Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baron Derwent


Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baron Derwent, known as Sir Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 3rd Baronet, from 1869 to 1881, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician. He served for ten years as a Member of Parliament, before becoming a peer with a seat in the House of Lords.

Career

Derwent was the son of Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 2nd Baronet, and Louisa Augusta Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, daughter of the Most Reverend Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, Archbishop of York. He succeeded as second Baronet on the death of his father in 1869 and the same year he also succeeded his father as MP for Scarborough, a seat he held until 1880. In 1881 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Derwent, of Hackness in the North Riding of the County of York.
As a young man he served as a lieutenant in the 2nd Life Guards, and on 22 January 1863 he was commissioned as major in the 1st Administrative Brigade of Yorkshire Artillery Volunteers.

Family

Lord Derwent married Charlotte Mills, daughter of Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet, of Hillingdon Court,Hillingdon at Burke's. in 1850. They had nine children:
Lady Derwent died in 1901. Lord Derwent survived her by fifteen years and died in March 1916, aged 87. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son Francis.