The Rt Hon. Somerset Henry Maxwell, 10th Baron Farnham (7 March 1849 – 22 November 1900), was an
Irish Representative peer and a
Nova Scotia baronet.
Biography
He was the son of Richard Thomas Maxwell, and grandson of
The 6th Baron Farnham. He married
Lady Florence Jane Taylour, daughter of
The 3rd Marquess of Headfort and Amelia Thompson, on 5 August 1875. He was Captain and Honorary Major of the 4th Battalion of the
Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers and sometime Lieutenant of the 98th Regiment. In November 1880, he led a relief force of
Orangemen from
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (''Bréifn ...
to save the harvest of
Captain Boycott
Charles Cunningham Boycott (12 March 1832 – 19 June 1897) was an English land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland gave the English language the verb "to boycott". He had served in the British Army 39th Foot, which b ...
of Lough Mask House,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Coun ...
, who was being ostracised by the local Catholic community. This brought about the creation of the Property Defence Association to protect the livelihoods of landowners.
On his uncle
James' death, he succeeded on 26 October 1896 as The 10th
Baron Farnham
Baron Farnham, of Farnham in the County of Cavan, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1756 for John Maxwell, who had previously represented Cavan Borough in the Irish House of Commons. John Maxwell's son, the second Baron, ...
and 13th
Baronet of Calderwood.
He was appointed
High Sheriff of Cavan
The High Sheriff of Cavan was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Cavan, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Cavan County Sheriff. The sherif ...
for 1877 and
Lord Lieutenant of Cavan
This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Cavan.
There were lieutenants of counties in Ireland until the reign of James II, when they were renamed governors. The office of Lord Lieutenant was recreated on 23 August 1831, and ...
in 1900, but died soon afterwards on 22 November 1900. In his will, Lord Farnham bequeathed the articles in the museum at Farnham in trust to the
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
, and his astronomical telescope in trust for uses in the interest of astronomical science.
Lord Farnham was succeeded by his son
Arthur Maxwell, after his eldest son Barry Maxwell had been killed in a cycling accident.
Notes
References
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. (),
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External links
Cavan County Museum – The Farnham Gallery
1849 births
1900 deaths
Irish representative peers
Lord-Lieutenants of Cavan
High Sheriffs of Cavan
10
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