Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Francis William Henry Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland CB, DL (19 November 18253 August 1891), styled Lord Burghersh between 1851 and 1859, was a British Army Officer and racehorse owner.

Background and education

Fane was the fourth but eldest surviving son of

John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland John Fane, 11th Earl of Westmorland (3 February 178416 October 1859), styled Lord Burghersh until 1841, was a British soldier, politician, diplomat, composer and musician. Background Styled Lord Burghersh from birth, he was born at Sackville St ...

, by Lady Priscilla Anne Pole-Wellesley, daughter of

William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington, (20 May 1763 – 22 February 1845), known as Lord Maryborough between 1821 and 1842, was an Anglo-Irish politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington. His surname changed twice: he was ...

. He was educated at

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''Obituary'' 4 August 1891

Military career

Lord Burghersh entered the army in 1843. He campaigned in the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 around the Firozpur district of Punjab. It resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu ...

and the

Battle of Gujrat The Battle of Gujrat was a decisive battle in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, fought on 21 February 1849, between the forces of the East India Company, and a Sikh army in rebellion against the company's control of the Sikh Empire, represented by ...

during the second war. He also participated in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, being awarded the Medjidie and the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 30 April 1857, and appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) on 10 July 1855. On 1 August 1848, he was promoted captain and made aide-de-camp to

Viscount Hardinge Viscount Hardinge, of Lahore and of Kings Newton in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1846 for the soldier and Tory politician Sir Henry Hardinge. His son, the second Viscount, represented ...

, the governor-general of India. He served under

Lord Gough Field Marshal Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, (3 November 1779 – 2 March 1869) was a senior British Army officer. After serving as a junior officer at the seizure of the Cape of Good Hope during the French Revolutionary Wars, Gough commanded ...

in the following winter, received a medal for bravery at the

on 21 February 1849, and obtained his majority on 7 June 1849. At the conclusion of the Sikh war, he returned to England and exchanged into the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

. On the outbreak of the

, he went out as aide-de-camp to Lord Raglan (his uncle by marriage). He served with distinction at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septe ...

(20 September 1854), bringing home Raglan's despatches. He was appointed brevet lieutenant-colonel on the day of the battle, and lieutenant-colonel on the 12 December following. Subsequently, he was present at Raglan's death on 28 June 1855. He received the

Crimea Medal The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–1856 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of ...

and the fifth-class Order of Medjidié on 2 March 1858, and in 1856 became aide-de-camp to the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge is a hereditary title of nobility in the British royal family, one of several royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom. The title is named after the city of Cambridge in England. It is heritable by agnatic, male descendants by pr ...

. Following the death of his three brothers, he became heir to the earldom of Westmorland. In 1859 he succeeded his father and, the following year, retired from the army ranked as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Horse racing

From this time he became a member of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom ...

and a racehorse owner, colours green with white braid. His horses never won any of the

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and he was known to place heavy stakes. In 1866 he sold the family portraits by

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

, '' Mr Fane'' and '' Lord Burghersh.''

''Sale Of The Vaile And Other Pictures'' 25 May 1903 Eventually, his finances forced him to sell his horses and, instead, he managed Lord Hartington's stable. He died at 34 Brook Street on 3 August 1891, and was buried at Apethorpe, Northamptonshire.

Family

Lord Westmorland married Lady Adelaide Curzon-Howe, daughter of

Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, (11 December 1796 – 12 May 1870), was a British peer and courtier. Background He was the third but eldest surviving son of the Hon. Penn Assheton Curzon (the eldest son of Assheton Curzon, 1 ...

, on 16 July 1857. The Countess of Westmorland died in March 1903. They had four children: *George Neville John Fane, Lord Burghersh (3 September 1858 – 31 July 1860) *

Anthony Fane, 13th Earl of Westmorland Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Mildmay Julian Fane, 13th Earl of Westmorland, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Justice of the Peace, JP (16 August 1859 – 9 June 1922), styled Lord Burghersh between October 1859 and 1891, was a British peer. Back ...

(16 August 1859 – 9 June 1922) he married Lady Sybil St Clair-Erskine on 28 May 1892. They have four children. He married Catherine Louise Geale on 22 April 1916. *Lady Grace Adelaide Fane (3 October 1860 – 13 June 1933) she married William Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough on 11 August 1887. They have three children, two granddaughters, five great-grandchildren and two great-great-granddaughters: **Lady Irene Francis Adza Denison, GBE (4 July 1890 – 16 July 1956) she married

Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke (born Prince Alexander Albert of Battenberg; 23 November 1886 – 23 February 1960) was a British Royal Navy officer, a member of the Hesse, Hessian princely Battenberg family and the la ...

on 19 July 1917. They have one daughter Iris and one grandson. **George Francis William Henry Denison, 3rd Earl of Londesborough (17 July 1892 – 12 September 1920) **Hugo William Cecil Denison, 4th Earl of Londesborough (13 November 1894 – 17 April 1937) he married Marigold Lubbock on 4 September 1935. They have one daughter, two grandsons and two great-granddaughters: ***Lady Zinnia Rosemary Denison (25 November 1937 – 13 July 1997) she married Peter Comins on 8 May 1957; they were divorced in 1961. They have one son. She married, secondly, John Leslie-Melville on 14 July 1961 and they were divorced in 1964. She married, thirdly, Major Hugh Cantlie on 26 June 1964 and they were divorced in 1967. They have one son. She married, fourthly, Ralph Pollock on 1 February 1968. She married, fifthly, James Judd in 1982. ****Timothy Hugo Comins (19 December 1958) he married Jeanie Anne Walford in 1993. They have two daughters: *****Arabella Zara Comins (1994) *****Lucy Caroline Comins (1995) ****Charles Edgar Cantlie (27 February 1965) *Lady Margaret Mary Fane ( 30 Sep 1870 - 22 November 1949) she married Captain John Edmund Philip Spicer on 2 October 1888. He was succeeded by his second but only surviving son,

Anthony Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the '' Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descenda ...

, who was forced to sell the family seat,

Apethorpe Hall Apethorpe Palace (pronounced ''App-thorp''), formerly known as "Apethorpe Hall", is a Grade I listed country house, dating to the 15th century, close to Apethorpe, Northamptonshire. It was a "favourite royal residence" for James I. After res ...

in 1904. The house had been in the family for 300 years.

References

;Attribution

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Westmorland, Francis Fane, 12th Earl of 1825 births 1891 deaths 19th-century English nobility Companions of the Order of the Bath People educated at Westminster School, London Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

Earls of Westmorland Barons Burghersh Coldstream Guards officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie British recipients of the Legion of Honour British military personnel of the First Anglo-Sikh War