John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, PC, FRS (25 February 17114 December 1770) was a British politician, political pamphleteer, and

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

who served as

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

Early life

He was the son and heir of

John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont, PC, FRS (12 July 16831 May 1748), known as Sir John Perceval, Bt, from 1691 to 1715, as The Lord Perceval from 1715 to 1722 and as The Viscount Perceval from 1722 to 1733, was an Anglo- Irish politician. Ea ...

, by his wife Catherine Parker. He was baptised at the Palace of Westminster,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. His two siblings were Lady Catharine Perceval (wife of Thomas Hanmer MP of The Fenns) and Lady Helena Perceval (wife of

John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira (17 March 1720 – 20 June 1793), known as Sir John Rawdon, Bt, between 1724 and 1750 and as The Lord Rawdon between 1750 and 1762, was an Irish peer. Background Rawdon was the only son of Sir John Rawdon, 3rd Baro ...

). His paternal grandparents were Sir John Perceval, 3rd Baronet of Lohort Castle and the former Catherine Dering (daughter of Sir Edward Dering, 2nd Baronet). His maternal grandparents were Sir Philip Parker, 2nd Baronet of

Arwarton Erwarton or Arwarton is a small village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Shop Corner. Located on the Shotley peninsula around south of Ipswich, in 2005 it had a population of 110, ...

and the former Mary Fortray (a daughter of landowner and author Samuel Fortrey of Byall Fen). He succeeded his father in 1748 as 2nd Earl of Egmont in the Peerage of Ireland.

Career

Perceval sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...

for

Dingle Dingle ( Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about southwest of Tralee and northwest of Kill ...

between 1731 and 1749. In April 1748, he was created Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. He was made a Privy Counsellor in January 1755. He sat in the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two cham ...

for

(1731–49) and in 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

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

(1741–47),

Weobley Weobley ( ) is an ancient settlement and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white villages owing to its abundance of ...

(1747–54) and Bridgwater (1754–62). In 1762 he was created

Baron Lovel and Holland Earl of Egmont was a title in the Peerage of Ireland, created in 1733 for John Perceval, 1st Viscount Perceval. It became extinct with the death of the twelfth earl in 2011. History The Percevals claimed to be an ancient Anglo-Norman family, ...

, of Enmore in the County of Somerset, in the Peerage of Great Britain, which gave him an automatic seat in the House of Lords. He was appointed joint Postmaster-General for 1762–3 alongside Robert Hampden, 4th Baron Trevor and served as

from 1763 to 1766. From 1751 to 1757, he designed and created

Enmore Castle Enmore Castle is a historic building in the village of Enmore, Somerset, England. It is a Grade II listed building. Construction Enmore was the seat of the family of William Malet who built a great house, although the original date of constr ...

at Enmore in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, which received "the dismissive mockery of Horace Walpole".

Personal life

Perceval married twice. His first marriage was on 15 February 1737 to Lady Catherine Cecil, who was the second daughter of

James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury (8 June 1691 – 9 October 1728), known as Viscount Cranborne from 1691 to 1694, was a British nobleman, politician, and peer. Salisbury was the son of James Cecil, 4th Earl of Salisbury, and Frances Bennett, ...

. Before her death on 16 August 1752, aged 33, they had five sons and two daughters: *

John Perceval, 3rd Earl of Egmont John James Perceval, 3rd Earl of Egmont (29 January 1737/8 – 25 February 1822),''The Third Register Book of the Parish of St James in the Liberty of Westminster For Births & Baptisms. 1723-1741''. 16 February 1737. styled Viscount Perceval ...

(29 January 1738 – 25 February 1822), eldest son and heir. * Cecil Parker Perceval (19 October 1739 – 4 March 1753), died at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

. * Philip Tufton Perceval (10 March 1742 –1795), a captain in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. * Edward Perceval, (21 April 1744 –1824), a captain in the

Royal Dragoon Guards The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments: The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Based in Battlesbury Bar ...

, who married Sarah Howarth, daughter of John Howarth, in 1775. * Catherine Perceval (20 February 1746 –1782), who married Thomas Wynn (1736–1807) (afterwards 1st

Baron Newborough Baron Newborough is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. Both titles are extant. The first creation came in 1716 in favour of George Cholmondeley, later 2nd Earl of Cholmondeley. See Marquess of Cholmondeley for further ...

), in 1766. *Margaret Perceval (10 October 1748 –1750). *Frederick Augustus Perceval (11 February 1750 –1757). John, 2nd Earl of Egmont and His Second Wife Catherine

John, 2nd Earl of Egmont and His Second Wife Catherine

His second marriage was to Catherine Compton, the third daughter of the Hon. Charles Compton and sister of

Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton, DL (22 July 1737 – 18 October 1763) was a British peer and diplomat. He was the eldest son of the Hon. Charles Compton, in turn youngest son of George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton, and his wi ...

and

Spencer Compton, 8th Earl of Northampton Spencer may refer to: People *Spencer (surname) **Spencer family, British aristocratic family **List of people with surname Spencer *Spencer (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia *Spencer, New So ...

, on 26 January 1756. By Catherine Compton he had three sons and six daughters as follows: * Charles George Perceval (1756–1840), eldest son, who succeeded his mother as Baron Arden in the peerage of Ireland, and was created a peer of the United Kingdom, with the title of Baron Arden of Arden in the county of Warwick * Mary Perceval (d. 1839), who married Andrew Berkeley Drummond of Cadlands, Hampshire, a grandson of

William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan (1690 – 16 April 1746) was a Scottish peer and Jacobite, who died at the Battle of Culloden. Pardoned for his part in the 1715 Rising, he raised a troop of cavalry for Prince Charles in 1745 a ...

(died 1746), in 1781. * Anne Perceval (15 December 1759 – 1 August 1772).''The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760''. 11 January 1760. * Charlotte Perceval (b. 31 January 1761, d. 1761), who died an infant. *

Spencer Perceval Spencer Perceval (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman and barrister who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1809 until his assassination in May 1812. Perceval is the only British prime minister to ...

(1762–1812), who served as

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

from October 1809 to May 1812. * Elizabeth Perceval (d. 1846), who died aged 82, unmarried. *Henry Perceval (1765–1772), who died aged 7. * Frances Perceval (b. 4 December 1767, d. 1817), who married John, 1st Baron Redesdale in 1803. * Margaret Perceval (b. 17 March 1769, d. 1854),''The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786''. 14 April 1769. who married Thomas Walpole, sometime ambassador at Munich, a nephew of

Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (12 June 1723 – 24 February 1809)L. G. Pine, The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972), page ...

, in 1803. Lord Perceval died 4 December 1770 at

Pall Mall, London Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road. The street's name is derived from pall-mall, ...

, aged 59. Following his death, his widow was created on 23 May 1770 Baroness Arden of Lohort Castle in the county of Cork in the peerage of Ireland, with remainder to her heirs male. She survived her husband and died at Langley, Buckinghamshire, on 11 June 1784, aged 53.

Legacy

Mount Egmont Mount Taranaki (), also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second highest point in the North Island, after Mount Ruapehu. The mountain has a secon ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

was named after him by James Cook in recognition of his encouragement of Cook's first voyage. While the mountain has returned to its original Maori name of Taranaki since the 2000s, the Egmont name still applies to the national park that surrounds the peak and geologists still refer to the peak as the Egmont Volcano.[ .

References

External links

* John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmon
''Manuscripts of the Earl of Egmont. Diary of Viscount Percival''
1920 access date 3 March 2015 * Diary of George Marsh who worked in the Navy Offic
''Manuscript of George Marsh''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Egmont, John Perceval, 2nd Earl of 1711 births 1770 deaths British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1727–1760 Lords of the Admiralty Perceval, John Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kerry constituencies Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Fellows of the Royal Society Whig members of the Parliament of Great Britain Parents of prime ministers of the United Kingdom Peers of Great Britain created by George III Earls of Egmont