![Oil-on-canvas portrait of John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory (1745–1818) by Thomas Beach (1738-1806)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Oil-on-canvas_portrait_of_John_FitzPatrick%2C_2nd_Earl_of_Upper_Ossory_%281745%E2%80%931818%29_by_Thomas_Beach_%281738-1806%29.jpg)
John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory
FRS DL (2 May 1745 – 13 February 1818), styled 'Lord Gowran' from 1751 to 1758, was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
peer and
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 ...
.
Biography
John FitzPatrick was born on 2 May 1745, the son of
John FitzPatrick, 1st Earl of Upper Ossory
John FitzPatrick, 1st Earl of Upper Ossory (1719 – 23 September 1758) was an Anglo-Irish nobleman who lived in County Cork, Ireland.
He was the son of Richard FitzPatrick, 1st Baron Gowran, and Anne ( Robinson) and educated at Queen's Coll ...
, and Lady Evelyn (née Leveson-Gower; daughter of
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, PC (10 August 1694 – 25 December 1754), was an English Tory politician and peer who twice served as Lord Privy Seal from 1742 to 1743 and 1744 to 1754. Leveson-Gower is best known for his political caree ...
). He had a younger brother
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
, who also became a noted statesman and soldier, and two younger sisters,
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
and
Louisa.
He succeeded to his father's title of earl of Upper Ossory in 1758 but as this was a title in the
Irish peerage
The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divis ...
it did not entitle him to a seat in the
British House of Lords. In 1767 he was instead elected to the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
for
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
, a seat he held until 1794. He was also
Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire. Since 1711, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Bedfordshire.
*William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton 1549–1551
* Oliver St John, 1st Baron St ...
from 1771 to 1818. In 1794, he was given the title of 'Baron Upper Ossory', of Ampthill in the County of Bedford, in the
Peerage of Great Britain, which gave him a seat in the House of Lords.
In 1763, Fitzpatrick was in Italy with the bibliophile,
Topham Beauclerk
Topham Beauclerk ( ; 22 December 1739 – 11 March 1780) was a celebrated wit and a friend of Dr Johnson and Horace Walpole.
Life
Topham Beauclerk was born on 22 December 1739, the only son of Lord Sidney Beauclerk and a great-grandson of King ...
; where he bought old-master paintings and commissioned paintings from
Gavin Hamilton. His is also thought to have been a patron of
John Higton
John Higton (2 April 1775 – 23 December 1827) was an English animal painter, who exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. He was a friend of Edward Dayes and Thomas Campbell, and his patrons included Lord Sedley (Henry Venables-Vernon, 3rd Ba ...
, given his depiction of "Dogs at Ampthill Park" in 1810.
On returning to Britain, Fitzpatrick embarked on an affair with Anne Fitzroy, wife of Prime Minister
Augustus Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, (and daughter of
Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth
Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (1708 – 30 January 1784) succeeded to the Baronetcy of Ravensworth Castle, and to the family estates and mining interests, at the age of fifteen, on the death of his grandfather in 1723. He was created 1s ...
). This resulted in the Prime Minister having an affair with
Anne Parsons
Anne Maynard or Anne, Viscountess Maynard; Anne Parsons; Nancy Parsons; Nancy Maynard; Mrs. Horton (c. 1735 – 1814/5) was a Kingdom of Great Britain successful courtesan and political mistress. She was de facto first lady, entertaining guests ...
, a courtesan, the birth of a child, the duchess's divorce and her marriage to FitzPatrick in 1769.
[Peter Durrant, 'FitzRoy, Augustus Henry, third duke of Grafton (1735–1811)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 200]
accessed 14 Feb 2017
/ref> Like his younger brother Richard, Fitzpatrick was a friend of Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-riv ...
, whilst their half-sister Mary FitzPatrick had married Charles James Fox's older brother Stephen Fox, 2nd Baron Holland. As such Fitzpatrick became step-father to Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland
Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland of Holland, and 3rd Baron Holland of Foxley PC (21 November 1773 – 22 October 1840), was an English politician and a major figure in Whig politics in the early 19th century. A grandson of Henry F ...
on the death of his parents. He was also a noted friend to Horace Walpole; a large volume of correspondence between Walpole and Fitzpatrick's wife, the Countess of Upper Ossory survives.
John Fitzpatrick died in February 1818, aged 72, when his titles became extinct. His natural son, 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
* Secon ...
, succeeded to parts of his estates and was given the title of Baron Castletown
Baron Castletown, of Upper Ossory in the Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 December 1869 for John FitzPatrick, the former Liberal Member of Parliament for Queen's County. He was the illeg ...
in 1869; however on his death his estate was inherited by his step-son Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland
Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland of Holland, and 3rd Baron Holland of Foxley PC (21 November 1773 – 22 October 1840), was an English politician and a major figure in Whig politics in the early 19th century. A grandson of Henry F ...
- who also adopted Ampthill Park
Ampthill Park and Ampthill Park House is a country estate in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England. The park was opened to the public after the Second World War.
From the 14th century Ampthill Park was a royal lodge and hunting park. In the 15th centur ...
as his seat. Fermyn Woods Hall, inherited from his father, passed to his daughters.
File:Joshua Reynolds - Collina (1779).jpg, Portrait of the daughter of John Fitzpatrick (1779).
File:Lady Anne FitzPatrick by Joshua Reynolds.jpg, Lady Anne FitzPatrick.
References
External links
*
John FitzPatrick at www.thepeerage.com
The Fitzpatricks - Earls of Upper Ossory
Fitzpatrick - Mac Giolla Phádraig Clan Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upper Ossory, John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of
1745 births
1818 deaths
18th-century Irish people
19th-century Irish people
Politicians from County Kilkenny
Earls in the Peerage of Ireland
Peers of Great Britain created by George III
Lord-Lieutenants of Bedfordshire
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1761–1768
British MPs 1768–1774
British MPs 1774–1780
British MPs 1780–1784
British MPs 1784–1790
British MPs 1790–1796
British MPs 1796–1800
Fellows of the Royal Society
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
* Secon ...