Background
He was born and died in Chelsea. Monkswell was the eldest son of Robert Collier, 1st Baron Monkswell, and his wife Isabella Rose, daughter of William Rose.
He was born and died in Chelsea. Monkswell was the eldest son of Robert Collier, 1st Baron Monkswell, and his wife Isabella Rose, daughter of William Rose.
He was briefly Under-Secretary of State for War under The Earl of Rosebery in 1895. As a young man, he was a first-class cricketer active from 1866 to 1867. Monkswell did not succeed to his title until 1886 and so was known as Robert Collier during his cricket career.
He appeared for Cambridgeshire in three first-class matches, scoring 33 runs with a highest score of 14.
Lord Monkswell entered the House of Lords on his father"s death in 1886, and later served in the Liberal administrations of William Ewart Gladstone and Lord Rosebery as a Lord-in-Waiting from 1892 to 1895 and as Under-Secretary of State for War from January to June 1895. Lord Monkswell married Mary Josephine Hardcastle, daughter of Joseph Hardcastle, in 1873.
Lady Monkswell died in May 1930.
He was also a member of the London County Council for the Progressive Party, and served as Vice-Chairman 1902-1903, and Chairman 1903-1904.