View source for William Fortescue, 1st Earl of Clermont

{{short description|Irish politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2019}}
[[File:William Fortescue, 1st Earl of Clermont.jpg|thumb|William Fortescue, 1st Earl of Clermont (1722–1806), mezzotint engraving of portrait by [[Thomas Hudson (painter)|Thomas Hudson]] (1701–1779).<ref>Original painting owned in 1864 by [[Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont]] (1815–1887) ([[Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont|Clermont, Lord (Thomas Fortescue)]], ''History of the Family of Fortescue in all its Branches'', (first published 1869) 2nd edition London, 1880 [https://archive.org/stream/historyoffamilyo00cler/historyoffamilyo00cler_djvu.txt], image opposite p. 211.[https://archive.org/stream/historyoffamilyo00cler#page/n315/mode/2up])</ref>]]
[[File:WilliamFortescue 1stEarlOfClermont 1802Caricature.png|thumb|William Fortescue, 1st Earl of Clermont, 1802 caricature.]]
[[File:Fortescue arms.svg|thumb|Arms of Fortescue: ''Azure, a bend engrailed argent, plain cotised or'']]
[[File:Clermont Hall exterior 1.jpg|thumb|Clermont Hall in the parish of [[Little Cressingham]], Norfolk, originally built as a shooting lodge by the 1st Earl of Clermont and extended by his nephew Viscount Clermont.]]
'''William Henry Fortescue, 1st Earl of Clermont''', [[Order of St Patrick|KP]] (5 August 1722 – 30 September 1806), was an Irish peer and politician.
==Origins==
He was the eldest son of [[Thomas Fortescue (1683–1769)|Thomas Fortescue]] (1683–1769), a [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Dundalk (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Dundalk]]. His younger brother was [[James Fortescue (politician)|James Fortescue]], MP and Privy Counsellor.
==Career==
He served as [[High Sheriff of Louth]] in 1746. He represented [[County Louth (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|County Louth]] in the [[Irish House of Commons]] from 1745 to 1760 and subsequently the borough of [[Monaghan Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Monaghan]] from 1761 to 1770. In 1768 he sat briefly as [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Dundalk (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Dundalk]] before opting to sit for Monaghan Borough, for which he had also been elected. He was appointed [[Governor of County Monaghan|Governor]] and [[Custos Rotulorum of County Monaghan]] for life in 1775, standing down just before his death in 1806. He was created [[Earl of Clermont]] in 1777 and a Knight Founder of the [[Order of St Patrick]] on 30 March 1795.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leighrayment.com/orders/patrick.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607022551/http://www.leighrayment.com/orders/patrick.htm|archive-date=7 June 2008|title=Knights of the Order of St Patrick|last=Rayment|first=Leigh|url-status=usurped|accessdate=2008-12-13}}</ref> He was a [[francophile]] and it is believed on that account he selected ''Clermont'' as the name of his earldom.<ref name="44 berkeley square">''44 Berkeley Square'', A Commentary by Lord Kinross Illustrated by Adrian Daintrey, London, 1962 [http://fortescue.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/44-Berkeley-Square.pdf]</ref>
He had [[horseracing]] interests and his [[racing silks]] were all crimson.<ref name=RC1801>{{cite journal|last=Weatherby|first=Edward and James|journal=Racing Calendar|title=COLOURS WORN BY THE RIDERS OF THE FOLLOWING NOBLEMEN, GENTLEMEN, &c.|year=1801|
volume=28|page=52|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=jeMNAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en_GB&pg=GBS.PP1}}</ref> He was known in racing circles as ''the Father of the Turf'' and won the [[Epsom Derby|Derby]] with his horse [[Aimwell]].<ref>Kinross, Lord</ref> He had a country estate in Norfolk.
His London [[Townhouse (Great Britain)|townhouse]] was 44 [[Berkeley Square]] in [[Mayfair]], which he purchased from [[George Finch-Hatton (MP for Rochester)|George Finch-Hatton]] in 1774, after the death of its builder, Lady Isabella Finch (1700–1771), the 7th daughter of [[Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham|Daniel Finch, 7th Earl of Winchilsea]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Learmouth |first=Juliet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9XI6yQEACAAJ |title=The London Town House of Lady Isabella Finch |date=2016 |publisher=University of London (Courtauld Institute of Art) |language=en}}</ref> In the early 1960s it became the home of the [[Clermont Club]], an exclusive gambling club, and its basement and garden were occupied until 2018 by the then exclusive nightclub [[Annabel's]].<ref name="44 berkeley square" />[[File:Clermont Club, 44 Berkeley Square.JPG|thumb|44 Berkeley Square, London, [[Townhouse (Great Britain)|townhouse]] of Lord Clermont. In the 1960s it became the first home of the [[Clermont Club]], an exclusive gambling club. Until 2018, the basement was the location of the exclusive nightclub [[Annabel's]], operated originally as part of the Clermont Club]]
[[File:44berkeleysquare-Lady_Isabella_Finch_by_William_kent.jpg.webp|thumb|44 Berkeley Square's theatrical stairs by William Kent]]
==Marriage and progeny==
[[File:Portrait of Mrs William Fortescue P11630.jpg|thumb|Lady Clermont by Joshua Reynolds c. 1761-1762]]
He married Frances Cairnes Murray, a daughter and co-heiress of Colonel [[John Murray (Monaghan MP)|John Murray]], MP for [[County Monaghan (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|County Monaghan]], by whom he had an only daughter:
*Louisa Fortescue.
==Death, burial and succession==
He died aged 85 at [[Brighton]]<ref>[[Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont|Clermont, Lord (Thomas Fortescue)]], ''History of the Family of Fortescue in all its Branches'', (first published 1869) 2nd edition London, 1880, p. 213 [https://archive.org/stream/historyoffamilyo00cler/historyoffamilyo00cler_djvu.txt]</ref> on 29 September 1806, without male progeny, and was buried at Little Cressingham Church in Norfolk, in which parish was situated  Clermont Lodge (now Clermont Hall), his shooting lodge.
As he died without male progeny his earldom of Clermont and 1770 barony of Clermont became extinct, whilst his viscountcy and 1776 barony of Clermont were inherited by his nephew [[William Fortescue, 2nd Viscount Clermont|William Charles Fortescue]], who had been MP for [[County Louth (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|County Louth]] and then [[County Louth (UK Parliament constituency)|County Louth]] since 1796.
==Monument in St Andrew's Church, Little Cressingham==
[[File:St Andrew's Church - wall monument - geograph.org.uk - 696980.jpg|thumb|Mural monument to Lord Clermont in St Andrew's Church, Little Cressingham, Norfolk]]
A mural monument survives in St Andrew's Church, Little Cressingham, inscribed as follows:<ref>Lord Clermont, 1880, p. 214.</ref><br/>
:''Near this place lyeth the body of William Henry Fortescue Viscount Clermont, and Earl of Clermont in Ireland, who departed this life on the 29th day of September, 1806, in the 85th year of his age. This monument is erected in obedience to his will by his executor William Charles Fortescue, now Viscount Clermont, who was in Ireland at the time of his decease''.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|ie}}
{{s-bef| before = [[Henry Bellingham (Irish politician)|Henry Bellingham]]}}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[County Louth (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|County Louth]]
| with   = [[Henry Bellingham (Irish politician)|Henry Bellingham]] 1745–1755
| with2  = [[Thomas Tipping (died 1776)|Thomas Tipping]] 1755–1761
| years  = 1745–1760 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[Anthony Foster]] <br/>[[James Fortescue (politician)|James Fortescue]] }}
{{s-bef| before = [[William Blair (Irish politician)|William Blair]] <br/>[[Oliver Anketell]] }}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Monaghan Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Monaghan Borough]]
| with   = [[Richard Dawson (died 1766)|Richard Dawson]] 1761–1767
| with2  = [[Richard Power (Monaghan politician)|Richard Power]] 1767–1768
| with3  = [[Robert Cuninghame, 1st Baron Rossmore|Robert Cuninghame]] 1768–1771
| years  = 1761–1770 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[Henry Westenra (died 1801)|Henry Westenra]] <br/>[[Robert Cuninghame, 1st Baron Rossmore|Robert Cuninghame]] }}
{{s-reg|ie}}
{{s-new|rows=4|creation}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Viscount Clermont|Earl of Clermont]]| years=1777–1806}}
{{s-non|reason=Extinct}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[Viscount Clermont]]| years=1776–1806}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[William Fortescue, 2nd Viscount Clermont|William Fortescue]]}}|-
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[Viscount Clermont|Baron Clermont]]| years=1776–1806 |creation=2nd creation}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[Viscount Clermont|Baron Clermont]]| years=1770–1806 |creation=1st creation}}
{{s-non|reason=Extinct}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clermont, William Fortescue, 1st Earl Of}}
[[Category:1722 births]]
[[Category:1806 deaths]]
[[Category:Earls in the Peerage of Ireland]]
[[Category:Barons Clermont|William]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1727–1760|Fortescue, William]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1761–1768|Fortescue, William]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1769–1776|Fortescue, William]]
[[Category:Knights of St Patrick]]
[[Category:Owners of Epsom Derby winners]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of County Louth]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Louth constituencies|Fortescue, William]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Monaghan constituencies|Fortescue, William]]
[[Category:Fortescue family|William]]
[[Category:Peers of Ireland created by George III]]