Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart

Lionel Tollemache
Born	1 May 1708
Died	10 March 1770 (aged 61) London
Title	4th Earl of Dysart 5th Baronet of Helmingham Hall
Known for	High Steward of Ipswich Knight of the Thistle
Nationality	English

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart KT (1 May 1708 – 10 March 1770), styled Lord Huntingtower from 1712 to 1727, was a Scottish nobleman.^[1]

Lionel's father, Lionel Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower died in 1712. As grandson of Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart, he became heir to the title. On his grandfather's death in 1727, he inherited the title and the estates of Ham House in Surrey, Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, Harrington and Bentley in Northamptonshire, and the 20,000 acres (8,100 ha; 31 sq mi) estate in Cheshire. The following year he went on a Grand Tour.^[2]

In 1729, he was elected High Steward of Ipswich, a post he held for 41 years.^[2] Also in 1729 he married Lady Grace Carteret (b.8 July 1713, d.1755 St James, Westminster), daughter of John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, by whom he had sixteen children:

• A son, Lord Huntingtower (born and died 21 May 1730)
• Lionel Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower (15 March 1731 – 16 March 1731)
• Lady Grace Tollemache (9 April 1732 – 10 May 1736)
• Lady Harriet Tollemache (died 2 August 1733)
• Lionel Tollemache, 5th Earl of Dysart (1734–1799)
• Lady Mary Tollemache (12 March 1736 – 14 March 1736)
• A son (born 24 June 1737, died young)
• Lady Frances Tollemache (c.1738 – 18 December 1807)
• Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart (1739–1821)
• A son (born 7 October 1740, died young)
• Lady Catherine Tollemache (1741 – 24 May 1751)
• Hon. George Tollemache (14 March 1744 – 13 November 1760), joined the Royal Navy and was drowned on a voyage to Lisbon after falling from the mizzen topmast head of HMS Modeste.
• Louisa Tollemache, 7th Countess of Dysart (1745–1840), married John Manners in 1766
• Capt. Hon. John Tollemache (30 March 1750 – 25 September 1777), married Lady Bridget Henley, daughter of Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington, on 3 December 1773, and had one son. The captain of HMS Zebra, Tollemache was killed in a duel in New York City with Lt-Col. Pennington over a sonnet written by the latter, reflecting on Lady Bridget's wit. Tollemache was run through the heart, and Pennington received seven wounds and nearly died.
  • John's son, Lionel Robert Tollemache (10 November 1774 – 14 July 1793), was informally adopted by his childless uncle, Lionel, following John's death. Commissioned an ensign in the Coldstream Guards on 28 January 1791, he was killed at the siege of Valenciennes, without issue.^[2]
• Lady Jane Tollemache (1750 – 28 August 1802), married John Delap Halliday (died 24 June 1794) on 23 October 1771 and had issue;^[3] married David George Ferry on 24 March 1802
• Lt. Hon. William Tollemache (22 February 1751 – 16 December 1776), lieutenant of HMS Repulse, lost with the ship in a hurricane off Bermuda

In 1743 he was made Knight of the Thistle.^[1] He was apparently very parsimonious towards his eldest son, who married Charlotte Walpole in 1760 without his father's knowledge.^[4][5]

Grace died in 1755, aged 42, at the Earl's new house in New Burlington Street, London. The 4th Earl died in 1770, aged 72 and was buried in Helmingham. He was succeeded as earl by his eldest son, Lionel who erected no memorial to either of his parents. He was also survived by another son; Wilbraham and three daughters; Frances, Louisa and Jane.^[2]

References

1. Harwood, H. W. Forsyth; Murray, Keith W. (1906). Paul, James Balfour, ed. Murray, Earl of Dysart. The Scots Peerage III (Edinburgh: David Douglas). pp. 407–411.
2. Pritchard, Evelyn (2007). Ham House and its owners through five centuries 1610-2006. Richmond Local History Society. ISBN 9781955071727.
3. Parkes, D. (21 February 1803). Urban, Sylvanus, ed. "Hales Owen Church, Shropshire". The Gentleman's Magazine 73: 614.
4. Walpole, Horace (1903), Toynbee, Paget, ed., "Letter to George Montagu, 2 October 1760", The Letters of Horace Walpole, Fourth Earl of Orford IV, pp. 430–431
5. Walpole, Horace (1903), Toynbee, Paget, ed., "Letter to Sir Horace Mann, 5 October 1760", The Letters of Horace Walpole, Fourth Earl of Orford IV, pp. 432–434

This article incorporates text from The Scots Peerage (1904-1914), a publication now in the public domain.