Francis Melfort William Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford DL (born 13 March 1954) is an English

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and landowner, who had a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

from 1986 until the

reform of the House of Lords The reform of the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, has been a topic of discussion in UK politics for more than a century. Multiple governments have attempted reform, beginning with the introduction of th ...

which took effect in 2000. He serves as the

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Staffordshire University The University of Staffordshire is a public research university in Staffordshire, England. It has its main campus in Stoke-on-Trent and four other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield, Shrewsbury, and London. History In 1901, industrialist Alfred ...

and in a number of other roles.

Biography

Stafford belongs to the Roman Catholic

landed gentry The landed gentry, or the gentry (sometimes collectively known as the squirearchy), is a largely historical Irish and British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. It is t ...

family of Fitzherbert, whose most famous member was

Maria Fitzherbert Maria Anne Fitzherbert (''née'' Smythe, previously Weld; 26 July 1756 – 27 March 1837) was a longtime companion of George, Prince of Wales (later King George IV of the United Kingdom). In 1785, they married secretly in a ceremony that was ...

, the first (unrecognised) wife of

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

. He was educated at

Farleigh School Farleigh School is a Catholic preparatory day and boarding school in Andover, Hampshire, England. Situated in of parkland in the Test Valley, Hampshire, it educates around 430 children. The current school comprises a pre-prep department (ages ...

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...

, the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

and the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.OA News
dated 2005 at ampleforth.org.uk Stafford is the eldest son of Basil Fitzherbert, 14th Baron Stafford, by his marriage to Morag Nada Campbell. On his father's death in 1986 he inherited the Barony of Stafford and the Swynnerton Park estate near

Stone, Staffordshire Stone is a market town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England; it is situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of the county town of Stafford, 7 miles (11 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent and 15 miles (24 km) north of Rugeley. As a notable c ...

. He lost his seat in the

under the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

.''Burke's Peerage'', volume 3 (2003), p. 3706 He was a director of Tarmac Industrial Products and has been a non-executive director of the Mid-Staffordshire Mental Health Foundation and a Governor of

Harper Adams University Harper Adams University, founded in 1901 as Harper Adams College, is a public university located close to the village of Edgmond, near Newport, Shropshire, Newport, in Shropshire, England. Established in 1901, the college is a specialist provi ...

since 1990. In 1993, he was

Pro-Chancellor A pro-chancellor is an officer of some universities in Commonwealth countries. The pro-chancellor acts as a deputy to the chancellor and as practical chairman of the university council. In this role, a pro-chancellor may fulfil a number of for ...

Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...

. He was the

High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities as ...

for 2005, making him the first peer to serve as a High Sheriff since 1371: while English peers all sat in the House of Lords they could not also serve the Crown as a High Sheriff. He now serves as the

and has been a Deputy Lieutenant for the same county since 1993.

Marriage and children

Stafford married Katherine Mary Codrington on 28 June 1980. They have two sons and two daughters: *

Hon Hon or HON may refer to: People Given name * Cho Hŏn (1544–1592), Joseon militia leader * Ho Hon (1885–1951), North Korean politician Surname * Han (surname) (Chinese: 韩/韓), also romanized Hon * Louis Hon (1924–2008), French fo ...

Benjamin John Basil Fitzherbert (born 8 November 1983),

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the barony. He married Georgina Hewlett, a granddaughter of Thomas Clyde Hewlett, Baron Hewlett, on 10 December 2011. * Hon Toby Francis Fitzherbert (born 27 March 1985) * Hon Teresa Emily Fitzherbert (born 15 June 1987), married Andrew J. Byrne on 30 May 2015. * Hon Camilla Rose Jane Fitzherbert (born 19 December 1989), engaged in 2018 to Harry M. M. Taylor.Mr H.M.M. Turner and the Hon C.R.J. Fitzherbert
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, Francis Fitzherbert, 15th Baron 1954 births Living people People educated at Farleigh School Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University Alumni of the University of Reading English Roman Catholics 15

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 ...

People associated with Keele University People associated with Harper Adams University People educated at Ampleforth College Deputy lieutenants of Staffordshire High sheriffs of Staffordshire

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...