Lieutenant colonel John Stuart Bligh, 6th Earl of Darnley DL (16 April 1827 – 14 December 1896), styled Lord Clifton from 1831 to 1835,

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

of the

Manor of Cobham, Kent Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

, was a British peer.

Early life

He was the eldest son of

Edward Bligh, 5th Earl of Darnley Edward Bligh, 5th Earl of Darnley, FRS (25 February 1795 – 12 February 1835), styled Lord Clifton until 1831, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British peer and politician. Background Darnley was the second but eldest surviving son ...

and the former Hon. Emma Jane Parnell (a daughter of

Henry Parnell, 1st Baron Congleton Henry Brooke Parnell, 1st Baron Congleton PC (3 July 1776 – 8 June 1842), known as Sir Henry Parnell, Bt, from 1812 to 1841, was an Irish writer and Whig politician. He was a member of the Whig administrations headed by Lord Grey and Lord ...

). Among his siblings were the Rev.

Edward Vesey Bligh The Reverend Honourable Edward Vesey Bligh JP DL (28 February 1829 – 22 April 1908) was an English cricketer, diplomat and clergyman. A descendant of the Darnley Earldom in Kent, he, along with many other members of his family, acted as a pa ...

, Lady Elizabeth Caroline Bligh (wife of Sir Reginald Cust), Lady Emma Bess Bligh (wife of

Arthur Purey-Cust Arthur Perceval Purey-Cust (born Arthur Perceval Cust; 21 February 1828 – 23 December 1916) was a Church of England priest, cleric and author who served as Dean of York from 1880 to 1916. Biography He was born as Arthur Perceval Cust, the ...

), the Rev.

Henry Bligh Reverend Henry Bligh (10 June 1834 – 4 March 1905) was an English clergyman and cricketer. He played eight first-class cricket matches between 1853 and 1860, five for Kent County Cricket Club, two for the Gentlemen of Kent and one for Marylebo ...

(vicar of

St James' Church, Hampton Hill St James's Church is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in Hampton Hill, London. History The first church building was opened in 1863 to designs by the architect William Wigginton. It was later enlarged, with work start ...

). Darnley matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

on 15 May 1845 and received his B.A. in 1848 and his M.A. in 1869.

Cricket career

An amateur

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er, Bligh made a single appearance in

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

for the

Gentlemen of Kent Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class cricket, first-class county cricket, county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent. ...

against the

Gentlemen of England Cricket, and hence English amateur cricket, probably began in England during the medieval period but the earliest known reference concerns the game being played c.1550 by children on a plot of land at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Surre ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

in 1848. Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed without scoring in the Gentlemen of Kent first innings by Jones Nash, while in their second innings he was dismissed for 2 runs by

Harvey Fellows Harvey Winson Fellows (11 April 1826 in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire – 13 January 1907 in Rickmansworth) was an English amateur cricketer. He was the brother of Walter Fellows. Career Fellows was a right-handed batsman and a roundarm right ...

Career

Bligh succeeded his father in the earldom in 1835. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

on 3 September 1847. On 24 July 1848, he was commissioned captain of the Cobham Troop of the West Kent Yeomanry. He was promoted to major on 18 April 1859, and to lieutenant-colonel on 28 April 1863. He retired from the Yeomanry on 9 September 1874, retaining his rank.

Personal life

On 31 August 1850, Darnley married Lady Harriet Mary Pelham, the daughter of

Henry Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester Henry Thomas Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester DL (25 August 1804 – 15 March 1886), styled Lord Pelham until 1826, was an English peer. Background and education Pelham was born on Stratton Street, Piccadilly, the son of Thomas Pelham, 2nd E ...

, and the former Lady Mary Brudenell (daughter of

Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

). Together, they had eight children: *

Edward Bligh, 7th Earl of Darnley Edward Henry Stuart Bligh, 7th Earl of Darnley (21 August 1851 – 31 October 1900), styled Lord Clifton until 1896, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was an English landowner and aristocrat who played first-class cricket for Kent and for oth ...

(1851–1900), who married Jemima Adeline Beatrice Blackwood, daughter of Francis J. L. Blackwood. * Lady Edith Louisa Mary Bligh (1853–1904), who married George Burvill Rashleigh in 1882. * Lady Kathleen Susan Emma Bligh (1854–1928), who married William Vesey Brownlow. *

Ivo Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley Ivo Francis Walter Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley (13 March 1859 – 10 April 1927), styled The Honourable Ivo Bligh until 1900, lord of the manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British nobleman, parliamentarian and cricketer. Bligh captained the Engl ...

(1859–1927), who married Florence Rose Morphy, daughter of John Stephen Morphy, of

Beechworth, Victoria Beechworth is a town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,290. Beechworth's many historical buildings are well pr ...

. * Lady Alice Isabella Harriet Bligh (1860–1943), who died unmarried. * Hon. Arthur Frederick Pelham Bligh (1865–1924), who died unmarried. * Lady Mary Rose Florence Bligh (1868–1896), who died unmarried. * Lady Constance Violet Lucy Bligh (b. 1869), who married William Shakespear Childe-Pemberton in 1894. Lord Darnley died on 14 December 1896 and was succeeded by his eldest son,

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darnley, John Bligh, 6th Earl of 1827 births 1896 deaths John 06 Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Deputy lieutenants of Kent John 06 English cricketers Gentlemen of Kent cricketers Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry officers Barons Clifton