Henry William John Byng, 4th Earl of Strafford (21 August 1831 – 16 May 1899) 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 ...

and

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

Biography

Byng was the second son of

George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford George Stevens Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford, PC (8 June 1806 – 29 October 1886), styled Viscount Enfield between 1847 and 1860, of Wrotham Park in Middlesex (now Hertfordshire) and of 5 St James's Square, London, was a British peer and Whig p ...

and his first wife, Agnes. From 1840 he was a

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The only ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and in 1847 was commissioned 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 ...

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. In 1854, he was promoted to

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 ...

, by purchase, then later the same year was appointed an

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

and in 1865 a supernumerary

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He retired as a lieutenant-colonel. On 15 June 1878 he took over from his elder brother as Honorary Colonel of the Edmonton Royal Rifle Regiment, a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

regiment that had also been commanded by their father. In 1872, Byng was made a

Groom-in-Waiting The office of Groom in Waiting (sometimes hyphenated as Groom-in-Waiting) was a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, which in earlier times was usually held by more than one person at a time – in the late Middle Ages there might be d ...

and then an

Equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

two years later. In 1895, he was appointed a CB and knighted KCVO in 1897. On 28 March 1898, his elder brother

George Byng, 3rd Earl of Strafford George Henry Charles Byng, 3rd Earl of Strafford (22 February 1830 – 28 March 1898), styled Viscount Enfield between 1860 and 1886, was a Liberal Party (UK), British Liberal politician. Background and education Byng was the eldest son of Geo ...

, died and he succeeded to his peerages and estates and his seat in the House of Lords. Barely a year later, on 16 May 1899, Strafford was killed by an express train at

Potters Bar railway station Potters Bar railway station serves the town of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, England. It is located on the Great Northern route, north of London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line. The station is managed and served by Great Northern, ...

. Witnesses said he appeared to step in front of the approaching engine from the bottom of the slope at the end of the platform. His body was carried fifty yards down the track. A coroner's court was later told he had the nervous condition of

catalepsy Catalepsy (from Ancient Greek , , "seizing, grasping") is a neurological condition characterized by muscular rigidity and fixity of posture regardless of external stimuli, as well as decreased sensitivity to pain. Signs and symptoms Sympt ...

. The inquest jury – after considering several verdicts including suicide – returned a finding of

death by misadventure In the United Kingdom, death by misadventure is the recorded manner of death for an accidental death caused by a risk taken voluntarily. Misadventure in English law, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is ...

. As his sons predeceased him his peerages passed to his brother,

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 ...

Family

On 15 October 1863, Strafford married Countess Henrietta Louisa Elizabeth

Danneskiold-Samsøe The House of Danneskiold-Samsøe is a Denmark, Danish family of Danish nobility, high nobility who formerly held the island of Samsø as a fief. They represent an illegitimate branch of the House of Oldenburg, which means that they share ancestry ...

(a maternal granddaughter of the 1st Marquess of Ailesbury) and they had four children: * Lady Mary Elizabeth Agnes Byng (1864-1946), married

Count Maurice de Mauny Talvande Maurice Talvande (1866–1941), self-styled as the Count de Mauny Talvande, was a French-born naturalised British garden designer, writer, and furniture maker. He is best known as the owner of Taprobane Island (Weligama), Taprobane Island in Ceyl ...

* Lady Amy Frederica Alice Byng (1865–1961), married Sidney James Agar, 4th Earl of Normanton * Hon. George Albert Edward Alexander Byng (1867–1893) * Hon. John George Thomas Wentworth Byng (1870–1894) His first wife died in 1880. On 6 December 1898, Strafford married American Cora Smith Colgate. Smith Colgate, a native of New Orleans, was the widow of Samuel James Colgate (1845–1893) – the grandson of industrialist

William Colgate William Colgate (January 25, 1783 – March 25, 1857) was an English-American industrialist who in 1806 founded what became the Colgate-Palmolive company. Early life William Colgate was born in Hollingbourne, Kent, England, on January 25, 1783, ...

– who left her his entire estate, with an estimated value of $8 to 10 million (). Byng died only five months later. Strafford was buried in a family vault in the churchyard of St John's, Potter's Bar, with his first wife. In 1935, after the church had become disused and prone to vandalism, the bodies were exhumed and moved to a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

at the nearby family estate of

Wrotham Park Wrotham Park (pronounced , ) is a neo-Palladian English country house in the parish of South Mimms, Hertfordshire. It lies south of the town of Potters Bar, from Hyde Park Corner in central London. The house was designed by Isaac Ware in 1754 ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strafford, Henry Byng, 4th Earl of Companions of the Order of the Bath Deaths by decapitation Coldstream Guards officers Middlesex Militia officers Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order 1831 births 1899 deaths Railway accident deaths in England Accidental deaths in England

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 ...