David Macpherson, 2nd Baron Strathcarron

David William Anthony Blyth Macpherson, 2nd Baron Strathcarron (23 January 1924 – 31 August 2006), was best known as the "motorcycling peer". He inherited the Barony on his father's death in 1937, but lost his automatic right to a seat in the House of Lords with the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999.

Lord Strathcarron's father was

private pilot

after the war, until the 1980s.

His interest in motor vehicles began in his youth, when he learned to drive in his mother's 1932

Hoot!

entitled "View from a Peer".

During his time in Parliament, Lord Strathcarron was involved in many motoring issues, and was chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Motorcycling Group. He was involved in working with the Motor Cycle Industry Association to create the system of Compulsory Basic Training for learner motorcyclists, introduced in December 1990. He usually voted with the Conservative Party, but rarely spoke.^[1]

Outside Parliament, he was a President of the

Vintage Sports Car Club, the Driving Instructors' Association, the Vehicle Builders and Repairers' Association, the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, the Institute of the Motor Industry and the Order of the Road

.

He died seven weeks after a motorcycling accident involving a

Mr Toad". He married four times, and was survived by his fourth wife, Diana. The title was inherited by Ian Macpherson, 3rd Baron Strathcarron

, the elder of the two sons from his second marriage.

Arms

Coat of arms of David Macpherson, 2nd Baron Strathcarron
	Crest A cat-a-mountain sejant guardant having its dexter paw raised Proper. Escutcheon Per fess Or and Azure a galley of the first masts oars and tacking Proper flagged Gules in the dexter chief point a hand couped fesswise holding a dagger palewise and in the sinister a cross crosslet fitchee of the last over all a fess chequy of the second and Argent. Supporters Dexter a private soldier of the Cameron Highlanders in full service dress of the period 1916-18 sinister a Macpherson clansman of the period of 1745. Motto Le Cridhe's Le Cliu^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Andrew Roth (13 September 2006). "Lord Strathcarron: A peer for the motor racing fraternity". The Guardian.
^ Burke's Peerage. 1956.

External links

Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 12 September 2006
Obituary, The Times, 2 October 2006
David Macpherson profile at The 500 Owners Association

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Ian Macpherson	Baron Strathcarron 1937–2006	Succeeded by Ian Macpherson
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Ian Macpherson	Baronet (of Drumalban) 1937–2006	Succeeded by Ian Macpherson

[Guardian-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Andrew Roth (13 September 2006). "Lord Strathcarron: A peer for the motor racing fraternity". The Guardian.

[2] Burke's Peerage. 1956.

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