Earl Fortescue is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created in 1789 for Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue (1753–1841), a

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for

Beaumaris Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from ...

and

Lord-Lieutenant of Devon The Office of the Lord Lieutenant was created during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547), taking over the military duties of the Sheriff of Devon, Sheriffs and control of the military forces of the Crown. From 1569 there was provision for the ap ...

History

The Earls Fortescue descend from Sir Hugh Fortescue (1665–1719) of Filleigh and of Weare Giffard, both in Devon, whose first wife's first cousin had been 13th Baron Clinton and 5th Earl of Lincoln. In 1721 the abeyance of the ancient barony of Clinton was terminated in favour of his son Hugh Fortescue (1696–1751), who thus became the 14th Baron Clinton. On 5 July 1746, he was created Earl Clinton, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body and Baron Fortescue, of Castle Hill in the County of Devon, with

special remainder In property law of the United Kingdom and the United States and other common law countries, a remainder is a future interest given to a person (who is referred to as the transferee or remainderman) that is capable of becoming possessory upon th ...

, failing heirs male of his body, to his half-brother Matthew Fortescue. Both titles were in the Peerage of Great Britain. Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton (1696–1751), had no legitimate children and thus on his death the barony of Clinton fell into

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

(see Baron Clinton for later history of this title) while the earldom of Clinton became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of Fortescue (according to the special remainder) by his half-brother Matthew Fortescue, 2nd Baron Fortescue. Matthew's son Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue (1753–1841), was a

for

and served as

. In 1789 he was created Viscount Ebrington, of Ebrington in the County of Gloucester, and Earl Fortescue, in the Peerage of Great Britain. He married Hester Grenville, a daughter of Prime Minister

George Grenville George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770) was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an ...

. He was succeeded by his eldest son Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue (1783–1861), who was a prominent Whig politician. After representing several constituencies in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

he was summoned in 1839 to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

through a

writ of acceleration A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, is a type of writ of summons that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with more than one peerage to attend the British or Irish House of Lords, using one of his fathe ...

in his father's junior title of Baron Fortescue. He then served under

Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first prem ...

as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1839 to 1841 and under Lord John Russell as Lord Steward of the Household from 1846 to 1850. His son Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue (1818–1905), was also a Whig politician and held minor office from 1846 to 1851 in the same government as his father. In 1859 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Fortescue. His eldest son

Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue (16 April 1854 – 29 October 1932), styled Viscount Ebrington from 1861 to 1905, was an English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1881 until 1892 and later in the House of Lords having ...

(1854–1932), sat as Liberal Member of Parliament for Tiverton and for

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of ...

. He also held the honorary position of

. On his death the titles passed to his eldest son Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue (1888–1958), a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician who served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (Chief Government Whip in the House of Lords) in 1945 and from 1951 to 1958. He died without surviving male issue and (having bequeathed the two principle ancestral seats of Castle Hill, Filleigh, and Weare Giffard Hall, to his two daughters), was succeeded in the earldom by his third and youngest brother Denzil Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue (1893–1977), who inherited the ancient Fortescue seat of Ebrington Manor in Gloucestersire. He was succeeded by his eldest son

Richard Fortescue, 7th Earl Fortescue Richard Archibald Fortescue, 7th Earl Fortescue (14 April 1922 – 7 March 1993) was a British peer, the son of Denzil Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue. He married firstly, Penelope Henderson (d. 1959) on 24 October 1949. They had two children: ...

(1922–1993), who was succeeded by his eldest son

Charles Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue Charles Hugh Richard Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue (born 10 May 1951) is a British peer and landowner. He was a hereditary member of the House of Lords from 1995 to 1999. The son of Richard Fortescue, 7th Earl Fortescue, and his wife Penelope Jane ...

(born 1951), living in 2015. Several other members of the Fortescue family may also be mentioned. The Hon. George Matthew Fortescue, second son of the first Earl, was Member of Parliament for Hindon. The Hon. John Fortescue, second son of the second Earl, was Member of Parliament for

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but ...

. The Hon.

Dudley Fortescue The Honourable Dudley Francis Fortescue (4 August 1820 – 2 March 1909) was a British Liberal politician. Background Fortescue was the third son of Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue, and Lady Susan, daughter of Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Har ...

, third son of the second Earl, was Member of Parliament for

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * And ...

. The Hon. Sir Seymour John Fortescue (1856–1942), second son of the third Earl, was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

and also served as Serjeant at Arms in the House of Lords. The Hon. Arthur Grenville Fortescue (1858–1895), fourth son of the third Earl, was a captain in the army and the grandfather of Arthur Henry Grenville Fortescue, a

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

in the army. The Hon. Sir John William Fortescue, fifth son of the third Earl, was a major in the army and writer on the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

. The Hon. Charles Grenville Fortescue (1861–1951), sixth son of the third Earl, was a

brigadier-general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the army.

Seats

The principal seat of the present Earl Fortescue is Ebrington Manor, near Chipping Campden,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, purchased by his distant ancestor Sir John Fortescue (c.1394-1479), Chief Justice of the King's Bench, a younger grandson of the Fortescue family of

Whympston Whympston (anciently Wimpstone, Wymondston, Wimston, Wymston, etc), in the parish of Modbury in Devon, England, is a historic manor. In the 12th century, it became the earliest English seat of the prominent Norman family of Fortescue, influ ...

in the parish of Modbury in Devon, the earliest Fortescue seat in England. The more grandiose former seat Castle Hill, Filleigh, North

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, rebuilt as a Palladian mansion by Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton (1696–1751), has been since the death of the 5th Earl in 1958, the property and residence of descendants in the female line. Other historic Devon seats of branches of the Fortescue family were:

in the parish of Modbury; Weare Giffard; Buckland Filleigh; Preston; Spriddlestone in the parish of

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th centu ...

and Fallapit in the parish of East Allington, all in Devon.Vivian, Heraldic Visitations of Devon, 1895, pp. 352-367

Barons Fortescue (1746)

* Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton, 1st Baron Fortescue, 14th Baron Clinton (1696–1751) * Matthew Fortescue, 2nd Baron Fortescue (1719–1785), half-brother; * Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue (1753–1841), son, created Earl Fortescue in 1789

Earls Fortescue (1789)

* Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Fortescue (1753–1841) * Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue (1783–1861) * Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue (1818–1905) *

(1854–1932) *

Hugh William Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue Hugh William Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue, (14 June 1888 – 14 June 1958), styled Viscount Ebrington from 1905 until 1932, of Castle Hill in the parish of Filleigh, of Weare Giffard Hall, both in Devon and of Ebrington Manor in Glouceste ...

(1888–1958) * Denzil George Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue (1893–1977) * Richard Archibald Fortescue, 7th Earl Fortescue (1922–1993) * Charles Hugh Richard Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue (born 1951) The

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

is the present holder's first cousin John Andrew Francis Fortescue (born 1955).

Notes

References

* * Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990

External links

*
Archives of Fortescue of Castle Hill, Devon Record Office

www.fortescue.org, Fortescue family genealogy, by Don Edge, Queensland, Australia

French Fortescue web-site with portraits {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortescue Earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant " chieftain", partic ...

Noble titles created in 1789 Cornish nobility