William Pitt Amherst, 2nd Earl Amherst (3 September 1805 – 26 March 1886), styled Viscount Holmesdale between 1826 and 1857, was a British peer. Amherst was born at Lower Grosvenor Street, London, the son of

William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, GCH, PC (14 January 177313 March 1857) was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828. Background and education Born at Bath, Somerset, Amhers ...

, by his first wife

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

, daughter of

Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer Andrew Archer, 2nd Baron Archer (29 July 1736 – 18 April 1778), 18th-century British Whig politician, styled the Hon. Andrew Archer between 1747 and 1768. Life The son of Thomas, 1st Baron Archer, by Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Tipp ...

. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and

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 ...

. He became known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

Viscount Holmesdale when his father was elevated to an earldom in 1826.thepeerage.com William Pitt Amherst, 2nd Earl Amherst of Arracan
/ref> In 1829 he was returned to parliament as one of two representatives for

East Grinstead East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...

, a seat he held until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the

Great Reform Act The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the electo ...

. He never returned 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. ...

. In 1857 he succeeded his father in the earldom and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

.HL Deb (11 May 1857) vol. 145, col. 99.
Accessed 27 February 2020. Lord Amherst married Gertrude, daughter of the Right Reverend Hugh Percy, in 1834. They had six sons and five daughters, including William Amherst and

Josceline Amherst Josceline George Herbert Amherst (7 June 1846 – 1 February 1900) was a member of the first Western Australian Legislative Council under responsible government. He also played first-class cricket. Biography Josceline Amherst was born in West ...

. He died at

Montreal Park Montreal Park is a development in Sevenoaks in Kent which was formerly the home of Lord Amherst, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. It was named after his conquest of Montreal in 1760. History In 1764 Lord Amherst returned home after his mili ...

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...

, Kent, in March 1886, aged 80. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son, William. The Countess Amherst died at Rutland Gate, London, in April 1890, aged 75.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amherst, William Amherst 1805 births 1886 deaths Earls Amherst Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs who inherited peerages People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Ultra-Tory MPs People from Sevenoaks