Henry William FitzGerald-de Ros, 21st Baron de Ros (12 June 1793 – 28/29 March 1839) was a British nobleman, the son of

Lord Henry FitzGerald Lord Henry FitzGerald PC (Ire) (30 July 1761 – 9 July 1829) was the fourth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster (née Lady Emily Lennox). A younger brother was the revolutionary Lord Edward FitzGerald. Life Fitzgerald ...

and his wife Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros, 20th Baroness de Ros. Fitzgerald-de Ros briefly served as

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for the borough of

West Looe West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

from 1816 to 1818. In 1831, upon the death of his mother, he inherited the Barony of de Ros, the oldest surviving barony in the Peerage of England. He was an excellent

whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History Whist is a descendant of the 16th-century game of ''trump'' ...

player, but was involved in a

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

scandal in 1836. Lord de Ros was accused of cheating at Graham's Club by the trick of '' sauter la coupe'', and by marking the cards with his thumbnail. He sued his accusers for libel, but lost the case. He died not long after, and was commemorated by

Theodore Hook Theodore Edward Hook (22 September 1788 – 24 August 1841) was an English man of letters and composer and briefly a civil servant in Mauritius. He is best known for his practical jokes, particularly the Berners Street hoax in 1809. The w ...

with the punning

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

, "Here lies the premier baron of England, patiently awaiting the last trump". He died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, unmarried and without issue. It has been suggested that

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

may have based the character of Sir Mulberry Hawk in his novel ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' to some extent on Lord de Ros, a man-about-town with a reputation for fleecing gullible young men, seducing women and various forms of swindling.

References

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, ...

1793 births 1839 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs who inherited peerages Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Cornwall {{England-UK-MP-stub