William Lennox Lascelles FitzGerald-de Ros, 22nd Baron de Ros of Helmsley, PC, DL (1 September 1797 – 6 January 1874), was a British soldier and Conservative politician. A general in the Army, he also held political office as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard in 1852 and between 1858 and 1859.

Background

FitzGerald-de Ros was born into an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

aristocratic family at

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cross ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, the third son of Lord Henry FitzGerald, fourth son of The 1st Duke of Leinster and Lady Emily Lennox. His paternal uncle was Lord Edward FitzGerald, the Irish revolutionary. His mother was

Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros, 20th Baroness de Ros Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros, 20th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley (24 May 1769 – 9 January 1831), also known as Lady Henry FitzGerald, was born Charlotte Boyle-Walsingham in Castlemartyr, County Cork, Ireland or in London, where she died. She ...

, while

Henry FitzGerald-de Ros, 21st Baron de Ros 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 and his wife Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros, 20th Baroness de Ros. Fitzgerald-de Ros briefly served as ...

, was his elder brother. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1815, graduating B.A. in 1819 and M.A. in 1822.

Military career

As a younger son, de Ros embarked upon a military career, joining the Life Guards as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

on 29 March 1819. He subsequently became a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 24 August 1821, a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 23 October 1824, a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 5 June 1827 and a

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

on 8 September 1831. In July 1835, de Ros and the Earl of Durham travelled to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

for half a year to investigate Russian military preparations. He was appointed a

Gentleman Usher Gentleman Usher is a title for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. See List of Gentlemen Ushers for a list of office-holders. Gentlemen Ushers as servants Historical Gentlemen Ushers were originally a class of servants fou ...

Quarter Waiter to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

in 1836, but had surrendered the post by 1839, when he inherited the barony of de Ros on the death of his eldest brother (a middle brother, Arthur, had predeceased them). He became a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on 9 November 1846, and was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

on 13 February 1852. Lord de Ros served as Quartermaster-General for the British Army in Turkey during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

between April and July 1854, being promoted major-general on 20 June 1854. Due to a severe attack of fever in July, he was forced to return home as the army embarked for the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

. He was promoted

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 12 March 1861, appointed colonel of the

4th (Queen's Own) Hussars The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, to ...

on 6 February 1865, and promoted

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

on 10 November 1868.

Political career

In February 1852 Lord de Ros was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard in the Earl of Derby's first administration, and sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. The government fell in December 1852, but when Derby returned to office in February 1858, de Ros was once again made Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard. He continued in this post until Derby resigned in June 1859.

Family

Lord de Ros married his second cousin Lady Georgiana Lennox ( Molecombe,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, 30 September 1795 –

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 15 December 1891), daughter of

Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond General Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Aubigny, (9 December 176428 August 1819) was a Scottish peer, soldier, politician, and Governor-general of British North America. Background Richmond was born to Ge ...

, his father's first cousin, in

on 7 June 1824. They had three children: *Hon. Frances Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros (1825– 21 February 1851), unmarried and without issue. *

Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros Lieutenant-General Dudley Charles FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros of Helmsley, (11 March 1827 – 29 April 1907) was a soldier, courtier and the premier Baron of England. Biography He was the son of William FitzGerald-de Ros and Lady Geor ...

(1827–1907). *Hon. Blanche Arthur Georgina FitzGerald-de Ros (1832 – 10 March 1910), married on 11 July 1865 James Rannie Swinton (see

Clan Swinton Clan Swinton is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs) ...

) (died December 1888, also without issue). Lord de Ros died at Old Court,

Strangford Strangford (from Old Norse ''Strangr fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet") is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough, on the Lecale peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 at the 2001 Census. On the ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, in January 1874, aged 76, and was succeeded in the barony by his only son, Dudley. Lady de Ros died in

in December 1891, aged 96.

References

External links

Introduction De Ros Papers
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland {{DEFAULTSORT:De Ros, William FitzGerald-de Ros, 24th Baron 23

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

1797 births 1874 deaths British Army generals British Army personnel of the Crimean War Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Gentlemen Ushers British Life Guards officers People from Thames Ditton