Earl of Devon visits TGGS

At lunchtime on 18^th October, Politics students welcomed Charles Courtenay, Earl of Devon, who is a member of the House of Lords and the owner of Powderham Castle.

The Earl spoke about becoming a peer of the House of Lords, and the history of the House.  His account of parliament covered the movement of the house from Shrewsbury to Westminster, and the history of the Earldom of Devon, which originated from the Saxon period, through the Norman invasion in 1066 and how the title continues today.

Courtenay assumed the role of Earl and succeeded to the estate in 2015, after the death of his Father, Hugh Courtenay, the 18^th Earl of Devon. In 2018 he was elected as a hereditary crossbench peer of the House of Lords.  Having experience of agriculture and farming, the Earl uses this knowledge to offer expertise on Environmental bills, as well as bringing his background as a lawyer specialising in Intellectual Property.

Politics students asked the Earl questions about becoming a peer, such as his opinions on the House of Lords being unequal, and the regularity of having to visit Westminster. The Earl used the current example of how daughters cannot become hereditary peers to show that the House of Lords is unbalanced, and told us that he hoped the rule of peerages could change and that eldest daughters would inherit.

The Earl also gave us some insight into some topics Year 12 and 13 students are studying, such as the influence of the National Farmers Union on the Environmental Bill the Lords have recently passed, linking to the topic of Pressure Groups.

- Kerensa Woodward, Politics Ambassador