Francis Edward Fitzherbert-Stafford, 12th Baron Stafford, DSO (28 August 1859 – 18 September 1932) was an

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peer and

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer, holding the title

Baron Stafford Baron Stafford, referring to the town of Stafford, is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of England. In the 14th century, the barons of the first creation were made earls. Those of the fifth creation, in the 17th century ...

. His lifetime marked the point where the Stafford barony first came into contact with ''Fitzherbert'' as a surname.

Background

Francis Edward's father was Basil Thomas Fitzherbert and his mother was Emily Charlotte Stafford-Jerningham. It was through his mother's side of the family that he gained the Stafford barony; his uncle Fitzherbert Edward Stafford-Jerningham, 11th Baron Stafford had died without issue in 1913. Fitzherbert-Stafford also descended from Genoese nobility as his great grandfather was John Vincent Gandolfi, 12th Marquis Gandolfi. A

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, he was educated at

Beaumont College Beaumont College was between 1861 and 1967 a public school in Old Windsor in Berkshire. Founded and run by the Society of Jesus, it offered a Roman Catholic public school education in rural surroundings, while lying, like the neighbouring Eton ...

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Military Career and Public Offices

Fitzherbert was commissioned in 1877 into the 1st Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own), which from 1881 became the

3rd (1st Royal Lancashire Militia) Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

. He was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 5 February 1900, and the following week left with the battalion to serve in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

. He fought in South Africa from his arrival in March 1900 to 1902, and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO) in 1900. He became honorary

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 1901, and renounced his militia commission in 1903. He was also commissioned into his native county's

Staffordshire Yeomanry The Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) was a unit of the British Army. Raised in 1794 following Prime Minister William Pitt's order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion, the Staffordshir ...

in 1885, and promoted Major in that regiment in 1898. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served purely on home defence duties, becoming Colonel commanding the Staffordshire Volunteer Regiment of the

Volunteer Training Corps The Volunteer Training Corps was a voluntary home defence reserve force in the United Kingdom during World War I. Early development After war had been declared in August 1914, there was a popular demand for a means of service for those men who wer ...

. He was a Deputy Lieutenant and

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Staffordshire and hereditary Lord High Steward of the Borough of Stafford.

Marriage and later life

On 20 April 1903 Fitzherbert-Stafford married Dorothy Hilda Worthington, the daughter of

Albert Octavius Worthington Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

. Together the two did not parent any children. He died at the family seat of Swynnerton Hall at age 73.

Notes

References

Francis Edward Fitzherbert, 12th Baron Stafford
. ThePeerage.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-21. *
Francis Edward Fitzherbert-Stafford, 12th Baron Stafford
. GeneAll.net. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
Fitzherbert Stafford-Jerningham, 11th Baron Stafford
. GeneAll.net. Retrieved on 2008-03-21. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, Francis Fitzherbert-Stafford, 12th Baron 1859 births 1932 deaths British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I King's Own Royal Regiment officers English justices of the peace Lancashire Militia officers People from Stafford English Roman Catholics Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Deputy Lieutenants of Staffordshire Staffordshire Yeomanry officers People educated at Beaumont College Barons Stafford (1640 creation)