Andrew Bonar Law

The ashes of statesman and Prime Minister Andrew Bonar Law are buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey. He was a Canadian by birth and Scots by descent and was born in Kingston, New Brunswick, on 16th September 1858, a son of the Revd. James Law and his wife Elizabeth (Kidston). In 1870 he left for Scotland with a relative and joined the Kidston banking firm. He married Annie Robley in 1891 and had seven children, son Richard becoming 1st Baron Coleraine. In 1900 he entered Parliament and was much involved with tariff reform. From 1911-15 he was Leader of the Conservative opposition and later Colonial Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the wartime cabinet. From 1919-21 he was Lord Privy Seal and was Prime Minister from 1922 until resigning due to ill health the following year. He died on 30th October 1923 and was to have been buried with his wife in Scotland but the Dean of Westminster offered Abbey burial, supported by Parliament. The inscription on his small gravestone reads:

Andrew Bonar Law 1858-1923 sometime Prime Minister

The ashes of Neville Chamberlain, a later Prime Minister, were later buried next to him.

Further reading for Andrew and Richard

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004

"The unknown Prime Minister: the life and times of Andrew Bonar Law" by R. Blake, 1955.

Born

16th September 1858

Died

30th October 1923

Occupation

Statesman

Location

Nave

Memorial Type

Grave

Andrew Bonar Law
Andrew Bonar Law

By Bassano [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Andrew Bonar Law
Andrew Bonar Law grave

This image can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library

Image © 2024 Dean and Chapter of Westminster