The Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent | |
|---|---|
 FitzAlan in 1921 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
| In office 27 April 1921 – 6 December 1922 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | David Lloyd George Bonar Law |
| Preceded by | The Viscount French |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1855-06-01)1 June 1855 St James's, Westminster, London[1] |
| Died | 18 May 1947(1947-05-18) (aged 91) Cumberland Lodge, Windsor |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Mary Bertie (1859–1938) |
| Children | Hon. Mary Fitzalan-Howard Henry FitzAlan-Howard, 2nd Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent |
| Parent(s) | Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk Hon. Augusta Lyons |
Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent (1 June 1855 – 18 May 1947), known asThe Honourable Edmund Fitzalan-Howard between 1855 and 1856,Lord Edmund Fitzalan-Howard between 1856 and 1876, andLord Edmund Talbot between 1876 and 1921, was a BritishConservative politician and the lastLord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the firstRoman Catholic to be appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland since the 17th century, holding office whenIreland waspartitioned intoSouthern Ireland andNorthern Ireland.[2][3]
FitzAlan was born at 11Carlton House Terrace,Westminster, the second son ofHenry Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk by his wife theHon.Augusta Lyons, daughter ofVice-AdmiralEdmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons, and the younger brother ofHenry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk. He was principal beneficiary named in the will ofBertram Arthur Talbot, 17th Earl of Shrewsbury (1832–1856) provided he took the surname and arms of "Talbot", which he did byroyal licence in 1876.[4][5] However, the late earl's distant relatives contested the will, and the peerage and concomitant property were awarded after much litigation toHenry Chetwynd-Talbot, 3rd Earl Talbot, leaving Lord Edmund Talbot with only scattered minor lands.[4] He returned to the use of his paternal name by royal licence in 1921,[6] shortly after being raised to the peerage.[3]
Talbot was elected member of parliament forChichester in 1894, a seat he held until 1921.
In 1899 he was appointed, byRedvers Buller, as the military censor of telegraph communications in Cape Town, South Africa, on the outbreak of theBoer War.[7] He later served briefly underArthur Balfour as aLord of the Treasury in 1905 and underH. H. Asquith and laterDavid Lloyd George asParliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from 1915 to 1921 (jointly from December 1916 onwards). In 1918 he was sworn of thePrivy Council.[3]
On 27 April 1921 he was appointedLord Lieutenant of Ireland, the first Roman Catholic to be appointed to the position since 1685 during the reign ofKing James II. His appointment was possible because Section 37 of theGovernment of Ireland Act 1920 had been brought into force shortly beforehand.[8] That provision provided that no British subject would be disqualified from holding the position on account of his religious belief. Concerning the announcement of his impending appointment, theDaily Chronicle observed that "the concillatory motive of his appointment [being a Roman Catholic] is obvious...it is an olive branch in place of a dictatorship."[9]
However, his tenure as Lord Lieutenant lasted only a year and a half. The post was abolished with the coming into existence of theIrish Free State and itsconstitution in 1922. The position was replaced by the offices of theGovernor-General of the Irish Free State and theGovernor of Northern Ireland. The day after his appointment as Lord Lieutenant he was raised to thePeerage asViscount FitzAlan of Derwent, ofDerwent in theCounty of Derby.[10] In addition, during the minority of his nephew the16th Duke of Norfolk, who succeeded to the dukedom in 1917, he served as DeputyEarl Marshal.[3]
He was appointed Knight Companion of theOrder of the Garter (KG) in 1925.[11]
FitzAlan married Lady Mary Bertie, daughter ofMontagu Bertie, 7th Earl of Abingdon, on 5 August 1879. They lived atCumberland Lodge inWindsor Great Park and had two children:
FitzAlan died on 18 May 1947 at the age of 91, and was succeeded in the viscountcy by his only son, Henry.
In his thirties, FitzAlan – then known as Lord Edmund Talbot – was the patron ofChichester City F.C.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forChichester 1894 –1921 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 1915–1921 With:Neil James Archibald Primrose 1916–1917 Hon. Frederick Guest 1917–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1921–1922 | Succeeded by Position replaced by the Governor-General of the Irish Free State and theGovernor of Northern Ireland |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent 1921–1947 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
