Jump to content

John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

GeneralThe Right Honourable
The Earl of Westmorland
GCBGCHPC
John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland, byJulia Goodman,c. 1855 (Royal Academy of Music)
Member of theBritish Parliament
forLyme Regis
In office
1806–1816
Serving withHenry Fane
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Tuscany
In office
1814–1830
Preceded byHon. William Wyndham
Succeeded bySir George Seymour(as Resident)
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia
In office
1841–1851
Preceded byLord George Russell
Succeeded byThe Lord Bloomfield
British Ambassador to the Austria Empire
In office
1851–1855
Preceded byThe Viscount Ponsonby
Succeeded bySir George Hamilton Seymour
Personal details
Born(1784-02-02)2 February 1784
Piccadilly,London,England
Died16 October 1859(1859-10-16)(aged 75)
SpousePriscilla Anne Pole-Wellesley
Children
Parents

John Fane, 11th Earl of WestmorlandGCBGCHPC(3 February 1784 – 16 October 1859),[1]styledLord Burghershuntil 1841, was a British soldier, politician, diplomat, composer and musician.

Background[edit]

Styled Lord Burghersh from birth, he was born at Sackville Street,Piccadilly,London,the son ofJohn Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland,by his wifeSarah Child,daughter and heiress of the wealthy bankerSir Robert Child,builder ofOsterley Park.His sister was the social hostessSarah Villiers, Countess of Jersey,and his uncle wasWilliam Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale,a Tory magnate from northern England. He was educated atCheam Schooland then atHarrowfrom 1797 to 1799.[2]Burghersh was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge on 28 January 1802 and received anM.A.in 1808.[3]

He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1841.[4]

Military career[edit]

On 9 May 1803, Burghersh was appointed adeputy lieutenantof Northamptonshire,[5]and after the breakdown of thePeace of Amiens,he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Northamptonshire Militia on 30 June 1803.[3]He entered the regular army as anensignin the11th Foot,without purchase, on 24 December 1803.[6]On 5 January 1804 he transferred to the7th Footas alieutenantand on 3 May 1805 he transferred to the23rd Footas acaptain.He exchanged on 1 November to the3rd Dragoon Guards,and served asaide-de-camptoSir George Donwhen the latter led reinforcements toHanover.[3]

As early as 1802, his uncle Lord Lonsdale had contemplated putting Burghersh into Parliament for Londsdale's pocket borough ofCockermouthwhen Burghersh came of age; in fact, his uncleThomasstepped down and Burghersh was returned for the Fane constituency ofLyme Regisat the ensuing by-election on 16 March 1806. Three days later he joinedBrooks's Club,traditionally a resort of Whigs and particularly Foxite, but on 30 April 1806 voted with thePittadministration (in which his father wasLord Privy Seal) against the repeal of theAdditional Forces Acts 1803.Shortly thereafter, he was sent abroad, serving as assistantadjutant generalto the forces in Sicily and Egypt from 1806 to 1807. He was withAdmiral Duckworth's fleet during theDardanelles Operation[3]and then took part in theAlexandria expedition of 1807.

Burghersh was a supporter of the second Portland Ministry, in which his father was again Lord Privy Seal, but without particular activity in Parliament, appearing once in the debate on the price of wheat on 3 June 1808. He joined the army in Portugal led bySir Arthur Wellesleyin that year, and fought atRoliçaandVimieroin August.[3]

On 6 May 1809, he was gazettedmajorin the2nd West India Regimentin place ofThomas McMahon,sent toLord Beresford's staff in Portugal,[7]andlieutenant colonelon 9 May when he was himself sent to Portugal,[8]This exceedingly rapid promotion, over the heads of many senior officers, drew the attention ofWilliam Shipley,member forFlintand recently retired as a lieutenant colonel. He moved that Burghersh's promotion was in violation of Army regulations, and the resolution was carried by the House of Commons. Lord Westmorland was compelled to ask the King not to sign Burghersh's commissions,[2]and they were accordingly cancelled.[9]In July, Burghersh was actively engaged at theBattle of Talavera.He soon after replied to a letter of his father's on his abortive promotion in May, telling him that "the military is a profession which I most sincerely love," but expressing his frustration at not occupying a situation more equal to his education and qualities.[2]He served with the 3rd Dragoon Guards in their campaign in Portugal in 1810.

On 16 February 1811, he purchased a majority in the83rd Foot,[10]then transferred to the half-pay of the91st Footon 21 March. On 10 December 1811 he exchanged back into the 7th Foot[11]and later the same year purchased alieutenant-colonelcyin the63rd Foot.[12]On 4 June 1814, he was appointed an extra aide-de-camp to thePrince Regentand promoted tocolonelin the Army.[13]He was an extra aide-de-camp to theDuke of Wellington(his wife's uncle) and fought atTalaveraandBusacoduring thePeninsular War.[4]

On 4 June 1815, Burghersh was appointed aCB.[14]He was promotedmajor generalon 27 May 1825.[15]Made aKCBon 25 February 1838,[16]he was promotedlieutenant generalon 28 June 1838[17]andgeneralin 1854 and was appointed Colonel of the56th Footin 1842.

Political and diplomatic career[edit]

Lord Westmorland sat as aMember of Parliament(MP) forLyme Regisbetween 1806 and 1816.[18]He served asMinister to Tuscanybetween 1814 and 1830, asEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussiabetween 1841 and 1851 and asAmbassador to the Austrian Empirebetween 1851 and 1855. In Vienna, he was one of the British representatives at thecongress of 1855.[19]

During theRevolutions of 1820he was accused by the Austrian Government of actively supporting the Revolution inNaples,and was urged by his own Government to show more discretion. Westmorland defended his conduct by arguing that while he was "noJacobin"and had no sympathy with the revolutionaries, he was concerned that the Austrians would put down the revolution with such brutality that further political disturbance was inevitable.

He was appointed a Companion of theOrder of the Bathin 1815, a Knight Grand Cross of theRoyal Guelphic Order(KCH) in 1817, a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1838 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1846 and was sworn of thePrivy Councilin 1822.[4]

Musician[edit]

Lord Westmorland was also a composer and a founder of theRoyal Academy of Music.He was a great music lover who devoted most of his leisure hours to the study of music, was a good violinist and a prolific composer.

Family[edit]

Lord Westmorland marriedPriscilla Anne Pole-Wellesley,daughter of the HonourableWilliam Wellesley-Pole,later first Baron Maryborough and thirdEarl of MorningtonandKatherine Elizabeth Forbes,on 26 June 1811.[20]They had seven children:

He died in October 1859, aged 75, and was succeeded in the earldom by his fourth but eldest surviving son,Francis.Lord Westmorland's fifth and youngest sonJulian Fanewas a poet and diplomat. The Countess of Westmorland died in February 1879.[4]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786.9 March 1784
  2. ^abcThorne, R.G. (1986)."FANE, John, Lord Burghersh (1784–1859), of Apethorpe, Northants.".In Thorne, R. G. (ed.).The House of Commons 1790-1820.The History of Parliament Trust.
  3. ^abcde"Fane, John (Lord Burghersh) (FN802JB)".A Cambridge Alumni Database.University of Cambridge.
  4. ^abcdthepeerage General John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland
  5. ^"No. 15666".The London Gazette.14 January 1804. p. 63.
  6. ^"No. 15659".The London Gazette.20 December 1803. p. 1799.
  7. ^"No. 16254".The London Gazette.6 May 1809. p. 643.
  8. ^"No. 16255".The London Gazette.9 May 1809. p. 661.
  9. ^"No. 16261".The London Gazette.27 May 1809. pp. 760–761.
  10. ^"No. 16455".The London Gazette.12 February 1811. p. 294.
  11. ^"No. 16549".The London Gazette.7 December 1811. p. 2357.
  12. ^"No. 16553".The London Gazette.17 December 1811. p. 2426.
  13. ^"No. 16906".The London Gazette.7 June 1814. p. 1182.
  14. ^"No. 17061".The London Gazette.16 September 1815. p. 1878.
  15. ^"No. 18141".The London Gazette.28 May 1825. p. 926.
  16. ^"No. 19592".The London Gazette.23 February 1838. p. 407.
  17. ^"No. 19631".The London Gazette.3 July 1838. p. 1489.
  18. ^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)
  19. ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Westmorland, Earls of".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 553.
  20. ^Boase, George Clement(1889)."Fane, Priscilla Anne".InStephen, Leslie(ed.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 18. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  21. ^"Weigall, Gerald John Villiers (WGL889GJ)".A Cambridge Alumni Database.University of Cambridge.

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of ParliamentforLyme Regis
1806–1816
With:Henry Fane 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Tuscany
1814–1830 		Succeeded by
Sir George Seymour
(as Resident)
Preceded by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia
1841–1851 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Ambassador to the Austria Empire
1851–1855 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Colonel of the56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot
1842–1859 		Succeeded by
Peerage of England
Preceded by Earl of Westmorland
1841–1859 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Fane,_11th_Earl_of_Westmorland&oldid=1233611984"