Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue

Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue, was born on 13 February 1783 and died on 14 September 1861. He was known as Viscount Ebrington from 1789 until 1841. He was a British Whig politician and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1839 to 1841.

Early Life:

Hugh Fortescue was the eldest son of Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Fortescue, and Hester Grenville. His maternal grandfather was Prime Minister George Grenville. He received education at Eton College and later attended Brasenose College, Oxford.

Political Career:

Fortescue was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Barnstaple shortly after reaching the age of 21. He maintained parliamentary positions through various constituencies until 1839. In that year, he was summoned to the House of Lords via a writ of acceleration, taking his father's junior title, Baron Fortescue.

Initially aligned with the Grenvillite faction of the Whig party that supported the war against Napoleon, he later shifted to the Young Whigs in the early 19th century. The Young Whigs were characterized by their opposition to militarism and support for liberal ideas inspired by the French Revolution, although Fortescue distinguished himself by his religious convictions rooted in Anglicanism and an interest in political economy.

In 1817, Fortescue distanced himself from his Grenville relatives and became a prominent supporter of reform. He condemned the Six Acts of 1819, which restricted civil liberties, calling them "the most alarming attack ever made by Parliament upon the liberties and constitution of the country." Throughout the 1820s, he actively promoted parliamentary reform, including key legislation like the Great Reform Act of 1832. He was instrumental in rallying reformist Whigs, advocating for measures against opposition from the House of Lords, and influencing the push for reform by urging the call for appropriate personnel in government councils.

In 1839, Lord Melbourne appointed him as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, a position he held until 1841. Following his accession to the earldom after his father's death in 1841, he served as Lord Steward under Lord John Russell from 1846 to 1850. He was sworn into the Privy Council in 1839 and was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1856. Additionally, he held the military position of Colonel of the 1st Devon Militia, based in Exeter Castle.

West Buckland School:

In 1858, Hugh Fortescue co-founded the Devon County School (now West Buckland School) with Rev. Joseph Lloyd Brereton. He donated land situated between West and East Buckland, part of his North Devon estate near Filleigh, for the purpose of establishing a school intended to offer high-quality education to local boys, including sons of tenant farmers. The school remains an independent private institution. His marble bust, created in 1861 by Edward Bowring Stephens and depicting him wearing the Garter Star, is displayed in the school's Memorial Hall.

Personal Life:

In 1817, Fortescue married Susan Ryder, daughter of Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby. The couple had three sons: Hugh Fortescue, who became the 3rd Earl Fortescue; Hon. John Fortescue, who served as an MP; and Hon. Dudley Fortescue, also an MP. Susan Ryder died in 1827. In 1841, Fortescue remarried Elizabeth Geale, daughter of Piers Geale and widow of Sir Marcus Somerville, 4th Baronet; she died in May 1896.

He died in September 1861 at the age of 78. His eldest son from his first marriage succeeded him as the 3rd Earl Fortescue.

Portraits and Memorials:

A statue of Hugh Fortescue stands in Exeter Castle Yard. His marble bust is also displayed at West Buckland School. During the fire at Castle Hill in 1934, 49 Fortescue family portraits were destroyed after initially being saved from a previous fire with minor smoke damage. Fortescue’s heraldic arms feature a blue shield with a silver, engrailed bend engrailed, plain cottised with gold. His family motto is "Forte Scutum Salus Ducum," meaning "A Strong Shield is the Salvation of Leaders."