William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 7th Earl FitzWilliam
Encyclopedia
William Charles de Meuron Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 7th Earl FitzWilliam (25 July 1872-15 February 1943 Wentworth Woodhouse
) was a British
aristocrat
. He was born in Pointe de Meuron, Canada
and died at the family's seat. He inherited the title Earl FitzWilliam
in 1902 on the death of his grandfather William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 6th Earl FitzWilliam
, as his father Viscount Milton had pre-deceased him.
On 24 June 1896, at St Paul's Cathedral
, he married Lady Maud Frederica Elizabeth Dundas (b. 9 July 1877 Upleatham
), the daughter of Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess of Zetland
. They had five children;
On his succession to the Earldom, he became one of the richest men in Britain, inheriting an estate of significant land, industrial and mineral-right holdings worth £3.3 billion in 2007 terms.
: an unrelated baby inserted into the family line, to purge the bloodline of the epilepsy
from which his ostensible forebears had suffered, and to provide that arm of the family with a male heir to inherit the Earldom.
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...
) 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...
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...
. He was born in Pointe de Meuron, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and died at the family's seat. He inherited the title Earl FitzWilliam
Earl FitzWilliam
Earl Fitzwilliam was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family. This family claim descent from William the Conqueror. The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in South Yorkshire, largely through strategic alliances through...
in 1902 on the death of his grandfather William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 6th Earl FitzWilliam
William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 6th Earl FitzWilliam
William Thomas Spencer Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 6th Earl FitzWilliam, KG was a British peer and Liberal politician....
, as his father Viscount Milton had pre-deceased him.
On 24 June 1896, at St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, he married Lady Maud Frederica Elizabeth Dundas (b. 9 July 1877 Upleatham
Upleatham
Upleatham is a village in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.It has a small church, believed by some to be the smallest in the world. The village is located near New Marske, between Saltburn and Guisborough; there are a few rows of houses which...
), the daughter of Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess of Zetland
Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess of Zetland
Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess of Zetland, KT, PC , known as Lawrence Dundas until 1873 and as the Earl of Zetland from 1873 to 1892, was a British Conservative politician and statesman. He was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1889 and 1892.-Background, education and military service:Zetland was...
. They had five children;
- Lady Maud Lillian Elfreda Mary Wentworth-FitzWilliam (b. 19 August 1898); married the 3rd Earl of WharncliffeEarl of WharncliffeEarl of Wharncliffe, in the West Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1876 for Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 3rd Baron Wharncliffe. He was a descendant of Edward Wortley Montagu and his wife, the authoress Lady Mary Wortley...
- Lady Marjorie Joan Mary Wentworth-FitzWilliam (b. 19 October 1900)
- Lady Donatia Faith Mary Wentworth-FitzWilliam (14 March 1904-20 October 1943)
- Lady Helena Albreda Marie Gabrielle Wentworth-FitzWilliam (25 May 1907-1970)
- William Henry Lawrence Peter Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 8th Earl FitzWilliam (31 December 1910-13 May 1948)
On his succession to the Earldom, he became one of the richest men in Britain, inheriting an estate of significant land, industrial and mineral-right holdings worth £3.3 billion in 2007 terms.
Controversy
The unusual circumstances of his birth in a remote part of Canada's frontier lands were later to cause major controversy within the family. The accusation was that he was a changelingChangeling
A changeling is a creature found in Western European folklore and folk religion. It is typically described as being the offspring of a fairy, troll, elf or other legendary creature that has been secretly left in the place of a human child. Sometimes the term is also used to refer to the child who...
: an unrelated baby inserted into the family line, to purge the bloodline of the epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
from which his ostensible forebears had suffered, and to provide that arm of the family with a male heir to inherit the Earldom.