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| Earl Fortescue | |
|---|---|
  Arms of Fortescue:Azure, a bend engrailed argent plain cotised or | |
| Creation date | 1789 |
| Created by | George III |
| Peerage | Peerage of Great Britain |
| First holder | Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue |
| Present holder | Charles Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue |
| Heir presumptive | John Fortescue |
| Remainder to | Heirs male of the body |
| Subsidiary titles | Viscount Ebrington Baron Fortescue of Castle Hill |
| Seat(s) | Ebrington Manor |
| Former seat(s) | Castle Hill |
| Motto | Forte Scutum Salus Ducum ("A Strong Shield is the Salvation of Leaders")[1] |
Earl Fortescue is a title in thePeerage of Great Britain that was created in 1789 forHugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue (1753–1841), amember of parliament forBeaumaris andLord-Lieutenant of Devon.
The Earls Fortescue descend from SirHugh Fortescue (1665–1719) ofFilleigh and ofWeare Giffard, both in Devon, whose first wife's first cousin had been 13thBaron Clinton and 5thEarl of Lincoln. In 1721 the abeyance of the ancientbarony of Clinton was terminated in favour of his sonHugh Fortescue (1696–1751), who thus became the 14th Baron Clinton. On 5 July 1746, he was createdEarl Clinton, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body andBaron Fortescue, ofCastle Hill in the County of Devon, withspecial remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to his half-brotherMatthew Fortescue. Both titles were in thePeerage of Great Britain.
Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton (1696–1751), had no legitimate children and thus on his death the barony of Clinton fell intoabeyance (seeBaron Clinton for later history of this title) while the earldom of Clinton became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of Fortescue (according to the special remainder) by his half-brotherMatthew Fortescue, 2nd Baron Fortescue.
Matthew's sonHugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue (1753–1841), was amember of parliament forBeaumaris and served asLord-Lieutenant of Devon. In 1789 he was createdViscount Ebrington, of Ebrington in the County of Gloucester, andEarl Fortescue, in the Peerage of Great Britain. He married Hester Grenville, a daughter of Prime MinisterGeorge Grenville.
He was succeeded by his eldest sonHugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue (1783–1861), who was a prominentWhig politician. After representing several constituencies in theHouse of Commons he was summoned in 1839 to theHouse of Lords through awrit of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Fortescue. He then served underLord Melbourne asLord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1839 to 1841 and underLord John Russell asLord Steward of the Household from 1846 to 1850. His sonHugh Fortescue, 3rd Earl Fortescue (1818–1905), was also a Whig politician and held minor office from 1846 to 1851 in the same government as his father. In 1859 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Fortescue. His eldest sonHugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue (1854–1932), sat asLiberal Member of Parliament forTiverton and forTavistock. He also held the honorary position ofLord-Lieutenant of Devon. On his death the titles passed to his eldest sonHugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue (1888–1958), aConservative politician who served asCaptain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (Chief Government Whip in the House of Lords) in 1945 and from 1951 to 1958. He died without surviving male issue and (having bequeathed the two principle ancestral seats of Castle Hill, Filleigh, and Weare Giffard Hall, to his two daughters), was succeeded in the earldom by his third and youngest brotherDenzil Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue (1893–1977), who inherited the ancient Fortescue seat of Ebrington Manor in Gloucestersire. He was succeeded by his eldest sonRichard Fortescue, 7th Earl Fortescue (1922–1993), who was succeeded by his eldest sonCharles Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue (born 1951), living in 2015.[2]
Several other members of the Fortescue family may also be mentioned. The Hon.George Fortescue, second son of the first Earl, was Member of Parliament forHindon. The Hon.John Fortescue, second son of the second Earl, was Member of Parliament forBarnstaple. The Hon.Dudley Fortescue, third son of the second Earl, was Member of Parliament forAndover. The Hon. SirSeymour John Fortescue (1856–1942), second son of the third Earl, was acaptain in theRoyal Navy and also served as Serjeant at Arms in the House of Lords. The Hon. Arthur Grenville Fortescue (1858–1895), fourth son of the third Earl, was a captain in the army and the grandfather ofArthur Henry Grenville Fortescue, abrigadier in the army. The Hon.Sir John William Fortescue, fifth son of the third Earl, was a major in the army and writer on theBritish Army. The Hon.Charles Grenville Fortescue (1861–1951), sixth son of the third Earl, was abrigadier-general in the army.
The principal seat of the present Earl Fortescue isEbrington Manor, nearChipping Campden,Gloucestershire, purchased by his distant ancestor SirJohn Fortescue (c.1394-1479),Chief Justice of the King's Bench, a younger grandson of the Fortescue family ofWhympston in the parish ofModbury in Devon, the earliest Fortescue seat in England. The more grandiose former seatCastle Hill,Filleigh, NorthDevon, rebuilt as a Palladian mansion byHugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton (1696–1751), has been since the death of the5th Earl in 1958, the property and residence of descendants in the female line. Other historic Devon seats of branches of the Fortescue family were:Whympston in the parish ofModbury;Weare Giffard;Buckland Filleigh; Preston; Spriddlestone in the parish ofBrixton and Fallapit in the parish ofEast Allington, all in Devon.[3]
Theheir presumptive is the present holder's first cousin John Andrew Francis Fortescue (born 1955).
