Fitzroy Richard Somerset, Baron Raglan | |
---|---|
Lord Raglan in front of Raglan Castle
|
|
Born | Fitzroy Richard Somerset 10 June 1885 12 Albert Mansions, Victoria Street, Westminster |
Died | 14 September 1964 | (aged 79)
Known for | Soldier Author Amateur Anthropologist |
Residence | Cefntilla Court |
Locality | Llandenny, Monmouthshire, Wales |
Predecessor | George Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan |
Successor | FitzRoy John Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan |
Spouse(s) | Julia Hamilton (1923–1964) |
Issue |
|
Parents |
George Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan Ethel Jemima Ponsonby |
Fitzroy Richard Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan (10 June 1885 – 14 September 1964) was a British soldier, author, and amateur anthropologist. He is best known for his book The Hero, A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama in which he demonstrates that the life stories of many figures from myth and legend follow a common pattern of events, supporting his thesis that this pattern is drawn from the narrative of a ritual drama.
FitzRoy Richard Somerset, heir to the peerage title Baron Raglan, was born on 10 June 1885 to George Fitzroy Henry Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan and his wife Lady Ethel Jemima Ponsonby. He was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and received a commission as Second lieutenant in the Militia regiment the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers on 10 June 1902. In 1905 he entered the British Army and was commissioned in the Grenadier Guards. His military career included working as an aide-de-camp to the governor of Hong Kong, service in the Egyptian army from 1913 to 1919, district commissioner in Sudan and as a political officer in Palestine and Transjordan. In recognition of his services in Egypt he was made an Officer of the Order of the Nile. He retired from the military in 1922 with the rank of major.
With the death of his father in 1921, he assumed the title 4th Baron Raglan and, after retiring from the army, returned to his ancestral home, Cefntilla Court near Usk in Monmouthshire. He was very active in local affairs. He was a Justice of the Peace for the county as early as 1909 and served for twenty-one years (1928–49) as a member of the former Monmouthshire county council . He took a great interest in the Boy Scout movement and was county commissioner for Monmouthshire for twenty seven years (1927–54). He served as Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire from 1942 until 1964.