Lieutenant-General Dudley Charles FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros of Helmsley, (11 March 1827 – 29 April 1907) was a soldier, courtier and the premier Baron of England.

Biography

He was the son of William FitzGerald-de Ros and Lady Georgiana Lennox. He was born in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. He purchased a commission as cornet and sub-lieutenant in the 1st Life Guards on 7 February 1845, succeeding Viscount Seaham, and a lieutenancy on 5 May 1848 when Seaham retired. He purchased a captaincy on 31 October 1851, succeeding

Thomas Myddelton Biddulph Sir Thomas Myddelton Biddulph (29 July 1809 – 28 September 1878) was an officer in the British Army and courtier. Early life Thomas was born on 29 July 1809. He was the second son of Charlotte Myddelton and Robert Myddelton Biddulph (1761–1 ...

, and on 30 August 1859, he purchased a commission as major and lieutenant-colonel upon the retirement of

James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many ...

. He was

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

ed colonel on 30 August 1864. FitzGerald-de Ros retired on half-pay on 29 May 1872. The 24th Baron was

Equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

to the Prince Consort from 1853 to 1861, and then to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

from 1861 to 1874. He was also a

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

Lord in Waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

from 1874 to 1880, 1885–1886, and 1886–1892. Lord de Ros was appointed a Knight of the

Order of St Patrick The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III at the request of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, The 3rd Earl Temple (later cre ...

(KP) in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list published on 26 June 1902, and was invested by the

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingdo ...

Earl Cadogan Earl Cadogan is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Great Britain for the Cadogan family. The second creation, in 1800, was for Charles Cadogan, 3rd Baron Cadogan. History Of Welsh origin, the family name was spelt ''Cadwg ...

, at

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the se ...

on 11 August 1902. He was appointed Colonel of the 1st Life Guards on 17 November 1902.

Family

He married firstly to Lady Elizabeth Egerton (5 July 1832 – 14 March 1892), daughter of

Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton, GCH, PC (30 December 1799 – 7 March 1882), known as Thomas Grosvenor until 1814, was a British nobleman and Tory politician. He served as Lord Steward of the Household in 1835 in Sir Robert Peel's fi ...

, in Heaton,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, on 12 October 1853, then to Mary Geraldine Mahon (died 28 December 1921), daughter of

Sir William Mahon, 4th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 14 January 1896. By his first wife, he had one daughter: * Mary FitzGerald-de Ros (born 1854), who succeeded her father upon his death. The 23rd Baron had no children by his second wife. He died in Old Court,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

References

* "de Ros, Baron (Maxwell) (Baron E 1264)." Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage 1995. London: Debrett's Peerage Limited, 1995. pp. 362–363. {{DEFAULTSORT:De Ros, Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 24th Baron 24

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

1827 births 1907 deaths British Army lieutenant generals British Life Guards officers Knights of St Patrick Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Deputy Lieutenants of Down