Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
NameCharles John LYTTLETON KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC, DL 10th Viscount Cobham , 10466
Birth1909
Death1977
FatherJohn LYTTLETON 9th Viscount Cobham , 10464 (1881-1949)
MotherViolet Yolande LEONARD , 10465 (-1966)
Spouses
Marriage1942
Notes for Charles John LYTTLETON KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC, DL 10th Viscount Cobham
Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC, DL (8 August 1909 – 20 March 1977) was the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand and an English cricketer.

Background and education

Lyttelton was born in Kensington, London, the son of John Lyttelton, 9th Viscount Cobham, and Violet Yolande Leonard. [1] He was cousin of the musician Humphrey Lyttelton. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated with a law degree in 1932.[2] He had a family connection to New Zealand, where he was to become Governor-General, through his great-grandfather George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton, who was chairman of the Canterbury Association and had contributed financially to the early development of Christchurch. Hagley Park is named after their family estate, and the port town of Lyttelton bears his great-grandfather's name. Cobham visited New Zealand in 1950 in relation to property holdings in Christchurch.

Military service

Lyttelton joined the Territorial Army in 1933. He serviced in World War II with the Expeditionary Force in France from 1940. He was commander of the 5th Regiment from 1943.[1]
Lyttelton was made Honorary Colonel of Queen's Own Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry on 1 April 1969.[3]

Political career



Lord Cobham (centre) arriving in Wellington in September 1957. Prime Minister Sidney Holland (left) and Sir Harold Eric Barrowclough stand alongside.

After the war, he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and enter the House of Commons. However, his father died in 1949, and Lyttelton succeeded him as Viscount Cobham, precluding a career as a Commoner.

Cobham became the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand on 5 September 1957. Although from aristocratic background, he proved popular with the population. He was seen as an outdoors man with a sporting prowess in cricket, golf, and a competent rugby judge. He was good with a gun and an enthusiastic fly fisherman. All these attributes resonated well with New Zealanders.[1] Significant events during his tenure included the independence of Samoa and the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Cobham served under three Prime Ministers: Sidney Holland (1949–1957), Keith Holyoake (1957 and 1960–1972) and Walter Nash (1957–1960). He was most careful to not comment on controversial matters, and had a good working relationship with all three of them. He was instrumental in setting up the outdoor education organisation Outward Bound in New Zealand. He opened the Outward Bound school in Anakiwa near Picton in September 1962, which bears his name. He visited the school again during 1966 and was pleased with the progress that had been made. He served until 13 September 1962. He was a skilled orator and a book of his speeches sold 50,000 copies. Cobham donated the £10,000 profit to Outward Bound. Cobham Oval in Whangarei and Cobham Court in Porirua are named after him.[1]

Cricket

Lyttelton enjoyed a fairly substantial career in first-class cricket, playing more than 90 times for Worcestershire in the 1930s and captaining the club between 1936 and 1939.

He made his first-class debut against Gloucestershire in June 1932, but made a duck in his only innings and did not reappear for two years. He played five times in 1934, but it was only the following season that he became established in the side, playing about twenty matches a year from then until the Second World War, with the exception of 1937 when he appeared only twice.

Lyttelton's highest score (and only first-class century) was the 162 he made against Leicestershire in 1938, but he made many other useful if lesser contributions with the bat, reaching fifty on 14 further occasions. His most productive year was 1938, when he scored 741 runs at an average of 21.17.

With the ball, his first victim (in July 1934) was Charlie Barnett, while in 1935 he produced his best innings' bowling, claiming 4–83 against the South Africans. However, after 1935 his bowling became a largely occasional part of his game, and with the exception of nine wickets in 1938 he never again took more than three in a season.

Lyttelton's cricketing career proper ended with the outbreak of war, but (now listed on the scorecard as Lord Cobham, having succeeded to the title in 1949) he played for an "MCC New Zealand Touring Team" against a strong "London New Zealand Club" side in 1954, taking two wickets including that of Bill Merritt. Remarkably, however, he made a one-off return to first-class action aged 51 in February 1961, more than two decades after his previous appearance at that level, when as New Zealand Governor-General he captained an eponymous side against MCC at Auckland; he showed he still had ability with a handy first-innings 44 from number ten in the order.

As well as the matches mentioned above, Lyttelton also played ten games for MCC: one against Oxford University in 1935, and nine on MCC's tour of Australia and New Zealand during the winter that followed.

A number of his relatives played first-class cricket. His great-grandfather George played for Cambridge University in the 1830s, his grandfather (also Charles) turned out for a selection of teams including Cambridge and MCC in the 1860s, his father John made a handful of appearances for Worcestershire in the 1920s, and his uncle – another Charles – played for Worcestershire, Cambridge and MCC before the First World War.

Family

Lord Cobham married Elizabeth Alison Makeig-Jones on 30 April 1942 at Chelsea, London. The marriage produced four sons and four daughters. He died in Marylebone, London, on 20 March 1977, and was survived by his wife and children.
Last Modified 27 Aug 2012Created 4 Mar 2023 using Reunion for Macintosh