Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere
Encyclopedia
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere KG
, PC (1 January 1800 – 18 February 1857), known as Lord Francis Leveson-Gower until 1833, was a British politician, writer, traveller and patron of the arts. Ellesmere Island
, a major island (10th in size among global islands) in Nunavut
, the Canadian Arctic, was named after him.
and his wife, Elizabeth Gordon
suo jure 19th Countess of Sutherland. He was educated at Eton
and Christ Church, Oxford
.
in 1822 as member for the pocket borough of Bletchingley
in Surrey
, a seat he held until 1826. He afterwards sat for Sutherland
between 1826 and 1831, and for South Lancashire
between 1835 and 1846. In politics he was a moderate Conservative
of independent views, as was shown by his supporting the proposal for establishing the University of London
, by his making and carrying a motion for the endowment of the Roman Catholic clergy
in Ireland
, and by his advocating free trade
long before Sir Robert Peel yielded on the question. Appointed a Lord of the Treasury
in 1827, he held the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland
from 1828 till July 1830, when he became Secretary at War
for a short time.
In 1833 he assumed, by Royal Licence, the surname of Egerton, having succeeded on the death of his father to the estates which the latter inherited from the Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
. In 1846 he was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Brackley, of Brackley in the County of Northampton, and Earl of Ellesmere, of Ellesmere in the County of Salop.
, one of the earliest that appeared in England, with some translations of German lyrics and a few original poems. In 1839 he visited the Mediterranean and the Holy Land
. His impressions of travel were recorded in Mediterranean Sketches (1843), and in the notes to a poem entitled The Pilgrimage. He published several other works in prose and verse. His literary reputation secured for him the position of rector of the University of Aberdeen
in 1841.
Lord Ellesmere was a munificent and yet discriminating patron of artists. To the collection of pictures which he inherited from his great-uncle, the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
, he made numerous additions, and he built a gallery to which the public were allowed free access. Lord Ellesmere served as president of the Royal Geographical Society
and as president of the Royal Asiatic Society
(1849–1852), and he was a trustee of the National Gallery
. He also initiated the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, by donating the Chandos portrait
of Shakespeare.
He was succeeded by his first son, George. On the extinction of the senior line of the Dukedom of Sutherland
in 1963, his great-great-grandson, the fifth Earl, succeeded as 6th Duke of Sutherland
.
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, PC (1 January 1800 – 18 February 1857), known as Lord Francis Leveson-Gower until 1833, was a British politician, writer, traveller and patron of the arts. Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
, a major island (10th in size among global islands) in Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, the Canadian Arctic, was named after him.
Background and education
Ellesmere was the second son of George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of SutherlandGeorge Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland
George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland KG, PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as The Marquess of Stafford from 1803 to 1833, was a British politician, diplomat, landowner and patron of the arts. He is estimated to have been the...
and his wife, Elizabeth Gordon
Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Elizabeth Sutherland Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland , also suo jure 19th Countess of Sutherland, was a Scottish peeress, best remembered for her involvement in the Highland Clearances....
suo jure 19th Countess of Sutherland. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
.
Political career
Ellesmere entered ParliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in 1822 as member for the pocket borough of Bletchingley
Bletchingley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bletchingley was a parliamentary borough in Surrey. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1832, when the constituency was...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, a seat he held until 1826. He afterwards sat for Sutherland
Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)
Sutherland was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It represented essentially the traditional county of Sutherland, electing one Member of Parliament...
between 1826 and 1831, and for South Lancashire
South Lancashire (UK Parliament constituency)
South Lancashire, formally called the Southern Division of Lancashire or Lancashire Southern, is a former county constituency in England...
between 1835 and 1846. In politics he was a moderate Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
of independent views, as was shown by his supporting the proposal for establishing the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, by his making and carrying a motion for the endowment of the Roman Catholic clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and by his advocating free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
long before Sir Robert Peel yielded on the question. Appointed a Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
in 1827, he held the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
from 1828 till July 1830, when he became Secretary at War
Secretary at War
The Secretary at War was a political position in the English and later British government, with some responsibility over the administration and organization of the Army, but not over military policy. The Secretary at War ran the War Office. It was occasionally a cabinet level position, although...
for a short time.
In 1833 he assumed, by Royal Licence, the surname of Egerton, having succeeded on the death of his father to the estates which the latter inherited from the Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater , known as Lord Francis Egerton until 1748, was a British nobleman, the younger son of the 1st Duke...
. In 1846 he was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Brackley, of Brackley in the County of Northampton, and Earl of Ellesmere, of Ellesmere in the County of Salop.
Writings, travels and art patronage
Ellesmere's claims to remembrance are founded chiefly on, his services to literature and the fine arts. Before he was twenty he printed for private circulation a volume of poems, which he followed up after a short interval by the publication of a translation of Goethe's FaustFaust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
, one of the earliest that appeared in England, with some translations of German lyrics and a few original poems. In 1839 he visited the Mediterranean and the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. His impressions of travel were recorded in Mediterranean Sketches (1843), and in the notes to a poem entitled The Pilgrimage. He published several other works in prose and verse. His literary reputation secured for him the position of rector of the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
in 1841.
Lord Ellesmere was a munificent and yet discriminating patron of artists. To the collection of pictures which he inherited from his great-uncle, the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater , known as Lord Francis Egerton until 1748, was a British nobleman, the younger son of the 1st Duke...
, he made numerous additions, and he built a gallery to which the public were allowed free access. Lord Ellesmere served as president of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and as president of the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
(1849–1852), and he was a trustee of the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
. He also initiated the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, by donating the Chandos portrait
Chandos portrait
The "Chandos" portrait is one of the most famous of the portraits that may depict William Shakespeare . Believed to have been painted from life between 1600 and 1610, it may have served as the basis for the engraved portrait of Shakespeare used in the First Folio in 1623. It is named after James...
of Shakespeare.
Family
On 18 June 1822, he married Harriet Catherine née Greville, a great-great-granddaughter of the 5th Baron Brooke. They had eleven children, including:- George Egerton, 2nd Earl of EllesmereGeorge Egerton, 2nd Earl of EllesmereGeorge Granville Francis Egerton, 2nd Earl of Ellesmere was a British peer and Conservative politician, known as Viscount Brackley from 1846–57....
(15 Jun 1823 - 19 Sep 1862); - Hon. Francis Egerton (15 Sep 1824 - 15 Dec 1895), who became an admiral, and was a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA 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 two constituencies; he married in 1865 (Lady) Louisa Caroline née Cavendish, daughter of the 7th Duke of Devonshire (by marriage); they had issue; - Hon. Algernon Fulke EgertonAlgernon EgertonThe Honourable Algernon Fulke Egerton , known as Algernon Leveson-Gower until 1833, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...
(31 Dec 1825 - 14 Jul 1891), who was a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA 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 three constituencies, and married in 1863 Hon. Alice Louisa Cavendish, a niece of the 7th Duke of Devonshire; they had issue; - Hon. Arthur Frederick Egerton (06 Feb 1829 - 25 Feb 1866), who became Lieutenant-Colonel, and married in 1858 Helen Smith, daughter of Martin Tucker Smith and his wife, Louisa Ridley; they had issue;
- Lady Alice Harriot Frederica Egerton (10 Oct 1830 - 22 Dec 1928), who married George Byng, 3rd Earl of StraffordGeorge Byng, 3rd Earl of StraffordGeorge Henry Charles Byng, 3rd Earl of Strafford , styled Viscount Enfield between 1860 and 1886, was a British Liberal politician.-Background and education:...
in 1854; they had no issue; - Lady Blanche Egerton (22 Feb 1832 - 20 Mar 1894), who married John Montagu, 7th Earl of SandwichJohn Montagu, 7th Earl of SandwichJohn William Montagu, 7th Earl of Sandwich PC , styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke from 1814 to 1818, was a British peer and Conservative politician...
in 1865 as his second wife; they had no issue; - Hon. Granville Egerton (c. 1834-1851), who was killed at sea; unmarried, seemingly no issue.
He was succeeded by his first son, George. On the extinction of the senior line of the Dukedom of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland, derived from Sutherland in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the head of the Leveson-Gower family. It was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford...
in 1963, his great-great-grandson, the fifth Earl, succeeded as 6th Duke of Sutherland
John Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland
thumb|right|200px|Portrait by [[Allan Warren]]John Sutherland Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland , styled Viscount Brackley until 1944 and known as The Earl of Ellesmere between 1944 and 1963, was a British peer.-Background and education:the son of John Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere and Lady Violet...
.