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Marquess of Lansdowne

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Marquessate of Lansdowne

Arms:1st and 4th, Ermine, on a Bend Azure, a Magnetic Needle, pointing to the Polar Star Or(Petty);2nd and 3rd, Argent, a Saltire Gules, and a Chief, Ermine(FitzMaurice).Crests:1st, A Beehive beset with Bees volant proper(Petty).2nd, A Centaur drawing a Bow and Arrow proper, the part below the waist Argent(FitzMaurice).Supporters:On either side, Pegasus Ermine, bridled crined winged and unguled Or, each charged on the shoulder with a Fleur-de-lis Azure.[1]
Creation date6 December 1784
Created byGeorge III
PeeragePeerage of Great Britain
First holderWilliam Petty Fitzmaurice,2nd Earl of Shelburne
Present holderCharles Petty-Fitzmaurice,9th Marquess of Lansdowne
Heir apparentSimon Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Kerry
Remainder to1st Marquess'heirs male of the bodylawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesEarl of Kerry
Earl of Shelburne
Earl of Wycombe
Viscount Clanmaurice
Viscount Fitzmaurice
Viscount Calne and Calston
Baron of Kerry and Lixnaw
Baron Dunkeron
Baron Wycombe of Chipping Wycombe
Seat(s)Bowood House
Former seat(s)Lansdowne House
MottoVIRTUTE NON VERBIS
(By courage, not words)[2]

Marquess of Lansdowneis a title in thePeerage of Great Britaincreated in 1784, and held by the head of thePetty-Fitzmauricefamily. The first Marquess served asPrime Minister of Great Britain.

Origins[edit]

This branch of the Fitzmaurice family descends fromJohn Fitzmaurice,second son ofThomas Fitzmaurice, 1st Earl of Kerry(seeEarl of Kerryfor earlier history of the family), and his wife Anne, the daughter of the political economistSir William Petty,whose wife had been createdBaroness Shelburnefor her own life only and whose two sons had been created at different timesBaron Shelburnein thepeerage of IrelandandEarl of Shelburnerespectively, but who had both died without heirs. In 1751, on the death of his maternal uncle Henry Petty, Earl of Shelburne, John Fitzmaurice succeeded to his estates and assumed by Act of Parliament the surname of Petty in addition to FitzMaurice.[3]That same year, he was createdViscount FitzMauriceandBaron Dunkeronin the Peerage of Ireland.[4]In 1753, the earldom held by his uncle was revived when he was madeEarl of Shelburne,in theCounty of Wexford,in the Peerage of Ireland.[5]He later representedWycombein theHouse of Commonsas aWhig,his Irish peerages not disbarring him. However, in 1760 Viscount FitzMaurice was createdBaron Wycombe,ofChepping Wycombein theCounty of Buckingham,in thePeerage of Great Britain,[6]which gave him a seat in theHouse of Lordsat Westminster and meant that he could no longer sit in the Commons.

Through his first wife Lady Sophia Carteret (1745–1771), only daughter ofRobert Carteret, 3rd Earl Granville,Fitzmaurice acquired large estates, includingLansdowne HillnearBath,from which his son later took a new title.

From 1765 until theReform Act 1832,the head of the family controlled the two seats in parliament of thepocket boroughofCalnein Wiltshire. After 1832, there was only one seat and a wider franchise, but a member of the family was usually elected until the borough was abolished in 1885.

Creations[edit]

The first Earl of Shelburne of the new creation was succeeded by his eldest sonWilliam Petty-FitzMaurice, 2nd Earl of Shelburne.He was a prominent statesman and served asPrime Minister of Great Britainfrom 1782 to 1783. His brotherThomas FitzMaurice(1742–1793) ofCliveden,was aMember of Parliament. In 1784, the second Earl of Shelburne was createdMarquess of Lansdowne,in the County of Somerset,Earl of Wycombe,of Chepping Wycombe, andViscount Calne and Calston,referring toCalneandCalstonein the County of Wiltshire, all in the Peerage of Great Britain.[7]However, he is better known to history under his former title of Earl of Shelburne. He was succeeded by his son from his first marriage to Lady Sophia Carteret,John Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 2nd Marquess of Lansdowne.He died childless in 1809 and was succeeded by his half-brother, the third Marquess, the son of their father’s second marriage, to Lady Louisa FitzPatrick. Known asLord Henry Pettyfrom 1784 to 1809, he was one of the most influential Whig politicians of the first half of the 19th century. In a ministerial career spanning over fifty years, he served asChancellor of the Exchequerfrom 1806 to 1807, asHome Secretaryfrom 1827 to 1828, asLord President of the Councilfrom 1830 to 1834, 1835 to 1841, and 1846 to 1852, and asMinister without Portfoliofrom 1852 to 1858. He twice declined to become Prime Minister and in 1857 refused the offer of a dukedom fromQueen Victoria.In 1818 Lansdowne also succeeded his cousin as fourth Earl of Kerry. His eldest sonWilliam Petty FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry,was a Member of Parliament for Calne, but predeceased his father, without having a son. Lansdowne was therefore succeeded by his second son, the fourth Marquess. He had already in 1856 been summoned to the House of Lords through awrit of accelerationin his father's junior title of Baron Wycombe and served underLord PalmerstonasParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairsfrom 1856 to 1858. He married as his second wife Emily Jane Mercer-Elphinstone-de Flahault, 8th Lady Nairne (see theLord Nairne), eldest daughter of the French general and statesmanCharles Joseph, comte de Flahaut,and his wife Margaret Nairne, 7th Lady Nairne.

Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne

He was succeeded by his eldest son from his second marriage, the fifth Marquess. Like his grandfather, he was a prominent statesman and had an equally long ministerial career. Lord Lansdowne wasGovernor-General of Canadafrom 1883 to 1888,Viceroy of Indiafrom 1888 to 1894,Secretary of State for Warfrom 1895 to 1900,Foreign Secretaryfrom 1900 to 1905,Leader of the Conservative Party in the Lordsfrom 1911 to 1916, and also served in the war-time coalition government asMinister without Portfoliofrom 1915 to 1916. In 1895 he succeeded his mother as Lord Nairne. His eldest son,Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice,sat asUnionistMember of Parliament forWest Derbyshirefrom 1908 to 1918 and was aSenator of the Irish Free Statein 1922. In 1927 he succeeded his father and became the 6th Marquess.

On his death in 1936 he was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, the seventh Marquess, who was killed in action in 1944 during theSecond World War,unmarried. As the third and youngest brother, Lord Edward Norman Petty-Fitzmaurice, had been killed in action only a week before, the Scottish lordship of Nairne was passed on to their eldest sister Katherine (seeLord Nairnefor later history of this title). Lord Lansdowne was survived in the remaining titles by his first cousin, the eighth Marquess. He was the son of Major Lord Charles George Francis Mercer Nairne Petty-Fitzmaurice (1874–1914), second son of the fifth Marquess. Born George John Charles Mercer Nairne, he assumed by Decree of the Lord Lyon the additional surnames of Petty-Fitzmaurice in 1947. Lord Lansdowne sat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords and served as JointParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairsfrom 1958 to 1962 and asMinister of State for Colonial Affairsfrom 1962 to 1964. As of 2014 the titles are held by his eldest son, the ninth Marquess, who succeeded in 1999.

Thecourtesy titlefor the Lord Lansdowne's eldest son and heir apparent alternates betweenEarl of KerryandEarl of Shelburne.

The family seat isBowood House,nearCalne,Wiltshire. The family's former London residence wasLansdowne HouseinBerkeley Square.A major late-1990s/early-2000s housing development in the northwest of Calne was named Lansdowne Park after the local seat.

Earls of Shelburne (1753)[edit]

Marquesses of Lansdowne (1784)[edit]

The fullcoat of armsof the Marquesses of Lansdowne

Theheir apparentis the present holder's son, Simon Henry George Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Kerry (b. 1970)
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son George Henry Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, Viscount Calne and Calstone (b. 2020)

Family tree[edit]

Line of succession[edit]

Line of succession[8]
  • George Petty-Fitzmaurice, 8th Marquess of Lansdowne(1912–1999)
    • Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, 9th Marquess of Lansdowne(born 1941)
      • (1)Simon Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Kerry (born 1970)
        • (2)George Petty-Fitzmaurice, Viscount Calne and Calstone (born 2020)
      • (3)Lord William Petty-Fitzmaurice (born 1973)
    • (4)Lord Robert Mercer Nairne (born 1947)
      • (5)Samuel George Mercer Nairne (born 1976)
        • (6)George Yvan Mercer Nairne (born 2009)
        • (7)Harold Charles Mercer Nairne (born 2011)
      • (8)Joseph Douglas Mercer Nairne (born 1980)
        • (9)Fergus Grey Mercer Nairne (born 2009)
        • (10)Angus John Mercer Nairne (born 2013)

Middleton connection[edit]

It was reported in 2012 that the direct descendants ofThomas FitzMaurice,brother of the first Marquess, included brothersLieut. Osmund Fitzmaurice BullockandSir Christopher Bullock[9]and that Sir Christopher's wife,Lady Bullock (néeBarbara May Lupton),was a second cousin ofOlive Middleton (néeLupton),the great grandmother of thePrincess of Wales.[10][11][12][13]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Debrett's Peerage, 1876 p.282
  2. ^Debrett's Peerage, 1876 p.281
  3. ^Deed Poll Office: Private Act of Parliament 1750 (24 Geo. 2). c. 43
  4. ^"No. 9095".The London Gazette.24 September 1751. p. 2.
  5. ^"No. 9273".The London Gazette.5 June 1753. p. 2.
  6. ^"No. 10001".The London Gazette.20 May 1760. p. 1.
  7. ^"No. 12599".The London Gazette.30 November 1784. p. 1.
  8. ^Morris, Susan; Bosberry-Scott, Wendy; Belfield, Gervase, eds. (2019). "Lansdowne, Marquess of".Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage.Vol. 1 (150th ed.). London: Debrett's. pp. 3283–3297.ISBN978-1-9997-6705-1.
  9. ^Fox-Davies, A. (1910).Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-armour.C. & E.C. Jack. p. 219.Sir Alex. Spearman, Bart, P.C.; and has issue-(1) Walter Llewellyn Bullock, Gentleman, b. 1890; (2) Christopher Llewellyn Bullock, Gentleman, b. 1891; (3) Osmund FitzMaurice Llewellyn Bullock, Gentleman, b. 1905;
  10. ^Nikkhah, Roya (16 December 2012)."Duchess discovers blue blood in her own family".Daily Telegraph.Retrieved23 November2014.
  11. ^"Air Crash off Scots Coast".Dundee Courier.3 October 1933.Retrieved16 August2015.Two men were killed in an air accident off Tarbet Ness, Ross-shire, yesterday. They were Lieutenant Osmond Fitzmaurice Llewellyn Bullock, Royal Navy, officer of the Royal Air Force, (and brother of Sir Christopher, and) the pilot of the aircraft...
  12. ^Westcott, Sarah (17 December 2012)."Family tree reveals Duchess of Cambridge Kate MIddleton's aristocratic roots".Daily Express.UK.Retrieved16 August2015.
  13. ^Nicholl, Katie (13 December 2013).Kate: The Future Queen.Weinstein Books.ISBN9781602862470.Retrieved16 August2015.(Michael Middleton's family were) linked to earls, countesses, a former Prime Minister – William Petty-FitzMaurice, the first Marquess of Lansdowne, who served as Prime Minister...

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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