Walter Hore-Ruthven, 10th Lord Ruthven of Freeland


Walter Patrick Hore-Ruthven, 10th Lord Ruthven of Freeland, 2nd Baron Ruthven of Gowrie, , known as Master of Ruthven from 1870 to 1921, was a senior British Army officer. He served as Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding London District from 1924 to 1928, and was then Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey until 1934.

Military career

Hore-Ruthven was commissioned into the 3rd battalion of the Princess Louise's as a second lieutenant in 1887. He transferred to regular service in the Scots Guards on 25 July 1891, was promoted to lieutenant on 12 February 1896, and to captain on 11 October 1899. He served in the Second Boer War, where he took part in the Battle of Magersfontein on 10-11 December 1899, in which the defending Boer force defeated the advancing British forces amongst heavy casualties for the latter. He was mentioned in the despatch from Lord Methuen describing the battle. On 1 January 1902 he was appointed regimental Adjutant of the Scots Guards.
He later served in the First World War. He succeeded as 2nd Baron Ruthven of Gowrie and as 10th Lord Ruthven of Freeland in 1921.
After the war he became Commander of the Bangalore Brigade in India and in 1924 he was appointed Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding London District. In 1929 he was made Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey. He retired in 1935.

Background and family

Educated at Eton College, Lord Ruthven was the son of Walter James Hore-Ruthven, 9th Lord Ruthven of Freeland and Lady Caroline Annesley Gore, a daughter of Philip Gore, 4th Earl of Arran. He married Jean Leslie Lampson, who was a granddaughter of Curtis Lampson, in 1895 and had issue:
After Jean Lampson's death in 1952, Lord Ruthven remarried Judith Gordon Bell.

Titles

Lord Ruthven's surname and title originated from his Irish great-grandfather Walter Hore's marriage to Scottish noblewoman Mary Ruthven, Lady Ruthven of Freeland. Walter legally changed his surname to Hore-Ruthven.
As his more senior title was in the Peerage of Scotland and may be inherited by female descendants, it is currently held by the Carlisle branch of the Howard family through Lady Ruthven's first marriage. The junior title Baron Ruthven of Gowrie may only pass through male descendants and is held by his great-nephew Grey Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie.