Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Edward Michael Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford (1 April 1743 – 3 June 1792) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer and politician.

Early life

Pakenham was the son of

Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford (May 1713 – 30 April 1766) was an Anglo-Irish politician. Early life He was born in May 1713 at Pakenham Hall, County Westmeath, Ireland, eldest son of Edward Pakenham and Margaret Bradestan. His maternal ...

and

Elizabeth Cuffe, 1st Countess of Longford Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ( ...

. His parents had seven children, including Sir Thomas Pakenham, a

officer. His father was the eldest son and heir of

Edward Pakenham Major-General Sir Edward Michael Pakenham, (19 March 1778 – 8 January 1815), was a British Army officer and politician. He was the son of the Baron Longford and the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he served in the Pen ...

MP of Pakenham Hall (son of Sir Thomas Pakenham) and Margaret Bradestan (daughter and heiress of John Bradestan). His mother was the daughter and sole heiress of

Michael Cuffe Michael Cuffe (1694 – 24 July 1744) was an Irish Member of Parliament. The son of Francis Cuffe by his wife Honora, daughter of Archbishop Michael Boyle, his paternal grandmother was the sister of Francis Aungier, 1st Earl of Longford. M ...

MP (second son and sole heir of Francis Cuffe), and Frances (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Sandford) Cuffe (a daughter of Henry Sandford of Castlereagh). Longford was educated at

Kilkenny College Kilkenny College is a Church of Ireland co-educational day and boarding secondary school located in Kilkenny, in the South-East of Ireland. It is the largest co-educational boarding school in Ireland. In 2013 it transferred to the state/public se ...

and joined the

at the age of sixteen.

Career

He served during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

taking part in naval engagements off the coasts of

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. He was captured by the Spanish near the end of the war and held for over a year. After he returned home following the Treaty of Paris he briefly represented

County Longford County Longford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the Local government in the Republic ...

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 the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

between 1765 and 1766. In 1776, he inherited his father's title and seat in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

. In January 1778 he returned to active service during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, serving in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

and

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. He returned home in 1782 having earned around £5,000 in

prize money Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to ...

Personal life

In 1768, Lord Longford married Hon. Catherine Rowley, daughter of Elizabeth Rowley, 1st Viscountess Langford and

Hercules Langford Rowley Hercules Langford Rowley Privy Council of Ireland, PC ( – 25 March 1794) was an Irish politician and landowner. Early life Rowley was born . He was the only son of Frances (née Upton) Rowley and Hercules Rowley, a Member of Parliament for Cou ...

MP. He was the owner of Pakenham Hall Castle in

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

, which he systematically improved during his lifetime. Catherine and Edward had a number of children including: * Hon. Catherine "Kitty" Pakenham (1773–1831), who married the

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

.Pakenham, Eliza. ''Tom, Ned and Kitty: An Intimate Portrait of an Irish Family''. Phoenix, 2008. *

Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford, (14 May 1774 – 28 May 1835), known as The Lord Longford between 1792 and 1794, was an Anglo-Irish hereditary peer. Early life Pakenham was born in 1774, the eldest son of Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron Lon ...

(1774–1835), who married Lady Georgiana Emma Charlotte Lygon, daughter of

William Lygon, 1st Earl Beauchamp William Lygon, 1st Earl of Beauchamp (25 July 1747 – 21 October 1816), known as Lord Beauchamp of Powyke between 1806 and 1815, was a British politician. Early life Lygon was the son of Reginald Lygon (originally Reginald Pyndar), of Madr ...

. * Maj.-Gen. Hon.

Sir Edward Pakenham Major general (United Kingdom), Major-General Sir Edward Michael Pakenham, (19 March 1778 – 8 January 1815), was a British Army officer and politician. He was the son of Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford, the Baron Longford and the brothe ...

(1778–1815), who served as MP for Longford Borough and was killed in action at the Battle of New Orleans. * Lt.-Gen. Hon. Sir Hercules Robert Pakenham (1781–1850), a lieutenant-general of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and was brevet colonel and '' aide-de-camp'' to

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 ...

. Text is available under th
Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
/ref> He married Emily Stapleton, the fourth daughter of Sir Thomas Stapleton, 6th Baronet, 12th Baron le Despencer. * Capt. Hon. William Pakenham (died 1811), a member of the

who drowned in 1811. * Very Rev. Hon. Henry Pakenham (1787–1863), the

Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral The Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral is the senior cleric of the Protestant St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, elected by the chapter of the cathedral. The office was created in 1219 or 1220, by one of several charters granted to the cathedral by ...

who married Eliza Catherine Sandford (died 1867), sister and co-heiress of

Henry Sandford, 2nd Baron Mount Sandford 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 entertainment ...

. * Hon. Elizabeth Pakenham (died 1851), who married Henry Stewart of Trycallen in 1793. * Hon. Helen Pakenham (died 1807), who married James Hamilton (died 1805), eldest son of John Hamilton of Brown Hall, in 1799. * Hon. Caroline Penelope Pakenham (died 1854), who married Henry Hamilton (died 1850), eldest son of Sackville Hamilton, in 1808. Langford died in June 1792, aged 49, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, who in 1794 also succeeded his grandmother in the earldom of Longford.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longford, Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron 1743 births 1792 deaths Irish officers in the Royal Navy Military personnel from County Westmeath People educated at Kilkenny College Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

Heirs apparent who never acceded Irish MPs 1761–1768 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Longford constituencies