William Thomas Spencer Fitzwilliam KG MP (1815 - 1902)

Born 12 Oct 1815 in Milton Hall near Peterborough, Northamptonshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 20 Feb 1902 at age 86 in Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire, England

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Biography

William was born in 1815. He is the son of Charles Fitzwilliam and Mary Dundas. He passed away in 1902. ^[1]

Sir William Thomas Spencer Fitzwilliam, 6th Earl Fitzwilliam, in 1838 married Lady Frances Harriet Douglas, daughter of Sholto Douglas, 19th Earl of Morton.

" In early 1847, a board of influential British shareholders [of the Saint Andrews & Quebec Railway Association] was established, the president of which was Lord William Fitzwilliam." Lord Fitzwilliam's Coolattin estate comprised over 85,000 acres, "covered one-fifth of the entire county of Wicklow and had more than 20,000 tenants. Yet, despite its size, Coolattin was just one of Fitzwilliam's estates. He had two more in England, and he spent most of his time there. The day-to-day running of Coolattin was left in the hands of his agent, Robert Chaloner." "In March 1847, Robert Chaloner opened the estate "Emigration Book". In it, he recorded the names of every tenant and family member prepared to leave for Canada. Between April and August, 313 families, comprising 2207 men, women and children left Coolattin for Quebec." ^[2]

Sir William and Lady Frances had 8 sons and 6 daughters. All 8 sons had the first name William. One daughter was Mary and the other 5 had Mary as a 2nd name.

Children:

1. William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, Viscount Milton (1839–1877), politician.
2. William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam (26 December 1840 – 10 July 1920), politician. Married on 11 July 1877 to married Lady Mary Grace Louisa Butler, daughter of John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde.
3. Frances Mary Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (c. 1842 – 28 September 1903) Married on 18 November 1867 to Charles Mervyn Doyne.
4. Margaret Mary Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (1844 – 1844).
5. Mary Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (1845 – 1921). Married on 23 May 1872 to the Hon. Hugh Le Despencer Boscawen (1849–1908), son of Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth (1819–1889)
6. William Thomas Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (7 October 1846 – 23 March 1896). Married on 21 December 1876 to Elgiva Mary Kinglake.
7. William Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam GCVO (1848–1925), courtier. Married on 31 October 1882 to married Constance Anne, daughter of Henry Brocklehurst.
8. William John Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (7 August 1852 – 11 September 1889), politician.
9. Albreda Mary Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (19 January 1855 – 9 October 1933) Married on 18 December 1895 to Hon. Charles Fowler Bourke, son of Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo.
10. William George Frederick Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (1857 – 19 September 1857)
11. Charlotte Mary Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (1858 – 1948)
12. William Hugh Spencer Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (10 January 1860 – 28 March 1917). Married on 18 October 1901 to Lady Ada Charlotte Godolphin Osborne (30 May 1870 – 9 April 1944), daughter of George Godolphin Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds.
13. William Reginald Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (12 April 1862 – 7 July 1906). Married on 2 February 1893 to Edith Isabella Georgina Lane-Fox.
14. Alice Mary Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (1869 – 1922)

Earl Fitzwilliam owned more than 91,000 acres of land in Ireland valued at over 47,000 British pounds in 1876^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: William_Wentworth-Fitzwilliam,_6th_Earl_Fitzwilliam
2. ↑ http://www.countywicklowheritage.org/page/the_surplus_people
3. ↑ "The landowners of Ireland : an alphabetical list of the owners of estates of 500 acres or £500 valuation and upwards in Ireland, with the acreage and valuation in each county ..." compiled by U. H. Hussey De Burgh. p 163 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101074353176;view=1up;seq=195

• 1861 Census: Household 1, Wentworth Woodhouse, Wentworth, Yorkshire, GBC_1861_3510_00327A. findmypast

25 servants, next page (GBC_1861_3510_00328A), 10 more servants

Written vertically next to names of children: The Right Honble Earl Fitzwilliam’s Family

Mary W. Fitzwilliam daughter, Un, aged 16, born at Milton, Northamptonshire

William T. W. Fitzwilliam son, Un, aged 14, born at Wentworth, Yorkshire

William C. W. Fitzwilliam son, aged 13, born at Milton, Northamptonshire

Alice M. W. Fitzwilliam daughter, aged 11, born at Wentworth, Yorkshire

William J. W. Fitzwilliam son, aged 8, born at N. K.

Albreda M. W. Fitzwilliam daughter, aged 6, born at 4 Grosvenor Square, London

Charlotte M. W. Fitzwilliam daughter, aged 2, born at Wentworth, Yorkshire

W. Hugh S. W. Fitzwilliam son, aged 1, born at Wentworth, Yorkshire

• 1861 Census: Household 40, Milton House, Parish of Castor cum Milton, GBC_1861_0967_01065A. findmypast

George W. Fitzwilliam head, Un, aged 43, born in St. George’s Hanover Square, Middlesex

William Thomas Spencer Earl Fitzwilliam brother, mar, aged 45, Peer of Parliament, Lord Lieutenant West Riding of Yorkshire, born at Milton, Northamptonshire

Frances Harriott Counteß Fitzwilliam sister in law, mar, aged 41, born in British Embaßy, Berlin

Charlotte W. Fitzwilliam sister, Un, aged 53, born in St. George’s Hanover Square, Middlesex

Dorothy H. (?) W. Fitzwilliam sister, Un, aged 39, born at Milton, Northamptonshire

William H. (?) W. Fitzwilliam nephew, Un, aged 20, born at Milton, Northamptonshire

Frances M. W. Fitzwilliam niece, Un, aged 19, born at Milton, Northamptonshire

Leonard Thompson brother in law, mar, aged 54, Magistrate, Deputy Lieutenant, born at Chesterton, Cambridgeshire

Mary Thompson sister, mar, aged 50, born in St. George’s Hanover Square, Middlesex

& 38 servants (24 of them on next page GBC_1861_0967_01066A and 10 more on page GBC_1861_0967_01067A), some of them local, some from Wentworth, Yorkshire or elsewhere, some employed by visitors.

Note by Martin C. Styan: It is interesting that at the time of the 1861 census, the Earl's children were at Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham, but the adults were at Milton Hall near Peterborough.

• Cambridge Daily News, 20 February 1902 page 3. findmypast

Earl Fitzwilliam Dead.

Earl Fitzwilliam K.G., died to-day, at his Yorkshire seat, Wentworth, Woodhouse. He had been suffering from bronchitis.

In the following days, newspapers published long obituaries.

• Burke's PEERAGE (1913), p. 787