Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Earl Fortescue
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Viscount Ebrington in 1919, an officer in the Royal Scots Greys
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| Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms |
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| In office 5 November 1951 – 27 June 1957 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill Anthony Eden Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | The Lord Shepherd |
| Succeeded by | The Earl St Aldwyn |
| In office 22 March 1945 – 4 August 1945 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | The Lord Snell |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Ammon |
| Lord-in-waiting Government Whip |
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| In office 26 August 1937 – 22 March 1945 |
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| Prime Minister | Neville Chamberlain Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | The Earl Erne |
| Succeeded by | The Marquess of Normanby |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 29 October 1932 – 14 June 1958 Hereditary Peerage |
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| Preceded by | The 4th Earl Fortescue |
| Succeeded by | The 6th Earl Fortescue |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hugh William Fortescue
14 June 1888 St George Hanover Square, London, England |
| Died | 14 June 1958 (aged 70) Castle Hill, North Devon |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Margaret Beaumont |
| Children | 4, including Margaret |
| Parents | Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue Emily Ormsby-Gore |
| Civilian awards | Knight of the Order of the Garter Companion of the Order of the Bath |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1907–1918 1939–1944 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Royal Scots Greys, Royal Corps of Signals |
| Commands | Royal Devon Yeomanry |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Military awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross |
Hugh William Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue (born June 14, 1888 – died June 14, 1958) was an important figure in British politics and military. He was known as Viscount Ebrington until 1932. He lived at Castle Hill and Weare Giffard Hall in Devon, and Ebrington Manor in Gloucestershire. He was a member of the British nobility and a politician for the Conservative Party.
Contents
Family Background
Hugh Fortescue was the oldest son of Hugh Fortescue, 4th Earl Fortescue (1854–1932). His mother was Emily Ormsby-Gore. She was the daughter of William Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech.
Hugh Fortescue's Career
Early Life and Education
Hugh Fortescue went to Eton College from 1901 to 1905. After that, he studied at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Military Service and Achievements
In 1907, Fortescue joined the Royal Scots Greys, a famous army unit. During the First World War (1914–1918), he served in France. He fought with the Scots Greys and later with the Royal Corps of Signals. He was wounded twice during battles. In 1917, he received the Military Cross for his bravery.
After the war, he went to India. There, he taught at the Cavalry School at Sangor. He also worked as an aide-de-camp for Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, who was the top commander in India.
He returned to England in 1922 and joined the Royal Devon Yeomanry. He became a lieutenant colonel in 1924 and a colonel in 1930. In 1935, he became the Colonel Commandant of the Honourable Artillery Company. When the Second World War started in 1939, Fortescue joined the General Staff. He was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1942 for his war service. In 1946, he received the Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Political Contributions
When his father passed away in 1932, Fortescue became the Earl and joined the House of Lords. He served as a Lord-in-waiting (a government whip) from 1936 to 1945. He worked under Conservative Prime Ministers like Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, and Winston Churchill.
In 1945, he became the Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. This role meant he was the chief government whip in the House of Lords. When the Labour Party was in power (1945-1951), he was the Chief Opposition Whip.
He served again as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms from 1951 to 1957. This was under Prime Ministers Churchill and Sir Anthony Eden. In 1952, he joined the Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council. In 1951, he received a very high honor, becoming a Knight of the Order of the Garter.
Fortescue also served as president of the British Horse Society and the Royal Agricultural Society.
Family Life
On February 8, 1917, Hugh Fortescue married Margaret Beaumont in London. She was the daughter of Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Viscount Allendale. They had four children together:
- Hon. Diana Margaret Fortescue (1919–1920), who sadly died as a baby.
- (Hugh) Peter Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington (1920–1942). He was their only son and was expected to inherit the title. He was killed in action during World War II. He was fighting with his father's old regiment, the Royal Scots Greys, at the First Battle of El Alamein. He never married.
- Lady Margaret Fortescue (1923–2013). She was the oldest surviving daughter. She married a famous horse breeder, Bernard van Cutsem. They later divorced, and she went back to using the Fortescue name. Lady Margaret helped manage the family estates in Devon and Exmoor.
- Lady Elizabeth Fortescue (1926–2010). She was the second daughter. She married William Lloyd Baxendale and had children.
Death and Legacy
Hugh Fortescue died on his 70th birthday in June 1958. This was just four days after his wife passed away.
Since his only son, Lord Ebrington, had died in the war, Hugh Fortescue had no male heir. So, his younger brother, Denzil Fortescue, 6th Earl Fortescue (1893–1977), inherited the earldom. His brother also inherited Ebrington Manor in Gloucestershire.
However, the 5th Earl left his main family home, Castle Hill in North Devon, to his older surviving daughter, Lady Margaret Fortescue. Today, Castle Hill is home to her daughter, Eleanor, Countess of Arran, and her husband. The 5th Earl also left his other Devon home, Weare Giffard Hall, to his younger daughter, Lady Elizabeth Baxendale. She sold it in 1960.
Images for kids
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Mural monument to (Hugh) Peter Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington (1920–1942), in Filleigh Church.
