Francis North, 4th Earl of Guilford (25 December 1761 – 11 January 1817), styled The Honourable Francis North until 1802, was a British peer, Army officer, and playwright. North was the second son of Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford and his wife

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

. On 8 July 1777, he was commissioned an ensign in the

58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot The 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. Hi ...

. On 27 January 1778, he became a cornet in the 2nd Dragoons, and in December 1778 or May 1779 was promoted lieutenant in the

2nd Dragoon Guards The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse by merging four existing troops of horse. Renamed several ...

. On 29 April 1780, he became a captain in the 96th Regiment of Foot. Capt. North was appointed aide-de-camp in extraordinary to

Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle (28 May 1748 – 4 September 1825) was a British statesman, diplomat and author. Life He was the son of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle and his second wife Isabella Byron. His mother was a daughte ...

, the new

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

, on 30 December 1780, a post he held for the duration of Carlisle's tenure in office. On 9 April 1781, he exchanged into the 49th Regiment of Foot. On 22 April 1783, he was promoted major in the 83rd Regiment of Foot, which regiment, however, was disbanded the following year. North was also a

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

, and his drama, ''The Kentish Baron'', was produced at the Haymarket in 1791 and deemed a success. On 9 September 1794, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He was appointed lieutenant of

Dover Castle Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. Some writers say it is the ...

in 1795 and captain of

Deal Castle Deal Castle is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII in Deal, Kent, between 1539 and 1540. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended the strategically ...

in 1799, succeeding his elder brother George North, 3rd Earl of Guilford in 1802. On 5 May 1803, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. He married Maria Boycott on 19 July 1810, but had no children by her. Upon his death in 1817 in

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

, he was succeeded in the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

by his brother,

Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, (7 February 1766 – 14 October 1827), styled The Honourable Frederick North until 1817, was a British politician and colonial administrator. Early life and education North was a younger son of Prime Mi ...

References

External links

* 1761 births 1817 deaths 18th-century English nobility 19th-century English nobility 18th-century British dramatists and playwrights 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) officers 49th Regiment of Foot officers 58th Regiment of Foot officers Deputy lieutenants of Kent Earls of Guilford Royal Scots Greys officers

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

Children of prime ministers of Great Britain Barons Guilford {{GB-earl-stub