A famous Worcestershire resident
- 19th November 2025
The 1921 census is not just a chance to look up family, it also gives us an opportunity to find out more about local celebrities too. We took a little look at Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947) from Bewdley in Worcestershire, to see what the census shows he was doing and where in 1921.
Stanley Baldwin was Conservative Prime Minister 1923 to 1924, 1924 to 1929, and 1935 to 1937. He was born 3 August 1867 in Bewdley, Worcesterhire and his father, Alfred Baldwin, was also Conservative MP for West Worcestershire (Bewdley) from 1892. On Alfred’s death in 1908, Stanley succeeded him as MP. His business experience helped his appointment as Financial Secretary of the Treasury in 1917.
By 1921 he entered the Cabinet and the 1921 census lists Stanley Baldwin as the “President of the Board of Trade”. The form for 93 Eaton Square, London, was apparently completed by his wife Lucy who has put her own name at the top of the sheet and signed it, listing Stanley as the Head of the Household but at the bottom of the list. Baldwin purchased the property in 1913 to live in with his wife and daughter while working in parliament, and a blue plaque now announces that he lived there. Margaret Thatcher also lived there.
Crown copyright
The 1921 electoral register shows Baldwin was registered to vote at Astley Hall in Worcestershire although his “Abode” was listed as 93 Eaton Square. Baldwin owned Astley Hall near Stourport in Worcestershire from 1912, having been a tenant there from 1902. His 2 sons and 4 daughters lived there with him, and he died there in 1947. It became a school after his death and today it is a nursing home.
Crown copyright
In October 1922 Baldwin became Chancellor of the Exchequer, and when Bonar Law retired through illness in May 1923, he became Prime Minister for the first time and later was made 1st Earl of Bewdley.
You can learn more about Stanley and others from Worcestershire through the Worcestershire Parish Records and electoral registers, now digitised and available through Ancestry, which can be accessed for free from any Worcestershire Library.
With thanks for additional information to:
History of Stanley Baldwin – GOV.UK
Stanley Baldwin | Prime Minister | Blue Plaques | English Heritage
Property of the month: a blue-plaque Belgravia mansion fit for a Prime Minister – Luxury London
history of Astley hall / Astley hall, Worcestershire
Images thanks to Ancestry.co.uk and explorethepast.co.uk
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