John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland
Encyclopedia
General
John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland GCB
, GCH
, PC
(2 February 1784 – 16 October 1859), styled Lord Burghersh until 1841, was a British
soldier, politician, diplomat and musician.
, London
, the son of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
, by his wife Sarah Child
, daughter and heiress of the wealthy banker Sir Robert Child, builder of Osterley Park
. His sister was the well known social hostess Sarah Villiers, Countess of Jersey
. He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1841.
in the 11th Foot without purchase in 1803. In 1804 he transferred to the 7th Foot as a Lieutenant
and in 1806 he transferred to the 23rd Foot as a Captain
. He later transferred to the 2nd West India Regiment. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army in 1809 and then transferred to the 91st Foot. In 1811 he exchanged back into the 7th Foot and later the same year purchased the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the 63rd Foot. In 1814 he was promoted Colonel
in the Army. He was an extra aide-de-camp
to the Duke of Wellington
(his wife's uncle) and fought at Talavera and Busaco during the Peninsular War
. He was promoted Major-General in 1838 and General
in 1854 and was appointed a Colonel of the 56th Foot in 1842.
for Lyme Regis
between 1806 and 1816. He served as Minister to Tuscany between 1814 and 1830, as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia between 1841 and 1851 and as Ambassador to the Austrian Empire between 1851 and 1855. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath
in 1815, a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
(KCH) in 1817, a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1838 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1846 and was sworn of the Privy Council
in 1822.
. He was a great music lover who devoted most of his leisure hours to the study of music, was a good violinist and a prolific composer. This fact helped to improve the standing of the musical profession in England. Like many aristocrats, however, he regarded Italy as the only source of good music.
, later first Baron Maryborough and third Earl of Mornington
, on 26 June 1811. He died in October 1859, aged 75, and was succeeded in the earldom by his fourth but eldest surviving son, Francis
. Lord Westmorland's fifth and youngest son Julian Fane was a poet and diplomat. The Countess of Westmorland died in February 1879.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland GCB
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...
, GCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(2 February 1784 – 16 October 1859), styled Lord Burghersh until 1841, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier, politician, diplomat and musician.
Background
Styled Lord Burghersh from birth, he was born at Sackville Street, PiccadillyPiccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland KG, PC , styled Lord Burghersh between 1771 and 1774, was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primarily as Lord Privy Seal.-Background:Westmorland was the son of John Fane, 9th...
, by his wife Sarah Child
Sarah Fane, Countess of Westmorland
Sarah Fane, Countess of Westmorland was the only child of Robert Child, the principal shareholder in the banking firm Child & Co...
, daughter and heiress of the wealthy banker Sir Robert Child, builder of Osterley Park
Osterley Park
Osterley Park is a mansion set in a large park of the same name. It is in the London Borough of Hounslow, part of the western suburbs of London. When the house was built it was surrounded by rural countryside. It was one of a group of large houses close to London which served as country retreats...
. His sister was the well known social hostess Sarah Villiers, Countess of Jersey
Sarah Villiers, Countess of Jersey
Sarah Sophia Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey , was an English noblewoman, the daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland and Sarah Anne Child. Her mother was the only child of Robert Child, the principal shareholder in the banking firm Child & Co...
. He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1841.
Military career
Lord Burghersh was commissioned EnsignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 11th Foot without purchase in 1803. In 1804 he transferred to the 7th Foot as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and in 1806 he transferred to the 23rd Foot as a Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
. He later transferred to the 2nd West India Regiment. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army in 1809 and then transferred to the 91st Foot. In 1811 he exchanged back into the 7th Foot and later the same year purchased the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the 63rd Foot. In 1814 he was promoted Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Army. He was an extra aide-de-camp
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 the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(his wife's uncle) and fought at Talavera and Busaco during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. He was promoted Major-General in 1838 and General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in 1854 and was appointed a Colonel of the 56th Foot in 1842.
Political and diplomatic career
Lord Westmorland sat as Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
for Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis (UK Parliament constituency)
Lyme Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1868, when the borough was abolished.-1295-1629:...
between 1806 and 1816. He served as Minister to Tuscany between 1814 and 1830, as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia between 1841 and 1851 and as Ambassador to the Austrian Empire between 1851 and 1855. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath
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...
in 1815, a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
(KCH) in 1817, a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1838 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1846 and was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1822.
Musician
Lord Westmorland was also a composer and a founder of the Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
. He was a great music lover who devoted most of his leisure hours to the study of music, was a good violinist and a prolific composer. This fact helped to improve the standing of the musical profession in England. Like many aristocrats, however, he regarded Italy as the only source of good music.
Family
Lord Westmorland married Priscilla Pole-Wellesley, daughter of the Honourable William Wellesley-PoleWilliam Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington
William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington GCH, PC, PC , known as The Lord Maryborough between 1821 and 1842, was a British politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington....
, later first Baron Maryborough and third Earl of Mornington
Earl of Mornington
Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, since 1863 a subsidiary title of the dukedom of Wellington. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. He was made Viscount Wellesley, of Dangan Castle in the County of Meath, at...
, on 26 June 1811. He died in October 1859, aged 75, and was succeeded in the earldom by his fourth but eldest surviving son, Francis
Francis Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland
Colonel Francis William Henry Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland CB, DL , styled Lord Burghersh between 1851 and 1859, was a British soldier and racehorse owner.-Background and education:...
. Lord Westmorland's fifth and youngest son Julian Fane was a poet and diplomat. The Countess of Westmorland died in February 1879.