Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham

The Right Honourable The Viscount Cobham KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC
Lord Cobham in September 1957
9th Governor-General of New Zealand
In office 5 September 1957 – 13 September 1962
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	The Lord Norrie
Succeeded by	Bernard Fergusson
Personal details
Born	8 August 1909 Kensington, London United Kingdom
Died	20 March 1977(1977-03-20) (aged 67) Marylebone, London United Kingdom

Lord Cobham

Personal information
Full name	Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham
Born	8 August 1909(1909-08-08) Kensington, England
Died	20 March 1977(1977-03-20) (aged 67) Marylebone, England
Batting style	Right-hand
Bowling style	Right-arm medium
Role	Bowler
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1932–1939	Worcestershire
1935–1936	MCC
First-class debut	25 June 1932 Worcestershire v Gloucestershire
Last First-class	24 February 1961 New Zealand Governor's XI v MCC
Career statistics
Competition	FC
Matches	104
Runs scored	3,181
Batting average	20.26
100s/50s	1/13
Top score	162
Balls bowled	2,195
Wickets	32
Bowling average	41.18
5 wickets in innings	0
10 wickets in match	0
Best bowling	4/83
Catches/stumpings	52/–
Source: cricketarchive.com, 14 August 2007

Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC (8 August 1909 – 20 March 1977) was the 9th Governor-General of New Zealand and English cricketer.

Early life and family

Charles Lyttelton was born in Kensington, London, the son of Violet Yolande Leonard and her husband, John Lyttelton, 9th Viscount Cobham.^[1] He was educated at Eton College and Cambridge. He graduated with a law degree in 1932.^[2]

He had a family connection to New Zealand, where he was to become Governor-General, through his great-grandfather George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton, who was chairman of the Canterbury Association and had contributed financially to the early development of Christchurch. Hagley Park is named after their family estate, and the port town of Lyttelton bears his great-grandfather's name.^[1]

Viscount Cobham visited New Zealand in 1950 in relation to property holdings in Christchurch.^[1]

Lyttelton married Elizabeth Alison Makeig-Jones on 30 April 1942 at Chelsea in central London. The marriage produced four sons and four daughters.^[1] He was cousin of the musician Humphrey Lyttelton.

Military service

Lyttelton joined the Territorial Army in 1933. He serviced in World War II with the Expeditionary Force in France from 1940. He was commander of the 5th Regiment from 1943.^[1]

Politics

Lord Cobham (centre) arriving in Wellington in September 1957. Prime Minister Sidney Holland (left) and Sir Harold Eric Barrowclough stand alongside.

After the war, he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and enter the House of Commons. However, his father died in 1949, and Lyttelton was elevated to the peerage, precluding a career as a Commoner.^[1]

Viscount Cobham became the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand on 5 September 1957. Although from aristocratic background, he proved popular with the population. He was seen as an outdoors man with a sporting prowess in cricket, golf, and a competent rugby judge. He was good with a gun and an enthusiastic fly fisherman. All these attributes resonated well with New Zealanders.^[1]

Significant events during his tenure included the independence of Samoa and the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.^[3][4]

Cobham served under three Prime Ministers: Sidney Holland (1949–1957), Keith Holyoake (1957 and 1960–1972) and Walter Nash (1957–1960). He was most careful to not comment on controversial matters, and had a good working relationship with all three of them.^[1]

Cobham was instrumental in setting up the outdoor education organisation Outward Bound in New Zealand. He opened the Outward Bound school in Anakiwa near Picton in September 1962, which bears his name. He visited the school again during 1966 and was pleased with the progress that had been made.^[1]

He served until 13 September 1962. He was a skilled orator and a book of his speeches sold 50,000 copies. Cobham donated the £10,000 profit to Outward Bound. Cobham Oval in Whangarei and Cobham Court in Porirua are named after him.^[1]

Cricket

Lyttelton enjoyed a fairly substantial career in first-class cricket, playing more than 90 times for Worcestershire in the 1930s and captaining the club between 1936 and 1939.

He made his first-class debut against Gloucestershire in June 1932, but made a duck in his only innings and did not reappear for two years. He played five times in 1934, but it was only the following season that he became established in the side, playing about twenty matches a year from then until the Second World War, with the exception of 1937 when he appeared only twice.

Lyttelton's highest score (and only first-class century) was the 162 he made against Leicestershire in 1938, but he made many other useful if lesser contributions with the bat, reaching fifty on 14 further occasions. His most productive year was 1938, when he scored 741 runs at an average of 21.17.

With the ball, his first victim (in July 1934) was Charlie Barnett, while in 1935 he produced his best innings' bowling, claiming 4–83 against the South Africans. However, after 1935 his bowling became a largely occasional part of his game, and with the exception of nine wickets in 1938 he never again took more than three in a season.

Lyttelton's cricketing career proper ended with the outbreak of war, but (now listed on the scorecard as Lord Cobham, having succeeded to the title in 1949) he played for an "MCC New Zealand Touring Team" against a strong "London New Zealand Club" side in 1954, taking two wickets including that of Bill Merritt. Remarkably, however, he made a one-off return to first-class action aged 51 in February 1961, more than two decades after his previous appearance at that level, when as New Zealand Governor-General he captained an eponymous side against MCC at Auckland; he showed he still had ability with a handy first-innings 44 from number ten in the order.

As well as the matches mentioned above, Lyttelton also played ten games for MCC: one against Oxford University in 1935, and nine on MCC's tour of Australia and New Zealand during the winter that followed.

A number of his relatives played first-class cricket. His great-grandfather George played for Cambridge University in the 1830s, his grandfather (also Charles) turned out for a selection of teams including Cambridge and MCC in the 1860s, his father John made a handful of appearances for Worcestershire in the 1920s, and his uncle – another Charles – played for Worcestershire, Cambridge and MCC before the First World War.

Death

Cobham died in Marylebone, London, on 20 March 1977. He was survived by his wife and children.^[1]

Arms

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} McGibbon, Ian (updated 1 September 2010). "Cobham, Charles John Lyttelton – Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5c27/1. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 
2. ^ "Viscount Cobham, GCMG, TD". The Governor-General. http://www.gg.govt.nz/node/1354. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 
3. ^ AHB Opening Video: http://www.fatlady.co.nz/cgi-bin/video.cgi?1170505503
4. ^ Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority Record of 20 Years Activities 1951–1971

External links

• Official biography (Government House, Wellington)
• Player profile: Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham from ESPNcricinfo
• Statistical summary from CricketArchive

Sporting positions
Preceded by Cyril Walters	Worcestershire County Cricket Captain 1936–1939	Vacant no cricket 1940–1945 Title next held by Sandy Singleton
Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Norrie	Governor-General of New Zealand 1957–1962	Succeeded by Sir Bernard Fergusson
Preceded by The Duke of Westminster	Lord Steward 1967–1972	Succeeded by The Duke of Northumberland
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir William Tennant	Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire 1963–1974	Office abolished
Preceded by The Marquess of Salisbury	Chancellor of the Order of the Garter 1972–1977	Succeeded by The Marquess of Abergavenny
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by John Lyttelton	Viscount Cobham 1949–1977	Succeeded by John Lyttelton

Persondata
Name	Cobham, Charles John Lyttelton, 10. Viscount
Alternative names
Short description	Governor-General, military leader, athlete, cricketer
Date of birth	8 August 1909
Place of birth	Kensington, London
Date of death	20 March 1977
Place of death	Marylebone, London