Francis Fulford (born 31 August 1952) is a member of the United Kingdom's
landed gentry
The landed gentry, or the ''gentry'', is a largely historical British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. While distinct from, and socially below, the British peerage, th ...
, the 23rd Fulford to have owned and inhabited
Great Fulford manor house in
Devon. After briefly working as a stockbroker, he has had a career as a television personality and presenter.
[Fulford, Francis, ''Bearing Up:The Long View'' London, 2004, ]
Family estate
Fulford is
lord of the manor of
Great Fulford, the current owner of the estate which was granted to his ancestor William de Fulford by
King Richard King Richard normally refers to the three English monarchs.
English monarchs
*Richard I of England or Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199)
*Richard II of England (1367–1400)
*Richard III of England (1452–1485)
Although no monarch has assumed th ...
about 1191, as a reward for military service on the
Third Crusade. The present
great house dates back to the 16th century.
Life and career
Francis Fulford is the son of
Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Edgar Anthony Fulford and Joan Shirley, younger daughter of
Rear-Admiral C. Maurice Blackman,
DSO. He is a great-great-grandson of
Francis Fulford (1803–1868),
Bishop of Montreal.
Fulford attended
Sunningdale School in Berkshire, but failed the
common entrance exam for
Eton, so instead attended
Milton Abbey School in Dorset. After leaving there, he did not go on to any higher education.
At 18 he started a career with the
Coldstream Guards, but failed the
Army Officer Selection Board exam and so left after nine months. He travelled to Australia to work as a
jackaroo
A jackaroo is a young man (feminine equivalent jillaroo) working on a sheep or cattle station, to gain practical experience in the skills needed to become an owner, overseer, manager, etc. The word originated in Queensland, Australia, in the ...
, but soon returned to Britain, re-taking (and again failing) the Army Officer Selection Board exam,
before moving to London to work as a stockbroker and insurance broker.
Since inheriting the family estate he has devoted himself to its management, though it is in need of restoration and currently (according to his many television appearances) in a state of severe debt. He lives there with his wife Kishanda and four children.
Since 2004 he has maintained an ongoing career in reality television, appearing in various entertainment and documentary-style programmes, many of which (such as
The F***ing Fulfords) make a feature of his casual swearing, prejudices, and traditionalist views.
In 2007 he attempted a move into local politics, standing for a seat on
Teignbridge District Council as a member of the
Conservative Party. He was defeated, gaining 370 votes out of an electorate of 2215. In all previous local elections, the Conservative Party candidate(s) had been elected easily. The Teign Valley is currently (2020) represented by two Conservative Party councillors on the Teignbridge District Council.
As of 2014 Fulford was a member of the
UK Independence Party.
Reality television
*''
The F***ing Fulfords'' (2004)
*''
How Clean Is Your House?
''How Clean Is Your House?'' is a British entertainment/lifestyle television programme in which expert cleaners Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie visit dirty houses and clean them up. The thirty-minute show was produced by Talkback Thames, the U ...
'' (2004)
*''Why America Sucks'' (2005)
*''Why England's F***ed'' (2005)
*''
Country House Rescue'' (2012)
*''
Salvage Hunters
''Salvage Hunters'' is a British television programme in which decorative salvage dealer Drew Pritchard travels throughout the country in search of antiques from shops, fairs and old mansions to re-sell online or in his shop.
The programme has ...
'' (2012)
*''
Life Is Toff'' (6 episodes) (2014)
*''Help! My House Is Haunted'' (2018)
Publications
*''Bearing Up: The Long View'', Timewell Press, London 2004,
Ancestry
References
External links
Great FulfordFrancis Fulford's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulford, Francis
1952 births
Living people
English agriculturalists
Television personalities from Devon
UK Independence Party people
People educated at Milton Abbey School
People from Teignbridge (district)
Fulford family
People educated at Sunningdale School