George James Perceval, later 6th Earl of Egmont (1794-1874) by George Francis Joseph (1764-1846)

Admiral George James Perceval, 6th Earl of Egmont (14 March 1794 – 2 August 1874), known as the Lord Arden between 1840 and 1841, was a British naval commander and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

politician.

Background

Egmont was the third but eldest surviving son of

Charles Perceval, 2nd Baron Arden Charles George Perceval, 2nd Baron Arden PC FRS (1 October 1756 – 5 July 1840) was a British politician. Background and education Charles George Perceval was born at Charlton, Kent, the son of John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, by his ...

, eldest son of

John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, PC, FRS (25 February 17114 December 1770) was a British politician, political pamphleteer, and genealogist who served as First Lord of the Admiralty. Early life He was the son and heir of John Perceval, 1st ...

, by his second wife Catherine, Baroness Arden. Prime Minister

Spencer Perceval Spencer Perceval (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman and barrister who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1809 until his assassination in May 1812. Perceval is the only British prime minister to ...

was his uncle.

Naval career

Egmont left Harrow school and was commissioned into the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

as a

powder monkey A powder boy or powder monkey manned naval artillery guns as a member of a warship's crew, primarily during the Age of Sail. His chief role was to ferry gunpowder from the powder magazine in the ship's hold to the artillery pieces, either in ...

in August 1805 and fought in HMS ''Orion'' in the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

the same year, aged eleven. During the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 he commanded HMS ''Infernal''. He was promoted to

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

on 27 August 1851, to vice-admiral in 1857 and to admiral in 1863.

Political career

Egmont was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for Surrey West in 1837, a seat he held until 1840. The latter year he succeeded his father in the barony of Arden and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. The following year he also succeeded his half-first cousin once removed,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, as sixth Earl of Egmont. The wills of the 4th and 5th Earls of Egmont were not proven until 1857, after the death of the family solicitor Sir Edward Tierney, by Tierney's son-in-law Sir William Darell. The 6th Earl contested the 5th Earl's will in 1863, on the grounds that Tierney had taken advantage of the 5th Earl's drunkenness to provide a misleading valuation of the estates which influenced the drafting of the will. The 6th Earl ultimately settled out of court with Darell, paying £125,000 for the return of the family estates in

Churchtown, County Cork Churchtown () is a village in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. The Irish name is Brugh/Brú Thuinne meaning Great House of the Pastureland. Churchtown is within the Cork North-West Dáil constituency. Etymology According to the Journal of t ...

; Tierney and his heirs had realized an estimated £300,000 for their stewardship.

Family and parting assets

Lord Egmont married Jane, daughter of John Hornby, in 1819. They had no children. Lady Egmont died in October 1870. He survived his wife by four years and died in August 1874, aged 80. He was succeeded in the earldom by his nephew, Charles. His probate was sworn the same year at under a rounded threshold of , the public calendar of which states he died at Nork House, Banstead, which was one of his addresses, the others being 26 St James's Place,

St James's St James's is a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End. In the 17th century the area developed as a residential location for the British aristocracy, and around the 19th century was the focus of the d ...

and the mansion of

Cowdray Park, West Sussex Cowdray Park is a country house at the centre of the Cowdray Estate in Midhurst, West Sussex. The park lies in the South Downs National Park. The estate belongs to Viscount Cowdray, whose family have owned it since 1909. It has a golf course, an ...

which takes in

Cowdray House Cowdray House consists of the ruins of one of England's great Tudor houses, architecturally comparable to many of the great palaces and country houses of that time. It is situated in the Parish of Easebourne, just east of Midhurst, West Sussex s ...

(extensive and in part very tall, crenular medieval, Tudor and Stuart ruins).https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk Calendar of Probates and Administrations

References

* *
''New York Times'' obituary

External links