Henry William FitzGerald-de Ros, 21st Baron de Ros (12 June 1793 – 28/29 March 1839) was a British nobleman, the son of

Lord Henry FitzGerald Lord Henry FitzGerald PC (Ire) (30 July 1761 – 9 July 1829) was the fourth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster (née Lady Emily Lennox). A younger brother was the revolutionary Lord Edward FitzGerald. Life Fitzgeral ...

and his wife

Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros, 20th Baroness de Ros Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros, 20th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley (24 May 1769 – 9 January 1831), also known as Lady Henry FitzGerald, was an Anglo-Irish ''suo jure'' peeress. Biography She was born Charlotte Boyle-Walsingham in Castlemarty ...

. Fitzgerald-de Ros briefly served as member of parliament for the borough of West Looe from 1816 to 1818. In 1831, upon the death of his mother, he inherited the Barony of de Ros, the oldest surviving barony in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

. He was an excellent

whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History In 1674, '' The Complete Gamester'' described the game Ru ...

player, but was involved in a

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

scandal in 1836. Lord de Ros was accused of cheating at Graham's Club by the trick of '' sauter la coupe'', and by marking the cards with his thumbnail. He sued his accusers for

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

, but lost the case. He died not long after, and was commemorated by

Theodore Hook Theodore Edward Hook (22 September 1788 – 24 August 1841) was an English Intellectual, man of letters and composer and briefly a civil servant in Mauritius. He is best known for his practical jokes, particularly the Berners Street hoax in ...

with the punning

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

, "Here lies the premier baron of England, patiently awaiting the last trump". He died in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, unmarried and without issue. It has been suggested that

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

may have based the character of Sir Mulberry Hawk in his novel ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'', or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'', is the third novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839. The character of Nickleby is a young man who must support his ...

'' to some extent on Lord de Ros, a man-about-town with a reputation for fleecing gullible young men, seducing women and various forms of swindling.

References

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 ...

1793 births 1839 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs who inherited peerages Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Cornwall {{England-UK-MP-stub