George Frederick D'Arcy Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham (5 September 1828 – 27 November 1879), styled Viscount Lambton from 1833 to 1840, 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

Lambton was born on 5 September 1828 at Copse Hill,

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

and was baptised at St Mary's Church, Wimbledon on 29 September that year. He was the second (and, later, eldest surviving) son of

John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, (12 April 1792 – 28 July 1840), also known as "Radical Jack" and commonly referred to in Canadian history texts as Lord Durham, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman, colonial ...

, and his second wife Lady Louisa Elizabeth. His mother was a daughter of

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. As prime minister, Grey w ...

. He was known by his third name of D'Arcy, the maiden name of an ancestor whose inheritance included land surrounding what would later become

Lambton Castle Lambton Castle stands above Chester-le-Street, County Durham and is a stately home, the ancestral seat of the Lambton family, the Earl of Durham, Earls of Durham. It is listed in the mid-category of listed building, listed building, Grade II*. ...

. From his father's first marriage to Harriet Cholmondeley (the illegitimate daughter of

George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley George James Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley, ( ; 11 May 1749 – 10 April 1827), styled Viscount Malpas between 1764 and 1770 and known as the Earl of Cholmondeley between 1770 and 1815, was a British peer and politician. Backgrou ...

), his elder half-sister was Lady Frances Charlotte Lambton, who married

John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough John George Brabazon Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough (14 October 1809 – 28 January 1880), styled Viscount Duncannon from 1844 until 1847, was a British cricketer, courtier and Liberal politician. Background Born in London, Ponsonby was th ...

. At age 11, Lambton inherited the earldom of Durham when his father, who served as British Ambassador to Russia and

Governor-General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Ca ...

, died in 1840. His mother died from a severe cold just over a year later. He attended

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, in 1846.

Public life

Lord Durham served as Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham from 1854 to 1879. On 19 July 1877, the Earl of Durham signed a document giving an acre of his land to be used for the construction of a church in the newly formed parish of Fatfield
Fatfield, St George's church, Washington
was completed in 1879 and was built in the Early English Gothic style.

Personal life

On 23 May 1854, Lord Durham married Lady Beatrix Frances Hamilton (1835–1871) at

St George's, Hanover Square St George's, Hanover Square, is an Church of England, Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London ...

. Lady Beatrix was the second daughter of

James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn (21 January 1811 – 31 October 1885), styled Viscount Hamilton from 1814 to 1818 and The Marquess of Abercorn from 1818 to 1868, was a Conservative statesman who twice served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. ...

and Lady Louisa Jane Russell (a daughter of

John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the father ...

. Together, they had thirteen children: * John George Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham (1855–1928), who married Ethel Elizabeth Louisa Milner, a daughter of Henry Beilby William Milner. He had a child out of wedlock with the dancer

Letty Lind Letitia Elizabeth Rudge (21 December 1861 – 27 August 1923), known professionally as Letty Lind, was an English actress, singer, dancer and acrobat, best known for her work in burlesque at the Gaiety Theatre, and in musical theatre at Daly's ...

. * Frederick William Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham (1855–1929) who married Beatrix Bulteel, a daughter of John Bulteel. * Adm. Hon. Sir Hedworth Lambton (later Meux) (1856–1929),

Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

, who married Hon. Mildred Cecilia Harriet, Dowager Viscountess Chelsea, daughter of Henry Sturt, 1st Baron Alington, on 18 April 1910. They had no issue. * Hon. Charles Lambton (1857–1949), who married Lavinia Marion Garforth and had issue. * Lady Beatrix Louisa Lambton (1859–1944), who married

Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke, 11th Earl of Montgomery, (20 February 1853 – 30 March 1913), styled The Honourable Sidney Herbert between 1861 and 1895, was a British politician and peer. Background and education Herbert was born at ...

and had issue. * Hon.

George Lambton George Lambton (23 November 1860 – 23 July 1945) was a British thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse horse trainer, trainer. He was British flat racing Champion Trainer in the 1906, 1911 and 1912 seasons. Early life The Honourable George Lamb ...

(1860–1945), who married Cicely Margaret Horner and had issue. * Lady Katherine Frances Lambton (1862–1952), who married George Osborne, 10th Duke of Leeds and had issue. * Maj.-Gen. Hon. Sir

William Lambton Lieutenant-Colonel William Lambton ( 1753 – 20 or 26 January 1823) was a British soldier, Surveyor (surveying), surveyor, and geographer who began a Triangulation (surveying), triangulation survey in 1800-1802 that was later called the Great ...

(1863–1936), who married (as her second husband) Lady Katherine de Vere Somerset, née Beauclerk, daughter of

William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans William Amelius Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC Deputy Lieutenant, DL (15 April 1840 – 10 May 1898), Courtesy title, styled Earl of Burford until 1849, was a British people, Br ...

on 22 April 1921. They had no issue. * Hon. Claud Lambton (1865–1945), who married Lettice Wormald and had issue. * Captain The Hon. D'Arcy Lambton Royal Navy (1866–1954), married Florence Ethel Sproule and had issue. * Lady Eleanor Lambton (1868–1959), who married

Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood Edgar Algernon Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, (14 September 1864 – 24 November 1958), known as Lord Robert Cecil from 1868 to 1923,As the younger son of a Marquess, Cecil held the courtesy title of "Lord". However, h ...

. * Lady Anne Lambton (1869–1922). * Hon. Francis Lambton (1871–1914), who was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

near Zandvoorde, Belgium, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The Countess of Durham died on 21 January 1871, aged 35, and just three days after the birth of her youngest child. In 1876, Lord Durham had his right eye removed after he was shot by his son, Charles, while on a shooting party. Lord Durham died at 6:05pm on 27 November 1879 at his town house on Hill Street in Mayfair, aged 51, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest twin son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. The Earl and Countess and some of their children are buried in St Barnabas' Church, Bournmoor, which the Earl had built at his own expense when the parish was created in 1867.

References

External links

George Frederick D'Arcy Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, George Lambton, 2nd Earl Of 1828 births 1879 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham Lord-lieutenants of Durham