David Charles Robert Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland (born 8 May 1959), is a British hereditary peer and landowner.
The Duke of Rutland | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The 11th Duke in 2015 | |
| Tenure | 4 January 1999 – present |
| Predecessor | Charles Manners, 10th Duke of Rutland |
| Born | David Charles Robert Manners 8 May 1959 |
| Nationality | British |
| Residence | Belvoir Castle |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Issue | Lady Violet Manners Lady Alice Manners Lady Eliza Manners Charles Manners, Marquess of Granby Lord Hugo Manners |
| Heir | Charles Manners, Marquess of Granby |
| Parents | Charles Manners, 10th Duke of Rutland Frances Sweeny |
Biography
editRutland is the elder son of the 10th Duke of Rutland by his second wife, the former Frances Sweeny. He was educated at Stanbridge Earls School, near Romsey in Hampshire, which has since closed. He succeeded his father in the titles on 4 January 1999.[1]
He has a younger brother, Lord Edward Manners, a sister, Lady Teresa Manners, and a half-sister, Lady Charlotte Manners.[1]
Rutland's ancestral home is Belvoir Castle in the northern part of Leicestershire. The Sunday Times Rich List 2013 estimated his personal fortune at £125 million, but he had to sell a painting to keep Belvoir Castle maintained.[2]
The Duke was a high-profile supporter of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and has hosted fundraising events at Belvoir Castle. He has stood in six House of Lords by-elections from 2005 to 2016.
In the summer of 2005, Rutland bought the Manners Arms Country Hotel and Restaurant in Knipton near Grantham, which had been built for the 6th Duke of Rutland as a hunting lodge during the 1880s. The Duchess took a leading part in the renovation work they carried out on the property.[3]
Marriage and children
editRutland married Emma Watkins, daughter of a Welsh farmer from Knighton, Powys, on 6 June 1992 at Belvoir Castle. They separated in 2012.[4] The couple have five children:[citation needed]
- Lady Violet Diana Louise Manners (born 18 August 1993)
- Lady Alice Louisa Lilly Manners (born 27 April 1995)
- Lady Eliza Charlotte Manners (born 17 July 1997)
- Charles John Montague Manners, Marquess of Granby (born 3 July 1999)
- Lord Hugo William James Manners (born 24 July 2003)
The Duchess runs the commercial activities of Belvoir Castle, including shooting parties, weddings and a range of furniture.[5]
Controversies
editIn 2016 the Duke was banned from driving for a year after amassing 24 points on his licence. The Duke was caught speeding twice in Nottinghamshire, once in North Yorkshire and again in Derbyshire in an eight-month period. He was also ordered to pay £3,025 in fines and costs. The Duke did not appear at the hearing.[6]
In July 2018 the Duke came under scrutiny for advertising positions for actors to perform unpaid at Belvoir Castle.[7] Performers' union Equity criticised the advertisement, saying it was "unacceptable" to ask actors to work unpaid; the advertisement was later removed.[8]
In October 2023 the Duke was widely criticised for burning a significant amount of moorland on his land surrounding Sheffield. The incident caused a major local air pollution incident and created calls for the burning of moors for grouse shooting to be outlawed.[9] The Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, described the incident as: "a moment of real anger and concern". The Duke "expressed his regret that so many fires had been set on the day in question and that lots of smoke had drifted across Sheffield", but did not attend or send a representative to the investigatory event organised for the following year.[10]
Coat of arms
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References
edit- ^ a b Burke's Peerage, volume 3 (2003), p. 3446
- ^ "Rich List 2013: No.=41 - Duke of Rutland (£125m)". Business Live. 28 January 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Manners, David - The Duke is a top gun". 25 July 2013.
- ^ Hutton, Caroline (11 June 2017). "A Life in the Day: the Duchess of Rutland" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Grice, Elizabeth (16 July 2012). "Emma Rutland". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Duke of Rutland banned from driving and fined £3,025". BBC News. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Duke of Rutland advertised for actors to work for free". BBC News. 26 July 2018.
- ^ "Actors asked to work without pay at Duke of Rutland's castle". BBC News Online. BBC. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ Hayes, Dan. "'The grouse farmers and landowners treat the people of Sheffield with abject contempt'". www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Weber, James; Val Martin, Maria; Bryant, Robert (19 October 2023). Impact of Moorland Fires on Sheffield Air Quality on 9th October 2023 (Report). The University of Sheffield.
External links
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