Perry Foundation

Lord Perry of Stock Harvard

Percival Lea Dewhurst Perry was born in Bristol on the 18th March 1878, but spent his childhood in Birmingham where he won a scholarship to King Edward's School. After early employment in a lawyer's office, he entered the motor trade and was instrumental in introducing the Ford car to Britain in the early 1900's.

After meetings with Henry Ford he formed the Ford Motor Company (England) Limited and later established a manufacturing facility at Dagenham. Additionally, he was Chairman of Ford Motor companies in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Outside the motor industry, his chief interest was farming, through both the development of the Fordson tractor business and a co-operative farming venture at Boreham in Essex known as Fordson Farms.

Lord Perry

In 1902, he married Catherine Meals of Hull; he was appointed CBE in 1917, promoted to KBE in 1918 and raised to the peerage in 1938. He died on 17th June 1956 and as there were no children, the peerage became extinct. However, his adopted daughter Molly was President of the Perry Foundation for several years up to her death in 1984.