Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue
Encyclopedia
Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue KCB
(16 April 1854–29 October 1932) was an English Liberal
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1881 until 1892 and later inherited the peerage
.
Fortescue was the son of Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue
and his wife Georgiana Augusta Charlotte Caroline Dawson-Damer, daughter of George Lionel Dawson-Damer. He was educated at Harrow School
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. Known by his courtesy title of Viscount Ebrington, he was a captain in the North Devon Hussar Yeoman Cavalry and a J.P.
for Devon and South Molton, and a Deputy Lieutenant
for Devon. He was Master of the Devon and Somerset Stag-hounds. He was at one time private secretary to Lord President of the Council
Earl Spencer
.
In 1881 Fortescue was elected as a Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tiverton
and held the seat until 1885 when representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
. In 1885 he was elected MP for Tavistock
. When the Liberals split in 1886 over Home Rule for Ireland, he joined the breakaway Liberal Unionist
s. He held the seat until 1892.
Fortescue succeeded to the Earldom
on the death of his father in 1905. He was ADC
to King Edward VII
from 1903 to 1910 and received a KCB in 1911. He was ADC to King George V
from 1910 to 1921. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Devon from 1903 to 1928 and was also Chairman of the County Council. He became Colonel of the North Devon Yeomanry and President and Chairman of the Territorial Force Advisory Council. He was Grand Master of Freemasons in Devon.
Fortescue lived at Castle Hill, South Molton. He died at the age of 78.
Fortescue married his cousin, Hon. Emily Ormsby-Gore, daughter of William Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech
, on 15 July 1886. They had three children:
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(16 April 1854–29 October 1932) was an English Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1881 until 1892 and later inherited the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Fortescue was the son of Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue
Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue
Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue , known as Viscount Ebrington from 1841 to 1861, was a British peer and occasional politician.He entered the House of Commons in 1841 as a member for Plymouth...
and his wife Georgiana Augusta Charlotte Caroline Dawson-Damer, daughter of George Lionel Dawson-Damer. He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. Known by his courtesy title of Viscount Ebrington, he was a captain in the North Devon Hussar Yeoman Cavalry and a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Devon and South Molton, and a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Devon. He was Master of the Devon and Somerset Stag-hounds. He was at one time private secretary to Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
Earl Spencer
John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer
John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer KG, PC , known as Viscount Althorp from 1845 to 1857 , was a British Liberal Party politician under and close friend of British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone...
.
In 1881 Fortescue was elected as a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Tiverton
Tiverton (UK Parliament constituency)
Tiverton was a constituency located in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1615 and first represented in 1621, it elected two Members of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
and held the seat until 1885 when representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
. In 1885 he was elected MP for Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
. When the Liberals split in 1886 over Home Rule for Ireland, he joined the breakaway Liberal Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
s. He held the seat until 1892.
Fortescue succeeded to the Earldom
Earl Fortescue
Earl Fortescue is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1789. The Fortescue family descends from Sir Hugh Fortescue of Filleigh, Devon, who died in 1719. His first wife's first cousin had been 13th Baron Clinton and 5th Earl of Lincoln...
on the death of his father in 1905. He was ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King Edward VII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
from 1903 to 1910 and received a KCB in 1911. He was ADC to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
from 1910 to 1921. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Devon from 1903 to 1928 and was also Chairman of the County Council. He became Colonel of the North Devon Yeomanry and President and Chairman of the Territorial Force Advisory Council. He was Grand Master of Freemasons in Devon.
Fortescue lived at Castle Hill, South Molton. He died at the age of 78.
Fortescue married his cousin, Hon. Emily Ormsby-Gore, daughter of William Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech
William Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech
William Richard Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech was an Anglo-Irish peer and Member of Parliament.Ormsby-Gore was the younger son of William Ormsby-Gore and Mary Jane Ormsby. He was educated at Eton College and later purchased an Ensigncy in the 53rd Foot...
, on 15 July 1886. They had three children:
- Hugh William Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue (1888–1958)
- Geoffrey Faithful Fortescue (1891–1900), died young.
- Denzil George Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue (1893–1977)