Benjamin Mildmay, 1st Earl FitzWalter (27 December 167229 February 1756), styled The Honourable Benjamin Mildmay until 1728 and known as The Lord FitzWalter between 1728 and 1730, was a British politician. He served as

First Lord of Trade The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. This is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th century, that evolved gradually into a governmen ...

between 1735 and 1737 and as

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Ma ...

between 1737 and 1755.

Background

Mildmay was a younger son of Benjamin Mildmay, 17th Baron FitzWalter, by the Honourable Catherine, daughter of William Fairfax, 3rd Viscount Fairfax of Emley. He was one of the original backers of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, establishing a London opera company which commissioned numerous works from

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

Bononcini Bononcini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antonio Maria Bononcini (1677–1726), Italian cellist and composer *Giovanni Bononcini (1670–1747), Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer, and teacher *Giovanni Maria Bononcin ...

and others.

Political career

Mildmay served as

Commissioner of Excise HM Customs and Excise (properly known as Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at the time of its dissolution) was a department of the British Government formed in 1909 by the merger of HM Customs and HM Excise; its primary responsibility was the ...

between 1720 and 1728. The latter year he succeeded his elder brother in the barony of FitzWalter 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 ...

. In 1730, he was created Viscount Harwich, in the County of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, and Earl FitzWalter. In 1735, he was 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 ...

and appointed

under

Sir Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...

, a post he held until 1737, and then served as

between 1736 and 1755. He was also

Lord-Lieutenant of Essex This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Since 1688, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Essex. *John Petre, 1st Baron Petre * John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford 1558–? *Robert Dudley, 1st Earl ...

from 1741 to 1756.

Personal life

Lord FitzWalter married Lady Frederica Susanna, daughter of

Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg Meinhardt might refer to: Surname *Sven Meinhardt (born 1971), German former field hockey forward *Gerek Meinhardt (born 1990), American foil fencer First name *Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg (1641–1719), general in the service of Pr ...

and widow of

Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, (24 November 168120 January 1721) was a British peer and politician. Life Darcy was the second (but eldest surviving) son of John Darcy, Lord Conyers, (himself the eldest son of Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of H ...

, in 1724. They had no children. She died in August 1751. Lord FitzWalter died in

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 ...

in February 1756, aged 83. The viscountcy and earldom died with him, while the barony fell into

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

. The barony of FitzWalter was brought out of abeyance for the descendants of his sister Mary; once for Henry FitzWalter Plumptre, son of John Bridges Plumptre and Elizabeth Wright in 1924; and again, in 1953, for his nephew, Fitzwalter Brook Plumptre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:FitzWalter, Benjamin Mildmay, 1st Earl 1672 births 1756 deaths 17th-century English nobility 18th-century English nobility 18th-century British politicians Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain Lord-Lieutenants of Essex Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Treasurers of the Household Presidents of the Board of Trade Barons FitzWalter