Carr-Ellison, Sir Ralph

Ralph Carr-Ellison was an eminent North East businessman. He was the son of John Campbell Carr-Ellison (1897 – 1956), a Northumbrian landowner and Lieutenant in the 1st Royal Dragoons, and Daphne Carr-Ellison (née Craddock). The family seat is Hedgeley Hall, near Alnwick, Northumberland. Ralph attended Eton before joining the Royal Dragoons in 1944. He served in the army until 1949, and afterwards in the Territorial Army. In 1951, he married Mary Kavanagh and the couple had three sons and a daughter. Mary died in 1996. Ralph married Gay Dyer (née Walsh) in 1998.

Sir Ralph Carr-Elllison had a long and illustrious business career. He became a director of the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company in 1964 and was appointed as the first chairman of Northumbria Water in 1973. He served as chairman of the Automobile Association, Tyne Tees Television and Trident Television. He managed the Hedgeley Hall estate, a 1,640-acre working farm, which his family has owned since 1786. Ralph was knighted in 1973 for services to the Conservative Party, of which he was vice-chairman of the National Union of Conservative Associations and chairman of Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency. He served as Lord Lieutenant for Tyne and Wear from 1984 to 2000.

The Carr-Ellison Family Charitable Trust was established by Sir Ralph in 1962, and continues under the direction of family trustees, and with the support of the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, to support a wide range of charities in Northumberland. Sir Ralph passed away, aged 88, in 2014.

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