Raymond Jolliffe, 5th Baron Hylton

Raymond Hervey Jolliffe, 5th Baron Hylton, ARICS, DL, was born on 13 June 1932. He is a British peer and landowner, known for his membership in the House of Lords as one of the 92 hereditary peers elected to remain following the House of Lords Act 1999. He sat as a crossbencher and was the longest-serving among that group at the time of his retirement.

He is the eldest son of the 4th Baron Hylton and Lady Perdita Rose Mary Asquith (1910–1996). Lady Perdita was the daughter of Katharine and Raymond Asquith, and sister of Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, making Raymond Jolliffe a grandson of the former British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith.

For his education, Jolliffe attended Eton College in Berkshire. He then studied at Trinity College, Oxford, where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in History in 1955. His early military service included a stint in the Coldstream Guards during 1951 and 1952. In 1967, he inherited the title of Baron Hylton upon the death of his father.

Professionally, Jolliffe served as Assistant Private Secretary to the Governor-General of Canada from 1960 to 1962. Beyond his parliamentary duties, he has been actively involved in numerous charitable and social organizations. Since 1962, he has participated in various groups, including the Abbeyfield Society, the Catholic Housing Aid Society, the London Housing Aid Centre, the National Federation of Housing Associations, Mencap, the Foundation for Alternatives, the Hugh of Witham Foundation, and Action around Bethlehem Children with Disability (ABCD). He has also worked with Age Concern, L’Arche Ltd, and the Mendip Wansdyke Local Enterprise Group. Since 1988, he has served as president of the Northern Ireland Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders. Additionally, he is a member of the Housing Associations Charitable Trust and Forward Thinking.

Jolliffe’s work in the House of Lords included efforts to promote peace initiatives in the Middle East and Ireland. He has publicly expressed regret over the semantic changes of the word ‘gay,’ noting that its original and positive meanings have been overshadowed by its modern usage by a vocal minority.

In terms of philanthropy, Hylton is a trustee of the Acorn Christian Healing Trust and serves as vice-chairman of Partners in Hope. He was chairman of the St Francis and St Sergius Trust Fund from 1993 to 2001. He also holds positions as a trustee and governor of the Ammerdown Study Centre at Ammerdown House, Kilmersdon, near Bath, which remains the Jolliffe family seat. He was appointed an Associate of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 1960 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Southampton in 1994.

Regarding his personal life, he has been married since 1966 to Joanna de Bertodano, granddaughter of the 6th Earl of Mexborough. They have one daughter and four sons: Hon. William Henry Martin Jolliffe (born 1 April 1967), who is the heir apparent; Hon. Andrew Thomas Peter Jolliffe (29 June 1969 – 24 October 2022); Hon. Alexander John Charles Martin Jolliffe (born 10 February 1973); Hon. Emily Sylvia Rose Elizabeth Jolliffe (born 14 March 1975); and Hon. John Edward Arthur Jolliffe (born 7 December 1977).