Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford

The Right Honourable The Lord Carlingford KP PC
Lord President of the Council
In office 19 March 1883 – 24 June 1885
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	William Ewart Gladstone
Preceded by	The Earl Spencer
Succeeded by	The Viscount Cranbrook
President of the Board of Trade
In office 14 January 1871 – 17 February 1874
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	William Ewart Gladstone
Preceded by	John Bright
Succeeded by	Sir Charles Adderley
Personal details
Born	18 January 1823 Glyde, County Louth
Died	30 January 1898 (aged 75) Marseille, France
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal later Liberal Unionist
Spouse(s)	Frances Braham (1821-1829)
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue, 2nd Baron Clermont and 1st Baron Carlingford KP, PC (18 January 1823 – 30 January 1898), known as Chichester Fortescue until 1863 and as Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue between 1863 and 1874 and Lord Carlingford after 1874, was a British Liberal politician of the 19th century.

Background and education

Born Chichester Fortescue, Carlingford was the son of Chichester Fortescue (died 1826), Member of Parliament for Hillsborough in the Irish parliament. He came of an old family settled in Ireland since the days of Sir Faithful Fortescue (1581–1666), whose uncle, Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester, was Lord Deputy. The history of the family was written by his elder brother, Thomas Fortescue, who in 1852 was created Baron Clermont. His mother was Martha Angel, daughter of Samuel Meade Hobson. Carlingford was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took a first in Classics (1844) and won the chancellor's English essay (1846).^[1] In 1863, he assumed by Royal Licence the additional surname of Parkinson as heir to his aunt's husband William Parkinson Ruxton.

Political career

In 1847, Carlingford was elected to parliament for Louth as a Liberal. He became a junior Lord of the Treasury in 1854 under Lord Palmerston, a post he held until 1855, and was later Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies under Palmerston between 1857 and 1858 and 1859 and 1865. He was admitted to the Privy Council in 1864 and the following year he was made Chief Secretary for Ireland under Lord Russell, a post which he again occupied under William Ewart Gladstone from 1868 to 1871 (this time with a seat in the cabinet). In 1866, he was also admitted to the Irish Privy Council. He was then President of the Board of Trade between 1871 and 1874. The latter year he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Carlingford, of Carlingford in the County of Louth.^[1]

Carlingford later served under Gladstone as Lord Privy Seal between 1881 and 1885 and as Lord President of the Council between 1883 and 1885. In 1882, he was appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick. He parted from Gladstone on the question of Irish Home Rule, but in earlier years he was his active supporter on Irish questions.

Personal life

Lord Carlingford married Frances Elizabeth Anne, Countess Waldegrave, daughter of John Braham, in 1863. She had been married three times before, the second time to George Waldegrave, 7th Earl Waldegrave. There were no children from the marriage. Carlingford's influence in society was due largely to her. She died in July 1879, aged 58. In 1887 Carlingford's brother, Lord Clermont, died, and Carlingford inherited his peerage according to a special remainder, after which he was known as Lord Carlingford and Clermont.^[2]

He died childless at Marseille, France, in January 1898, aged 75. Both his titles became extinct on his death.^[1]

References

1. Chisholm 1911.
2. Historical Register of the University of Oxford: With an Alphabetical Record of University Honours and Distinctions Conferred to the End of Trinity Term, 1888 (Clarendon Press, 1888), p. 142

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Carlingford, Chichester Samuel Fortescue". Encyclopædia Britannica 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Sources

• Matthew, H. C. G. "Fortescue, Chichester Samuel Parkinson- , Baron Carlingford and second Baron Clermont (1823–1898)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/9938. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
•  Rigg, James McMullen (1901). "Fortescue, Chichester Samuel". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement​. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue