-11-13) (aged 83)
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Annabel Carr
Children	5
Parents	Robert Shirley, 12th Earl Ferrers Hermione Justice Morley

Robert Washington Shirley, 13th Earl Ferrers (8 June 1929 – 13 November 2012) was a British politician. He was known as Viscount Tamworth from 1937 to 1954. He was a member of the Conservative Party.

Lord Ferrers was a member of the House of Lords. This is part of the UK Parliament. He was one of the few people to work in the governments of five different Prime Ministers.

Early Life and Education

Robert Shirley was the only son of Robert Shirley, 12th Earl Ferrers. He was born on June 8, 1929.

He went to West Downs School and Winchester College. Later, he studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge. When his father passed away in 1954, Robert became the 13th Earl Ferrers. He took his place in the House of Lords in February 1955.

Military Service

Before his political career, Lord Ferrers served in the military. He joined the Coldstream Guards in 1948. He was a second lieutenant. He served in Malaya.

He was promoted to lieutenant in 1950. His time in the military helped prepare him for public service.

Political Career

Lord Ferrers had a long career in British politics. He served in various government roles. He worked under several Prime Ministers.

Early Roles

From 1962 to 1964, Lord Ferrers was a Lord-in-waiting. This role means he was a government whip. Whips help make sure party members vote in a certain way. He served under Harold Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home.

When the Conservative Party returned to power in 1971, he became a Lord-in-Waiting again. This lasted until 1974. After that, he worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). He was a Parliamentary Secretary there.

Minister of State Roles

When Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979, Lord Ferrers returned to MAFF. This time, he was a Minister of State. He held this role until 1983.

In 1988, he became a Minister of State at the Home Office. He stayed there until 1994. He then moved to the Department of Trade and Industry. Here, he focused on small businesses and consumer issues.

From 1995 to 1997, he was the Minister for the Environment. He worked at the Department of the Environment.

Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Lord Ferrers also held an important leadership role. He was the Deputy Leader of the House of Lords. He served in this position twice. The first time was from 1979 to 1983. The second time was from 1988 to 1997.

Changes in the House of Lords

In 1999, a new law changed the House of Lords. Most hereditary peers lost their automatic right to sit there. However, Lord Ferrers was one of 92 hereditary peers elected to remain. He came in first place in the vote. This allowed him to continue serving in the House of Lords.

Other Important Roles

In 1982, he became a Privy Counsellor. This is a group of senior advisors to the King or Queen.

He was also involved in several other organizations:

• He was a Vice-President of the Royal Stuart Society.
• He was a leader in the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem.
• He served as High Steward of Norwich Cathedral from 1979 to 2007.
• He was a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Norfolk from 1983. He retired from this role in 2004.

Personal Life

In 1951, Robert Shirley, then Viscount Tamworth, married Annabel Carr. They had five children together.

Their children are:

• Robert William Saswalo Shirley (born 1952), who became the 14th Earl Ferrers.
• Lady Angela Mary Shirley (born 1954).
• Lady Sallyanne Margaret Shirley (1957–2011).
• Lady Selina Clare Shirley (1958–1998). An award at the Royal Academy was created in her memory.
• Andrew John Carr Sewallis Shirley (born 1965).

The family's country home is Ditchingham Hall. It is located near the village of Ditchingham in south Norfolk. Lord Ferrers also ran farms in nearby villages.