Lieutenant-Commander Vere Anthony Francis Fane, 14th Earl of Westmorland (25 March 1893 – 12 May 1948), styled Lord Burghersh until 1922, was a British peer. Styled Lord Burghersh from birth, he was the eldest son of Anthony Fane, 13th Earl of Westmorland, by Lady Sybil Mary, daughter of

Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

. He served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

during 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 fig ...

and was present at the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vic ...

aboard ''Lion'', Lord Beatty's flagship.Lt.-Cdr. Vere Anthony Francis St. Clair Fane, 14th Earl of Westmorland
thepeerage.com Noted as a "sporting peer", he succeeded his father in the earldom in 1922, when he began his association with horse racing. Having always been a keen rider to hounds he now raced as an amateur both on the flat and under National Hunt rules. He also owned and trained racehorses, having a particularly successful season in 1923 when he trained 23 winners. In 1924 Royal Chancellor won him the

Scottish Grand National The Scottish Grand National is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of about 4 miles ...

. Having visited America to study business methods he began a business career in 1929 and was elected to the boards of two energy companies. He retired from training in 1931 but continued his sporting interests, which included

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/ tusks, horn/ a ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

, shooting, and in his later years

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

; he was also on the board of Arsenal Football Club. Lord Westmorland married the Honourable Diana, daughter of Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale, and widow of both Percy Lyulph Wyndham (son of George Wyndham and half-brother of Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster) and

Arthur Capel Arthur Edward Capel CBE (December 1881 – 22 December 1919), known as Boy Capel, was an English polo player, possibly best-remembered for being a lover and muse of fashion designer Coco Chanel. Biography Born in Brighton, Sussex, Cape ...

, in 1923. They had two sons, of whom the elder,

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, succeeded him; the younger son was the author Julian Fane. They also had a daughter, Lady Rose Fane. Lord Westmorland died at his home near Badminton, Gloucestershire, on 12 May 1948, aged 55, after an illness of some three months. He was described in his obituary as being "of handsome appearance and impressive deportment"."Obituary: Earl of Westmorland, a Keen Sportsman". ''The Times'', 13 May 1948, Issue 51070, p. 7, col E. The Countess of Westmorland died in December 1983, aged 90.

References

1893 births 1948 deaths 19th-century English nobility 20th-century English nobility British racehorse trainers Vere Earls of Westmorland Barons Burghersh Royal Navy officers of World War I {{England-earl-stub