Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh, 2nd Baronet (22 December 1754 – 24 October 1846), known as Harry,
was an English aristocrat.
The son of
Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, 1st Baronet
Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, 1st Baronet ( ; c. 1714 – 18 March 1774) was an English politician and landowner.
He was the son of Matthew Fetherstonhaugh of Featherstone Castle, Northumberland. In 1746, he inherited the estates of a kinsman S ...
(of the
Fetherstonhaugh baronets), he was the Member of Parliament for
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
from 1782 to 1796,
but never once spoke in the House of Commons, and has been described as a "witless playboy".
He made the
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tu ...
in 1775-76 but passed most of it in sexual and hunting adventures. Like his parents and uncle 25 years earlier, he was painted by
Pompeo Batoni
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (25 January 1708 – 4 February 1787) was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous allegorical and mythological pictures. The high number of foreign visitors tra ...
in Rome,
and later employed
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of ...
to lay out the gardens to his country manor,
Uppark
Uppark is a 17th-century house in South Harting, West Sussex, England. It is a Grade I listed building and a National Trust property.
History
The house, set high on the South Downs, was built for Ford Grey (1655—1701), the first Earl o ...
.
Sir Harry was a good friend of the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...
(later King George IV),
who stayed at Uppark during the mid-1780s. He took the teenaged
Emma Hamilton
Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy m ...
as a mistress to live with him at Uppark in 1780 and to entertain his guests at the many parties he hosted, but rejected her when she became pregnant with his child in 1781. A frequent guest at Uppark,
Charles Greville, took her in as his mistress on condition that the child, Emma Carew, was fostered out.
On 12 September 1825, when over 70, Fetherstonhaugh married Mary Ann Bullock, his head dairy maid, aged 18
or 21, and upon his death left his entire estate to her. After her husband's death Mary Ann continued living at Uppark with her sister, Frances (b. 1817).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fetherstonhaugh, Henry
1754 births
1846 deaths
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain
British MPs 1780–1784
British MPs 1784–1790
British MPs 1790–1796