Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, Elsebet Drax (m. 1998), Zara Drax (m. 19851997). The department needs to respond to the very real concerns of beleaguered NHS professionals.Neil MacehiterGreat Shelford, Cambridge. Sir Hilary Beckles, a prominent Barbadian historian of slavery, said Drax must acknowledge the wealth brought to the family by slavery. The MP declined to comment this week. Richardmarried Christian Drax (born Falos (Fullas or Faloys))circa 1366, at age 29 at marriage place. Truss on 149, Sunak on 132. He'd neglected to mention it on the House of Commons Register of Members' Interests until 29 December 2020, despite the estate being in his family for more than 400 years. [11] Drax retained his seat in the 2015 general election with an increased majority and the 2017 general election. Six were burnt alive, and 11 beheaded. Nurses leader: we dont have enough staff to keep all our patients safe. Following his death in 1887 the house and estate at Olantigh passed to his nephew, Wanley Ellis Sawbridge-Erle-Drax, who again shared his time between Charborough and Olantigh, until 1903 when the house burnt down. For full article, see https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/12/hes-the-mp-with-the-downton-abbey-lifestyle-but-the-shadow-of-slavery-hangs-over-the-gilded-life-of-richard-drax. He is a privileged person to have this in his gift.Angela SingerCambridge, It is perhaps to be expected, but nevertheless disappointing, that after generations of his family enjoying so much more than their fair share of the fruits of nature and the labour of others, including slaves, Richard Drax seems unable to rise above himself and take some responsibility, as a few more honourable others have done, for the cost to his fellow humans, past and present, of his inherited property, accumulated wealth and self-serving politics. Tax Justice Network chief Alex Cobham said of Mr Draxs new records: Its difficult to see how this error could have been made in a way that was neither knowing nor reckless.. The MPs spokesman said: Richard was made aware on February 5 of omissions in the Companies House filings in relation to unlimited Abbots Court Farm and Anderson Manor Farm. By 1839, the estate was 840 acres. It was suggested the then leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, had asked wealthy Conservative candidates to shorten their names to appear more in touch with normal people. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Let me declare my personal position at the outset. David Comissiong, Barbadoss ambassador to Caricom, says of the Drax family: You cant simply walk away from the scene of the crime. The rape of female slaves was also common, punishable only by a small fine. In St George Parish, where the 620-acre Drax sugar plantation still employs 13 people and indirectly supports many more there are mixed opinions on the reparations claim. Like many of his ancestors, Drax is a Dorset MP and is probably the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons, with 5,600 hectares of farmland and woodlands. This was so new and startling that even Powell called it a colossal undertaking, while recognising that his ideas required care in the community (a phrase he did not use). South Dorset MP Richard Drax, 62, own Drax Hall in Saint George, Barbados The plantation had a workforce of 327 enslaved people for nearly 200 years Sir Hilary Beckles is demanding he pays. ), became owner of Drax Hall. On Friday, the MP said he does not yet legally own the Barbados holdings as these are still going through the probate process and have not yet transferred to my name. Erle-Drax's two daughters pre-deceased him. Drax since married Norwegian-born Elsebet Bdtker and has four children in total. As a writer who abhors racism in all its forms, I find it uncomfortable to defend Mr Drax, an old Etonian former Coldstream Guard on the right of the Conservative Party. The Draxes also owned a slave plantation in Jamaica which they sold in the 18th century. According to David Denny, a self-proclaimed Barbadian revolutionary, the Tory politician should donate hundreds of millions towards the building of schools, roads, health centres and other community projects. The process has been complicated, which led to this accidental oversight., Get UK politics insight with our free daily email briefing straight to your inbox. Selected as a Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate in July 2006, at the general election in May 2010 Drax defeated the incumbent Labour Member of Parliament for South Dorset, Jim Knight, later Baron Knight of Weymouth. Richard Drax was gifted the plantation by his father. The "new" Drax killed Lunatik and one of the Blood Brothers. The Sawbridge and Erle-Drax families had estates in Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Yorkshire (including Ellerton Abbey), Lincolnshire, Surrey, Suffolk and Barbados. The Drax wealth may be hidden by a great wall of secrecy and unanswered questions away from prying eyes. It sounds a comparatively modest sum, but by then their 200 years of profits had been invested in English properties and businesses. [21], In May 2022, Drax criticised the decision by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to introduce a windfall tax on oil and gas firms to fund economic support for the public during the cost of living crisis, accusing him of "throwing red meat to socialists". But it is Richard Drax MPs inheritance in Barbados, amassed over centuries by his ancestors ownership and appalling treatment of African people which drags him into the spotlight. The latest examples of this can be seen in the confusing and expensive mess of managing Covid-19. Tweet. Yet to my mind there is something fundamentally unfair about singling out any individual and holding him responsible for the horrors of slavery; a practice that was mercifully outlawed five generations before he was born after an abolition campaign led by Britain. We've been true to that purpose since brothers Henry and Richard Bloch founded our company in 1955. Home U.K. He holds the lordship of the manor of Longburton and is a major landowner in east Dorset. Medic who doctored his pay and swindled 68,000 from the NHS Nurses are prepared to walk out of A&E and not provide Grinning and bearing it? About 20m a huge sum was then paid out to compensate slave owners. Should individual Danes be forced to compensate the United Kingdom for the rape and pillage of Viking invasions? As always you can unsubscribe at any time. His grandson Henry concurred. . The current owner is Richard Drax, a British member of parliament, who inherited the property after the death of his father, Henry Walter Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (1928-2017), a former High Sheriff of Dorset. Richard Drax is the Conservative MP for South Dorset, and has been an MP continuously since 6 May 2010. The TV presenter and historian David Olusoga says: The Drax family are one of the few who were pioneers in the early stages of the British slave economy back in the 17th century and, generations later, still owned plantations and enslaved people at the end of British slavery in the 1830s. The Mirror's newsletter brings you the latest news, exciting showbiz and TV stories, sport updates and essential political information. Richard Drax, 1352 - 1370RichardDrax13521370 A Tory MP whose family made millions through slavery is facing calls for an investigation into his company records. Richard Drax, the Conservative MP for South Dorset, has inherited the Drax Hall plantation in Barbados after his fathers death in 2017. Official sources in Bridgetown, Barbados, confirmed the MP now farms Drax Hall. [citation needed], His first wife (divorced 1997) was Zara Legge-Bourke, younger sister of the royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, relations of the Earl of Dartmouth. His great-uncle was the celebrated writer and playwright the 18th Lord Dunsany, and his maternal grandfather was General the Lord Weeks. Since his wealth is based on murder, kidnap and theft, the least he can do is return his plantation in Barbados to its rightful owners, the people who live there now. Richard Draxs assertion that no one can be held responsible today for what happened many hundreds of years ago might sound a little less disingenuous if he wasnt personally profiting to such a vast extent from the appalling actions of his own ancestors (Wealthy MP urged to pay up for his familys slave trade past, News). Once that process is completed, I will of course register it in proper accordance with the rules. John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge was the eldest son of Samuel Elias Sawbridge (b.1769 - d.1851), an MP and landowner, and the grandson of John Sawbridge (1732?-1795), MP for Hythe 1768-74 and for London 1774-1795 and Lord Mayor of London in 1775. Male birth control gel you rub on your SHOULDERS could be available within a decade as scientists claim What lack of sleep REALLY does to your face: Expert reveals the warning signs your skin is suffering. (LogOut/ See for the whole family, Burke, vol. Drax was born on 29 January 1958 in Westminster. Barbados is not a Third World country, he said. NEW ROMNEY1818 - 8 Feb. 1819Family and Education b. 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[28], At least six of his ancestors, including John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge Erle-Drax and the 17th Lord Dunsany, were Members of Parliament for Dorset and Gloucestershire between the 1680s and 1880s. Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of the 20-state Caribbean Communitys (Caricom) Reparations Commission and vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies, estimates that as many 30,000 slaves died on the Drax plantations in Barbados andJamaicaover 200 years. Pamela Weeks (19312019) and a grandson of Admiral The Hon. They are demanding that South Dorset MP Richard Drax, who now owns the estate, must pay a vast sum to compensate for the historic sins of his forebears. Its not what I stand for and I ignore it., On Friday, Drax said: I am keenly aware of the slave trade in the West Indies, and the role my very distant ancestor played in it is deeply, deeply regrettable, but no one can be held responsible today for what happened many hundreds of years ago. He also admitted that he had never given Mr Drax a second thought until he was contacted by Dorset-based members of Stand Up to Racism. So, how much is Richard Drax worth at the age of 64 years old? In response, Drax replied in the Dorset Echo that: 'I cant be held responsible for something that happened 300 or 400 years ago. The Park, with its outstanding garden and ancient deer park, is just a part of the 14,000 acres of Charborough estate that makes Drax and his family the largest individual landowners in Dorset. I think its more of a moral argument, he said, adding that Mr Drax would be well-advised to save his reputation by accepting responsibility, apologising, and volunteering a substantial sum towards opening a slavery awareness museum, or some similar project. This article was amended on 13 December 2020 because an earlier version referred to the Caribbean Reparations Commission (Caricom) To clarify: Caricom is the Caribbean Community, an organisation of fifteen states and dependencies throughout the Caribbean. A wealthy Tory MP is facing demands to pay reparations for his familys part in the Caribbean slave trade after the Observer revealed that he now controls the plantation where his ancestors created the first slave-worked sugar plantation in the British empire almost 400 years ago. On December 13 we told how the MP for South Dorset had taken control of the 250-hectare sugar plantation, which had a slave workforce from 1640-1836. He is from . Annihilation. According to David Denny, a self-proclaimed Barbadian revolutionary, the Tory politician should donate hundreds of millions towards the building of schools, roads, health centres and other community projects. Over 200 years, 30,000 slaves died at this and the other Drax plantations, according to Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Chair of CARICOM's Reparations Commission. He replied: I cant be held responsible for something that happened 300 or 400 years ago. Drax said it was an attempt to smear him. At Olantigh, large picture galleries and collections of art, Venetian Towers and garden ornaments, such as a huge fountain at the entrance, were added. He also added other assets we highlighted as missing, including land in North Yorkshire and property in Dorset and in Surrey. Drax rarely comments on his ancestors history of slave owning. Richard Drax is known for PMQs (2010), The Sarah-Jane Mee Show (2019) and South at Six (1961). Never miss a moment by signing up to our newsletter here. He had relied upon his accountants to file the necessary accounts and, when he was made aware of the unintended omission, instructed them to immediately rectify the position.. Matthew Parkers masterful book includes harrowing first-hand accounts of the trials they suffered after being crammed into galleys (where up to a quarter died of disease and suffocation) and shipped across the Atlantic. not a Conservative politician, journalist, landowner and former British Army officer, serving as MP for S.Dorset Bere Regis, England Joined October 2020 1,421 Following 1,395 Followers Tweets & replies Media Pinned Tweet Britain outlawed slave trading in 1807, and ownership of slaves was banned in 1833. Since then, we've grown to have approximately 12,000 offices throughout the United States and . The two firms on his Register of Members Interest declaration were registered as dormant. The lineage of Richard Erle Drax Grosvenor and the Drax family was: [1] He was educated at Harrow School before going to the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester where he graduated with a diploma in rural land management in 1990, receiving a further diploma in journalism in 1995. Richard Draxs income source is mostly from being a successful Politician. "He could donate his inheritance to the island on which it stands and still have plenty of property left.. Richard was delighted to re-elected the MP for South Dorset in December 2019. [1], Drax is the eldest son of Henry Walter Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (19282017)[27] JP DL and The Hon. He did this after we asked Companies House about his finances. Richard Drax's net worth Brother of Henry Drax (-1790) and father of Sarah Frances Drax who married Richard Grosvenor (who became Richard Erle Drax Grosvenor [q.v.]). If this request is refused, the government intends to take the matter to an international arbitration court. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous Politician. [18], During the 2019 UK General Election Drax apologised after his Land Rover, with a campaign poster on the vehicle, was photographed parking across two disabled parking spaces outside his campaign headquarters. 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