Charles Gladstone

Sir Charles Andrew Gladstone, 6th Baronet (28 October 1888 – 28 April 1968), was a British individual known for his tenure as a Master at Eton College and his familial association with the Gladstone baronetcy. He was the son of Reverend Stephen Edward Gladstone and Annie Crosthwaite Wilson, and the grandson of William Ewart Gladstone, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Born in 1888, Gladstone attended Eton College during his early education. At the age of ten, he participated in the state funeral of William Gladstone. He later continued his education at Christ Church, Oxford. His career in education began with his appointment as a Master at Eton College, a position he held from 1912 until 1946.

In 1912, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Territorial Force, where he was attached to Eton’s Officer Training Corps unit. During World War I, he served in the military and was attached to the Royal Flying Corps starting from April 1915. He was captured during the war and became a prisoner of war. After the end of hostilities, he continued his service with the Eton OTC until resigning his commission in 1924, when he was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant.

On 3 January 1925, Gladstone married Isla Margaret Crum, daughter of Sir Walter Erskine Crum. They had six children, including Sir Erskine William Gladstone of Fasque and Balfour, who became the 7th Baronet, and another son, Peter Gladstone, who was noted as a naturalist.

Gladstone held several ceremonial and civic positions. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Hampshire in 1929 and served as Vice-Lieutenant from 1948 to 1968. Additionally, he was a justice of the peace (JP) for Flintshire and served as High Sheriff of Flintshire in 1951. In 1955, he was appointed a Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John.

In 1967, Gladstone succeeded to the title of 6th Baronet Gladstone, of Fasque and Balfour, following the death of his elder brother, Sir Albert Charles Gladstone, the 5th Baronet. Having established his claim to the baronetcy, he chose not to use the title publicly. His son, William Gladstone, inherited the baronetcy as the 7th Baronet.

References for this biographical outline are based on recorded genealogical and historical sources related to the Gladstone family and their public service.