Edgar Keatinge
Major Sir Edgar Mayne Keatinge CBE JP (3 February 1905 – 7 August 1998)[1] was an English farmer, soldier and Conservative Party politician. He is best known for having served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury St Edmunds from 1944 to 1945, after a high-profile by-election. He disliked the name Edgar and preferred to introduce himself as "Mike". An obituarist describes him as "a simple and loyal man who had, for a brief period, endured a significant role in national life; and discharged his duty with honour".
Early life
Keatinge was born in Bombay, India (now
His father, Gerald Francis (1872–1965), had now retired and was running a modest family estate in Teffont Evias, inherited via Gerald's mother, Ellen-Flora Mayne, Mrs Keatinge (1828/29-1907), the third and youngest daughter of John Thomas Mayne, FRS, of Teffont (1792–1843).
In 1929 or 1930, Edgar took an aeroplane from France, arriving home days before he was expected. He was initially annoyed to find a guest in his room. This was Katherine Burrell, whose father Reginald was prospering as a fruit farmer in
When, after a serious illness, he returned to
Member of Parliament
He was a member of
In January 1944 the Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds, Lieutenant-Colonel
However, Liberal Party activist Margery Corbett Ashby decided to contest the seat. She resigned her position in the Liberal Party, and stood as an Independent Liberal candidate with the support of the socialist Common Wealth Party.[7] The contest gained national attention, and became seen as a test of the credibility of the government.[2] The poll was held on 29 February, when Keatinge held the seat[8] after a hard-fought campaign unfamiliar in a safe seat, but with a majority of only 12%.[7]
Later life
He did not stand again at the 1945 general election.[7] His father, Gerald Keatinge, had transferred to him the ownership of the family's 460 acres (190 ha) estate of Teffont Evias, near Salisbury in Wiltshire.[9]
The estate was in a ruinous condition after the war; large areas had been covered with concrete by the US
In Wiltshire, after recovery from severe
Family
His wife, Katharine Burrell, died in 1990. They had one daughter and a son,[2] William,[12][13][14] to whom Sir Edgar transferred the Teffont Evias estate in portions between 1967 and 1981.[9] William thus received a forestry award for the woodland that Edgar had planted and nurtured on the Air Force site. He died in 1998, aged 93.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 6)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cosgrave, Patrick (13 August 1998). "Obituary: Sir Edgar Keatinge". The Independent. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Conservative Candidate at Bury St. Edmunds". The Times. 28 January 1944. p. 8.
- ^ "Heilgers". Parliament website. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-907278-03-7.
- ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
- ^ ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ^ "No. 36407". The London Gazette. 3 March 1944. p. 1064.
- ^ a b Jane Freeman; Janet H. Stevenson (1987). D. A. Crowley (ed.). "Parishes: Teffont Evias". A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 13: South-west Wiltshire: Chalke and Dunworth hundreds. pp. 185–195. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ^ "No. 42087". The London Gazette. 8 July 1960. p. 4729.
- ^ "The Birthday Honours: List Of Awards In Full". The Times. 11 June 1960. p. 3.
- ^ "Professor W . R. Keatinge. Scientist who showed that denizens of temperate climes are more likely to die of heat or cold than those in torrid or icy zones". The Times. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- S2CID 58284573.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
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External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Edgar Keatinge
- National Register of Archives: Sir Edgar Keatinge of Teffont Evias