Edward Knollys
Photo: Pelman, L (Lt), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons15

Edward Knollys

British peer, public servant and businessman

Edward George William Tyrwhitt Knollys, 2nd Viscount Knollys, GCMG, MBE, DFC (16 January 1895 – 3 December 1966) was a British peer, public servant, and businessman. He was Governor of Bermuda from 1941 to 1943.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Edward Knollys (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jan 16, 1895, died Dec 3, 1966.1

Companies

Early life and education

  • 1908 to 1912Harrow School3
  • Date not recordedNew College3

The eldest son of Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys, Private Secretary to the Sovereign, and of Lady Knollys (formerly the Honourable Ardyn Mary Tyrwhitt, daughter of Sir Henry Tyrwhitt, 3rd Baronet and Harriet Tyrwhitt, 12th Baroness Berners).

Knollys was educated at Harrow School and New College, Oxford. He was a page of honour to King Edward VII from 1904 to 1910 and to King George V from 1910 to 1911, carrying the King's train at the latter's coronation in 1911.

From Wikipedia’s article on Edward Knollys (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: diplomat, official, military officer, businessperson.7

He fought in the World War I, gaining the rank of Captain in the Queen's Westminsters of the Territorial Army (part of the British Army).

Upon the death of his father on 15 August 1924, he succeeded as the 2nd Viscount Knollys, of Caversham, and 2nd Baron Knollys, of Caversham. The Viscounts Knollys are members of the prominent Knollys family (pronounced "Nohlz") and are descended in the senior male line from William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury.

From 1941 to 1943, he served as the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda, after which he served as chairman of the British Overseas Airways Corporation between 1943 and 1947. He was a director of Barclays Bank and was chairman of Vickers between 1956 and 1962, also serving as chairman of Employer's Liability Assurance Corporation in 1960.

From Wikipedia’s article on Edward Knollys (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornJan 16, 1895, St James's Palace8
  • DiedDec 3, 1966, Bryanston Square9
  • CitizenshipUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom10
  • SpouseMargaret Mary Josephine Coats married 192811

On 11 October 1928, he was married to Margaret Mary Josephine Coats, daughter of Sir Stuart Coats, 2nd Baronet and Jane Muir Greenlees. Her brother, James Coats, married Lady Amy Gordon-Lennox (eldest daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 8th Duke of Richmond). Together they were the parents of:

Hon. Ardyne Mary Knollys (b. 1929), who married Ronald James Owen, son of James Richard Owen, in 1958.

David Francis Dudley Knollys, 3rd Viscount Knollys (1931–2023), who married Hon. Sheelin Virginia Maxwell, daughter of Lt.-Col. Hon. Somerset Arthur Maxwell (heir apparent to Arthur Maxwell, 11th Baron Farnham) and Angela Susan Roberts, in 1959.

Lord Knollys died at a nursing home in London on 3 December 1966. He was succeeded in his titles by his only son, David.

From Wikipedia’s article on Edward Knollys (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

  • 1962Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts12
  • 1952Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George12
  • 1941Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George12
  • 1919Distinguished Flying Cross12 13
  • 1919Member of the Order of the British Empire12
  • Date not recordedCroix de guerre 1914–191812
  • Date not recordedKnight of the Order of the Crown12

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15