Peter Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 8th Earl FitzWilliam
Encyclopedia
William Henry Lawrence Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 8th Earl Fitzwilliam, DSO
(31 December 1910 – 13 May 1948), styled Viscount Milton before 1943, was a British
soldier and aristocrat
.
, he was born at the family's seat of Wentworth Woodhouse
and died in an aircraft accident over Saint-Bauzile, Ardèche
, France
.
), with whom he had one daughter:
In Lord Fitzwilliam's later years the marriage to Obby became strained and there was talk of divorce. In 1943 he inherited the Earldom from his father.
he served with distinction in the Commandos
and later for the Special Operations Executive
, gaining a Distinguished Service Order
.
in a plane crash on 13 May 1948.
From 1946 he was romantically linked with the widowed Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington
, sister of future U.S. President
John F. Kennedy
. She was killed with Fitzwilliam in the crash.
After his death the title passed to his second cousin once removed, Eric Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, and his fortune, estimated at 45 million pounds, which included a minor estate and the considerable Fitzwilliam art collection, passed to his daughter, the present Lady Juliet Tadgell.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(31 December 1910 – 13 May 1948), styled Viscount Milton before 1943, was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
soldier and aristocrat
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
.
Biography
The fifth child and only son of the 7th Earl FitzwilliamWilliam Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 7th Earl FitzWilliam
William Charles de Meuron Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 7th Earl FitzWilliam was a British aristocrat. He was born in Pointe de Meuron, Canada and died at the family's seat...
, he was born at the family's seat of Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house near the village of Wentworth, in the vicinity of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. "One of the great Whig political palaces", its East Front, long, is the longest country house façade in Europe. The house includes 365 rooms and covers an...
and died in an aircraft accident over Saint-Bauzile, Ardèche
Saint-Bauzile, Ardèche
Saint-Bauzile is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Marriage and issue
He was married, on 19 April 1933, to Olive ('Obby') Dorothea Plunket (d. 1975) (the daughter of Benjamin Plunket, Bishop of Ormonde, and thereby granddaughter of the 4th Baron Plunket, Archbishop of DublinArchbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....
), with whom he had one daughter:
- Lady Anne Juliet Dorothea Maud Wentworth-FitzwilliamLady Juliet TadgellLady Juliet Tadgell , previously the Marchioness of Bristol, is a British heiress, race horse breeder and landowner...
(b. 24 January 1935). She married firstly (1960) the 6th Marquess of BristolVictor Hervey, 6th Marquess of BristolVictor Frederick Cochrane Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol , was a British aristocrat and businessman. He is notable for having served a jail term for jewel theft...
(1915–1985) (divorced 1972); secondly (1974) as his fourth wife Somerset de ChairSomerset de ChairSomerset Struben de Chair DSC was a British author, politician and poet.-Early and personal life:Younger son of Admiral Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair, KCB, KCMG, MVO...
, of Bourne Park, nr Canterbury (22 August 1911 – 5 January 1995 / buried January 1996), son of Admiral Sir Dudley de ChairDudley de ChairAdmiral Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair, KCB, KCMG, KBE, MVO was a Naval Officer and Governor. De Chair joined the Royal Navy from the age of 16 and served in the Anglo-Egyptian War and later as an Admiral in the First World War. He was appointed as Governor of New South Wales in 1923...
; thirdly (1996) to Christopher Tadgell. She is now known as Lady Juliet Tadgell. Her children are:- Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth HerveyLord Nicholas HerveyLord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey was the only child born to the 6th Marquess of Bristol by his second wife Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey (26 November 1961–26 January 1998) was the only child born to the 6th Marquess of Bristol by his second...
(26 November 1961 – 26 January 1998), suicide - Lady Ann Hervey (b & d. 24 February 1966), stillborn
- Helena de Chair (b. 1977) writer on a trade magazine for the oil industry; who married 13 January 2007 Canterbury Cathedral Hon. Jacob Rees-MoggJacob Rees-MoggThe Hon. Jacob William Rees-Mogg is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for North East Somerset since the 2010 general election....
(b. 24 May 1969), son of William Rees-MoggWilliam Rees-MoggWilliam Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg is an English journalist and life peer.-Education:Rees-Mogg was educated at Clifton College Preparatory School in Bristol and Charterhouse School in Godalming, followed by Balliol College, Oxford...
, once publisher of The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.- Peter Theodore Alphoge Rees-Mogg (b. mid-October 2007 Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London)
- Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey
In Lord Fitzwilliam's later years the marriage to Obby became strained and there was talk of divorce. In 1943 he inherited the Earldom from his father.
Service
He was commissioned into the Royal Scots Greys (Supplementary Reserve) in 1929. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served with distinction in the Commandos
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
and later for the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
, gaining a Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
Death
He died in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in a plane crash on 13 May 1948.
From 1946 he was romantically linked with the widowed Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington
Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington
Kathleen Agnes "Kick" Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington , born Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, was the fourth child and second daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Kennedy. She was a sister of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy and widow of the heir to the Dukedom of Devonshire.-Biography:When...
, sister of future U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. She was killed with Fitzwilliam in the crash.
After his death the title passed to his second cousin once removed, Eric Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, and his fortune, estimated at 45 million pounds, which included a minor estate and the considerable Fitzwilliam art collection, passed to his daughter, the present Lady Juliet Tadgell.
Popular culture
- Fitzwilliam is portrayed by Thomas GibsonThomas GibsonThomas Ellis Gibson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Daniel Nyland in the Medical drama series Chicago Hope, as Greg Montgomery in the comedy series Dharma & Greg, and as Supervisory Special Agent Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner in the highly-popular CBS drama, Criminal...
in the television mini-series The Kennedys of MassachusettsThe Kennedys of MassachusettsThe Kennedys of Massachusetts is a 1990 TV miniseries that aired on ABC. Focusing mainly on the fifty-four year marriage of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Kennedy. The events depicted in the series are based upon the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin titled The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys : An...
(1990). - Fitzwilliam is portrayed by Larry Carter in the film Lives and Deaths of the Poets (2011).