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Crichel Down affair

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Secretary of State for Agriculture (Sir Thomas Dugdale), then a senior cabinet position, and was the first case of Ministerial resignation since 1917. Whilst the underlying case was, in the scale of things, trivial, involving the transfer of some seven hundred acres of mediocre agricultural land in Dorset, the ramifications for subsequent government procedure have been enormous, and it is regarded as one of the key events leading to the creation of the post of
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In the history of modern parliament, the Crichel Down affair takes on momentous significance, and has been described as a 'political bombshell'. The public inquiry into the Crichel Down events revealed a catalogue of ineptitude and maladministration and resulted directly in the resignation of the
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Crichel had another fight against "authority" in the 1990s when Commander Marten objected to plans to redevelop a former paper mill the estate had sold to the local council in the mid-1950s. A fictional version of the affair was used in an episode of
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broadcast on ITV on 7 April 2013, which examined the conflict between "the greater good of the State" and natural justice as it affects government and the security services. The Crichel Down affair is also mentioned in
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The Battle of Crichel Down: An Account of the Public Enquiry and Parliamentary Debate held as a Result of the Refusal of the Ministry of Agriculture to Return to Private Ownership land Compulsorily Acquired. With
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In 1949, Toby and Mary Marten (daughter of the third Lord Alington), the then owners of the Crichel estate, began a campaign for the government's promise to be kept, by a return sale of the land. They gained a
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whose report was damning about actions in the case taken by those acting for the government. Archive material later released caused some shift in interpretation. In 1954, the minister responsible, Sir
102: 226: 481: 42: 295: 197:. Crichel Down was probably the first instance of close and very public scrutiny being directed at a Minister of the Crown in the execution of his duties. 428:(Report). Working Papers in Land Management and Development No. 2002-01. Reading: University of Reading: Department of Land Management and Development. 80: 31: 133: 450: 152: 144: 129: 486: 76: 364:"Crichel Down at centre of new planning fight: Peter Dunn on the latest row over land that once toppled a Cabinet minister" 466: 122: 105:
who vastly increased the price of the land beyond the amount the original owners could afford (£32,000) and leased it.
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In 1940, the Alington died on active service in the RAF, and the Crichel estate passed in trust to his only child,
491: 147:, Dugdale's junior minister, offered his resignation but was told to stay on. Carrington later resigned as 234: 47: 285:- J.A.G. Griffith, "Crichel down – The most famous farm in British constitutional history" (1987) 52: 125: 347: 446: 429: 410: 148: 342: 177: 172: 95: 156: 88: 132:, announced that Marten could buy the Crichel estate part of the land back, and told the 63:
The case centred on 725 acres (2.93 km) of agricultural land at Crichel Down, near
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Whose Land was it Anyway?: The Crichel Down Rules and the Sale of Public Land
414: 194: 17: 68: 273: 91:. The total purchase price when it was requisitioned was £12,006. 101:
In 1950 the land (then valued at £21,000) was handed over to the
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The resignation of Dugdale has been taken as a precedent on
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of 1954, with a subsequent effect and notoriety. The
71:. 328 acres of the land was part of the estate of 445:(1st ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 331:(1st ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press 190: 153:1982 Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands 8: 227:"Mary Marten: trustee of the British Museum" 30:For more about the Crichel Down rules, see 482:Political scandals in the United Kingdom 32:Compulsory purchase in England and Wales 387: 213: 206: 409:(1st ed.), London: Bodley Head, 314: 55:drawn up in the light of the affair. 7: 87:for use for bombing practice by the 151:in the immediate aftermath of the 25: 118:. This inquiry was conducted by 362:Dunn, Peter (22 August 1993). 233:. 8 March 2010. Archived from 27:1954 British political scandal 1: 351:. 17 July 1959. p. 4557. 188:In 2002 Roger Gibbard wrote, 443:The Mystery of Crichel Down 329:The Mystery of Crichel Down 51:are guidelines applying to 508: 404:Brown, R. Douglas (1955), 141:ministerial responsibility 29: 43:British political scandal 487:1954 in British politics 274:The Crichel down Affair 261:. The National Archives 176:, a detective novel by 103:Ministry of Agriculture 441:Nicholson, I. (1986), 327:Nicholson, I. (1986), 296:Crichel Down Revisited 258:The Crichel Downs Case 199: 81:purchased compulsorily 77:the 3rd Baron Alington 300:Public Administration 421:Gibbard, R. (2002). 272:- J.A.G. Griffith, " 287:Contemporary Record 53:compulsory purchase 39:Crichel Down affair 348:The London Gazette 294:- John Delafons, " 237:on 23 January 2014 136:he was resigning. 48:Crichel Down Rules 467:Summary of report 452:978-0-19-827492-6 278:Modern Law Review 149:Foreign Secretary 59:Crichel Down land 16:(Redirected from 499: 455: 437: 427: 417: 391: 385: 379: 378: 376: 374: 359: 353: 352: 339: 333: 332: 324: 318: 312: 306: 270: 268: 266: 253: 247: 246: 244: 242: 223: 217: 216:, pp. 1–38. 211: 178:Jill Paton Walsh 173:The Late Scholar 134:House of Commons 21: 507: 506: 502: 501: 500: 498: 497: 496: 492:1954 in England 472: 471: 463: 458: 453: 440: 425: 420: 403: 399: 394: 386: 382: 372: 370: 368:The Independent 361: 360: 356: 341: 340: 336: 326: 325: 321: 313: 309: 293: 284: 271: 264: 262: 255: 254: 250: 240: 238: 225: 224: 220: 212: 208: 204: 186: 157:Baron Crathorne 145:Lord Carrington 111: 96:Mary Anna Sturt 89:Royal Air Force 83:in 1938 by the 79:. The land was 61: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 505: 503: 495: 494: 489: 484: 474: 473: 470: 469: 462: 461:External links 459: 457: 456: 451: 438: 418: 400: 398: 395: 393: 392: 380: 354: 334: 319: 307: 248: 218: 205: 203: 200: 185: 182: 130:Thomas Dugdale 116:public inquiry 110: 107: 60: 57: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 504: 493: 490: 488: 485: 483: 480: 479: 477: 468: 465: 464: 460: 454: 448: 444: 439: 435: 431: 424: 419: 416: 412: 408: 402: 401: 396: 389: 384: 381: 369: 365: 358: 355: 350: 349: 344: 338: 335: 330: 323: 320: 316: 311: 308: 304: 301: 297: 291: 288: 282: 279: 275: 260: 259: 252: 249: 236: 232: 228: 222: 219: 215: 210: 207: 201: 198: 196: 189: 183: 181: 179: 175: 174: 168: 167: 160: 158: 154: 150: 146: 142: 137: 135: 131: 127: 124: 121: 117: 108: 106: 104: 99: 97: 92: 90: 86: 82: 78: 74: 73:Crichel House 70: 66: 58: 56: 54: 50: 49: 44: 40: 33: 19: 442: 405: 397:Bibliography 390:, p. 3. 388:Gibbard 2002 383: 371:. Retrieved 367: 357: 346: 337: 328: 322: 310: 305:pp. 339–347. 302: 299: 289: 286: 280: 277: 263:. Retrieved 257: 251: 239:. Retrieved 235:the original 230: 221: 214:Gibbard 2002 209: 191: 187: 171: 164: 161: 138: 123:Andrew Clark 112: 100: 93: 85:Air Ministry 65:Long Crichel 62: 46: 38: 36: 18:Crichel Down 343:"No. 41768" 265:1 September 166:Foyle's War 75:, owned by 476:Categories 434:1114822377 315:Brown 1955 415:316104091 407:portraits 298:" (1987) 276:" (1955) 231:The Times 202:Footnotes 195:Ombudsman 109:Aftermath 373:30 April 241:30 April 184:Analysis 449:  432:  413:  69:Dorset 41:was a 426:(PDF) 292:35–40 447:ISBN 430:OCLC 411:OCLC 375:2010 283:557. 267:2012 243:2010 37:The 120:Sir 478:: 366:. 345:. 303:65 281:18 229:. 180:. 159:. 126:QC 67:, 436:. 377:. 317:. 290:1 269:. 245:. 34:. 20:)

Index

Crichel Down
Compulsory purchase in England and Wales
British political scandal
Crichel Down Rules
compulsory purchase
Long Crichel
Dorset
Crichel House
the 3rd Baron Alington
purchased compulsorily
Air Ministry
Royal Air Force
Mary Anna Sturt
Ministry of Agriculture
public inquiry
Sir
Andrew Clark
QC
Thomas Dugdale
House of Commons
ministerial responsibility
Lord Carrington
Foreign Secretary
1982 Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands
Baron Crathorne
Foyle's War
The Late Scholar
Jill Paton Walsh
Ombudsman
Gibbard 2002

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