14 Facts About Noel Skelton

Archibald Noel Skelton was a Scottish Unionist politician, journalist and intellectual.

The son of Sir John Skelton KCB LLD, Skelton was born on 1 July 1880 at Hermitage of Braid in Edinburgh and was educated at Glenalmond College, the University of Edinburgh and at Christ Church, Oxford, to which he won a history scholarship.

Noel Skelton was placed in the Second Class in the School of Modern History in 1902 and in 1906 he was called to the Scottish Bar and therefore joined the Faculty of Advocates.

Noel Skelton was respected as a lawyer, but he dealt mainly with divorce cases and those involving disputed wills.

Noel Skelton first stood for Parliament at the second general election of 1910, but he lost the East Perthshire Division to his Liberal opponent.

Noel Skelton was opposed to Irish Home Rule, but he was more progressive on issues like land reform, industrial relations and the use of the referendum.

Noel Skelton was a talented journalist and wrote frequently for The Spectator, including four articles in 1923 under the heading "Constructive Conservatism".

Noel Skelton was re-elected for Perth in 1924 and again in 1929.

Noel Skelton quickly struck up friendships with English Conservative MPs such as Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Robert Boothby, John Buchan and Oliver Stanley and became the intellectual leader of a parliamentary grouping dubbed the YMCA by cynical older MPs.

Noel Skelton wrote several articles for The Spectator, the Quarterly Review and the English Review.

Noel Skelton switched to the Scottish Universities constituency in 1931 and was returned unopposed.

The declaration for the Scottish Universities constituency was made three days later and Noel Skelton was re-elected posthumously.

Noel Skelton was cremated and his ashes were buried in Dean Cemetery with those of his sister.

Macmillan's successor as Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, owed his early political career to Noel Skelton, having been his PPS from 1931 to 1935.