Bernard Edward Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk (21 November 1765 – 16 March 1842), was a

British peer A Peerage is a form of crown distinction, with Peerages in the United Kingdom comprising both hereditary and lifetime titled appointments of various ranks, which form both a constituent part of the legislative process and the British hono ...

Early life

Howard was the son of Henry Howard (1713–1787) by his wife Juliana Molyneux, daughter of Sir William Molyneux, 6th Baronet (died 1781), of Teversall, Nottinghamshire, High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire 1737. His great-grandfather, Bernard Howard, was a younger son of

Henry Howard, 15th Earl of Arundel Henry Frederick Howard, 15th Earl of Arundel PC(Ire) (15 August 160817 April 1652), styled Lord Maltravers until 1640, and Baron Mowbray from 1640 until 1652, was an English nobleman, chiefly remembered for his role in the development of the ru ...

. He was the older brother of chemical engineer

Edward Charles Howard Edward Charles Howard FRS (28 May 1774 – 28 September 1816) the youngest brother of Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, was a British chemist who has been described as "the first chemical engineer of any eminence." Career In January 1799 ...

Career

Howard succeeded to the title of

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

in 1815 upon the death of his cousin,

Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk (15 March 1746 – 16 December 1815), styled Earl of Surrey from 1777 to 1786, was a British nobleman, peer, and politician. He was the son of Charles Howard, 10th Duke of Norfolk, and Catherine Brock ...

. An ardent

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, like most of his family, he strongly supported Catholic Emancipation, and gave offence to his Protestant neighbours by giving a banquet to celebrate the passage of the

Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 ( 10 Geo. 4. c. 7), also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that removed the sacramental tests that barred Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom f ...

. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1803. In 1834, the Duke of Norfolk was invested by King

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

into the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

Personal life

On 23 April 1789, he married Lady Elizabeth Belasyse (1770–1819), daughter of

Henry Belasyse, 2nd Earl Fauconberg Henry Belasyse, 2nd Earl Fauconberg (13 April 1742 – 23 March 1802) was a British politician and peer. Family Fauconberg was the son of Thomas Belasyse, 1st Earl Fauconberg and Catherine Betham.Arthur Collins, ''The peerage of England'' (177 ...

, and the former Charlotte Lamb. She was a first cousin of

Lord Melbourne Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 177924 November 1848) was a British Whig politician who served as the Home Secretary and twice as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His first premiership ended when he was dismissed ...

and Lady Cowper. Before the couple divorced five years later in May 1794, they were the parents of: * Henry Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk (1791–1856), who married Lady Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower (1788–1870), the eldest daughter of

George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland Order of the Garter, KG, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (9 January 175819 July 1833), known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as t ...

, and Lady Elizabeth Sutherland, ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Countess of Sutherland (only daughter of William Sutherland, 18th Earl of Sutherland). She served as

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

from 1842 to 1843. His wife later remarried to Richard Bingham, 2nd Earl of Lucan, whose elder sister was Lavinia Spencer, Countess Spencer; they had several children, but this marriage was also ill-fated as they became estranged after 1804. The Duke died in 1842 at the age of 76. Upon his death, his only son,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, became the 13th Duke of Norfolk. He is buried in

Fitzalan Chapel The Fitzalan Chapel is the chancel of the church of St Nicholas in the western grounds of Arundel Castle, in West Sussex, West Sussex, England. Dating to the 14th century, the chancel is used as the private mausoleum of the FitzAlans and later ...

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and earl ...

Family

Ancestry

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norfolk Norfolk, Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of English Roman Catholics Garter Knights appointed by William IV Norfolk, Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of

312 __NOTOC__ Year 312 (Roman numerals, CCCXII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus (or, less frequently, year 1065 ''Ab urbe co ...

*30 306 10th Earl of Norfolk *20 Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom