Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baron Derwent (3 January 1829 – 1 March 1916), known as Sir Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 3rd Baronet, from 1869 to 1881, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician. He served for ten years as a Member of Parliament (MP), before becoming a peer with a seat in the House of Lords.[1]
Derwent was the son of Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 2nd Baronet, and Louisa Augusta Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, daughter of the Most Reverend Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, Archbishop of York. He succeeded as second Baronet on the death of his father in 1869 and the same year he also succeeded his father as MP for Scarborough, a seat he held until 1880. In 1881 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Derwent, of Hackness in the North Riding of the County of York.[1]
As a young man he served as a lieutenant in the 2nd Life Guards, and on 22 January 1863 he was commissioned as major in the 1st Administrative Brigade of Yorkshire (East Riding) Artillery Volunteers.[1] [2]
Lord Derwent married Charlotte Mills, daughter of Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet, of Hillingdon Court,[3] in 1850. They had nine children:
Lady Derwent died in 1901. Lord Derwent survived her by fifteen years and died in March 1916, aged 87. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son Francis.[1]