George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston

George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1715-1747) was an English aristocrat, member of the Parliament, and known for his brutal treatment of his wife and tenants.

Early life and education

George FitzRoy was born on 24 August 1715, the son of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton and Henrietta Somerset, daughter of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester.[1] George's father was Lord Chamberlain to George I and George II.[1] His brother was Lord Augustus FitzRoy.[1]

FitzRoy attended Eton in 1728.[1]

Marriage

FitzRoy married Lady Dorothy Boyle, the daughter of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork and Dorothy Savile, Countess of Burlington and Countess of Cork,[2]:91 in October 1741.[1] In the biography written in the History of the Parliament, Lady Boyle was described as "a girl of the softest temper, vast beauty, birth and fortune." After she died on 2 May 1742, her mother said that she was relieved of "extremest misery" that Lady Boyle's husband exacted with what his biography describes as "utmost brutality".[1]

Parliament

FitzRoy served in the Parliament for Coventry. He voted in 1740 for the place bill, siding with the Administration, but his activity was otherwise spotty.[1] He was put up for election in 1747 for Coventry, but died before the election.[1]

Brutality

Charles FitzRoy, the recorder of Coventry was particularly dissatisfied with his son's behavior. For instance, one of George's tenants, a father of six children, killed himself after he had been pressed to pay more than his rent. The tenant stated that he had paid the full rent owed, but would be willing to pay extra if that was what was needed, to which George threatened to have the man's family removed from his residence. Charles FitzRoy had been duped by multiple times in which George declared that he was sorry for his behavior and vowed to change finally met deaf ears when Charles disowned his son in August 1743.[1]

Death

George FitzRoy died 7 July 1747.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R. Sedgwick, ed. (1970). "FitzRoy, George, Lord Euston (1715-47)". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754. Retrieved March 11, 2015 – via History of Parliament Online.
  2. ↑ John Burke (1831). A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage of England, Ireland and Scotland. Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, October 11, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.