Edward FitzGerald-Villiers (c. 1654 – January 1693) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

soldier in the

English Army The ...

from the

Villiers family Villiers ( ) is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Over time, various members of the Villiers family were made knights, baronets, and peers. Peerages held by the Villiers family include the dukedoms of Buckingham (1623–1687) and Clevel ...

. He was the eldest son of

George Villiers, 4th Viscount Grandison George Villiers, 4th Viscount Grandison was an Anglo-Irish peer from the Villiers family. He is known for being the maternal grandfather of Pitt the elder, prime minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. He was also the uncle of two royal mis ...

and his wife Mary, daughter of

Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester ( 28 April 1598 – 21 December 1653) was a Royalist politician and courtier around the period of the English Civil War.''Thomas Seccombe'', 'Leigh, Francis, first earl of Chichester (died 1653)', rev. Sean Ke ...

. In 1677 he married the heiress Katherine FitzGerald, through whom he gained substantial property in

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

. He adopted the surname of FitzGerald to reflect this inheritance. Their children included: *

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, later 5th Viscount and 1st

Earl Grandison Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

* William * Mary, who married Brigadier-General William Steuart (d. 1736), nephew of her stepfather * Harriet, who married

Robert Pitt Robert Pitt (1680 – 21 May 1727) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1727. He was the father and grandfather of two prime ministers, William Pitt the elder and William Pitt the younger. Early life Pitt was the ...

and was the mother of

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

. FitzGerald-Villiers was a

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the Army and

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in the Queen's Regiment of Horse. He also sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

for

. He died in 1693, so on his father's death in 1699 his son John succeeded to the viscountcy. In the same year his widow was granted the title Viscountess Grandison as if her late husband had succeeded. She later married General William Steuart.

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20090601105535/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/irelandcommons.htm * John Burke, ''A General and Heraldic dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire'', fourth edition, London 1832, vol 2, p. 10 (online at google books) * http://thepeerage.com/p2633.htm#i26323 {{DEFAULTSORT:FitzGerald-Villiers, Edward 1654 births 1693 deaths Irish MPs 1692–1693 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Waterford constituencies People from County Waterford Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Heirs apparent who never acceded

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

17th-century Anglo-Irish people