William Howard, Viscount Andover (23 December 1714 – 15 July 1756), of Elford Hall, Staffordshire, was a British

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

politician from the

Howard family The Howard family is an English noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has of ...

who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1737 to 1747. He was the eldest son and heir of the Henry Bowes Howard, 11th Earl of Suffolk but was killed in an accident the year before his father's death; his own son succeeded as the 12th Earl.

Early life

Howard was the eldest surviving son of Henry Howard, 11th Earl of Suffolk and 4th Earl of Berkshire and his wife, Catherine Graham, daughter of Col. James Grahme and Dorothy Howard, granddaughter of

Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire (8 October 1587 – 16 July 1669) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1605 and 1622. He was created Earl of Berkshire in 1626. Life Howard was born in Saffron Walden, Essex, ...

. From 1725 to 1728, he was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

Career

Andover was returned unopposed as a

Member of Parliament for

Castle Rising Castle Rising is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Castle Rising is located along the course of the River Babingley, separating the village from the lost village of Babingley. The village is located north-east ...

at a by-election on 16 April 1737. He voted against the Government on the Spanish convention in 1739 and on the Place Bill of 1740. In February 1741, he was one of the Tories who withdrew on the motion for Prime Minister

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...

's dismissal. He was returned unopposed at the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

but did not stand in

1747 Events January–March * January 31 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. * February 11 – King George's War: A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Captain Nicolas Antoine II ...

Marriage and issue

Lord Andover married Lady Mary Finch, daughter of Heneage Finch, 2nd Earl of Aylesford on 6 November 1736. They resided at Elford Hall, Staffordshire, and had four children: *

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 ...

(16 May 1739 – 7 March 1779), who in 1757 succeeded his grandfather in the earldoms *Hon. Catherine (born 6 July 1741 – 1826), died unmarried *Hon. Elizabeth Mary (buried 12 June 1742), died in infancy *Hon. Elizabeth (14 May 1744 – ), died in infancy *Hon. Frances (27 February 1747 – 16 September 1818), married 1783 Richard Bagot (later Howard), son of Sir Walter Bagot, 5th Baronet.

Death and legacy

Andover was killed in an accident on 15 July 1756. He was returning to

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

through Fisherwick Park when his young horses were frightened; he was thrown from the

chaise A chaise ( ), sometimes called shay, is a light two-wheeled carriage for one or two people. It may also have a folding hood. The coachmaker William Felton (1796) considered ''chaises'' a family of vehicles which included all two-wheel one-hor ...

carriage and landed on his head, dying instantly. He was buried at Elford. His father died the following March and was succeeded by Andover's only son, Henry, as the 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire. Henry died in March 1779; his posthumous son, the 13th Earl, lived only two days. His estates at Elford,

, and

Ashtead Ashtead is a village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, approximately south of central London. Ashtead is on the single-carriageway A24 road (Great Britain), A24 between Epsom and Leatherhead. The village is on the northern sl ...

were eventually inherited by his only surviving child, Hon. Frances Howard. In 1783, she married Richard Bagot, fifth son of Sir Walter Bagot, 5th Baronet and brother of Lord Bagot. Richard took the name Howard upon his marriage. They had two sons who died in infancy and one daughter, Mary (9 May 1785 – 10 October 1877), who in 1807 married Col. Hon. Fulke Greville Upton, who also took the name Howard. Mary and Fulke Greville Howard had no children and after her death in 1877 aged 92, the estates were therefore dispersed among Howard and Bagot relatives. Elford Park was left to her great-nephew Howard Francis Paget (son of Francis Edward Paget and grandson of Sir

Edward Paget General Sir Edward Paget (3 November 1775 – 13 May 1849) was a British Army officer. Career Born the fourth son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, Edward Paget became a cornet in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards in 1792. He was Member ...

and Louisa Frances Bagot) and Castle Rising to Hon. Greville Theophilus Howard, younger son of the 17th Earl of Suffolk. Ashtead Park was sold by the Bagot family in 1880, along with its entire contents, including paintings by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

, Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

, Sir

Peter Lely Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618 – 30 November 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. He became a naturalised British subject and was kn ...

, Sir

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723) was a German-born British painter. The leading Portrait painting, portraitist in England during the late Stuart period, Stuart and early Georgian eras ...

, and

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 – March 15, 1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the ...

References

1714 births 1756 deaths

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

British courtesy viscounts People educated at Eton College Accidental deaths in England Heirs apparent who never acceded Tory MPs (pre-1834) British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub