William Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl Of Kerry

William Thomas Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry, was born on 30 March 1811 at Lansdowne House in London. He was the eldest son of Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, the 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, and Lady Louisa Emma Fox-Strangways, daughter of Henry Fox-Strangways, the 2nd Earl of Ilchester. Between 1811 and 1818, he was styled as the Earl of Wycombe.

Kerry was a member of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy and was affiliated with the Whig political party. In 1832, he was elected unopposed as a Member of Parliament for Calne, a borough controlled by his family since the mid-18th century, when his ancestor William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, purchased several large estates including Bowood House—the family residence. The representation for Calne was reduced to a single seat in 1832, and Kerry retained this seat unopposed in the 1835 general election. He served in Parliament until his death in 1836.

In 1834, Kerry married Lady Augusta Lavinia Priscilla Ponsonby, daughter of John Ponsonby, the 4th Earl of Bessborough. They had one daughter, Lady Mary Caroline Louisa, born 25 April 1835. Lady Mary married Sir Percy Egerton Herbert in 1860 and was the mother of George Herbert, the 4th Earl of Powis, as well as two daughters.

William Thomas Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry, died on 21 August 1836 at Lansdowne House in London, at the age of 25. The cause of death was constrictive pericarditis. His widow was reported to be in a distressed state following his death and was unable to leave her bed. She was taken to Dublin for recovery, where it was later discovered that she was pregnant. She returned to Lansdowne House to await childbirth. Reports from April 1837 indicated that she had suffered a late miscarriage or stillbirth, and her health had only recently begun to improve.

Following his death, Kerry was succeeded by his younger brother, Lord Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, who chose to style himself as the Earl of Shelburne, a courtesy title associated with the Marquessate of Lansdowne. Lord Henry was elected representative for Calne in the 1837 general election and held this seat until 1856. He later inherited the marquessate in 1863 upon the death of their father.

Kerry’s widow remarried in 1845 to Hon. Charles Alexander Gore, brother of the 4th Earl of Arran. They had three sons: Sir Francis Charles Gore, a barrister; Spencer Gore, the first Wimbledon tennis champion and father of artist Spencer Gore; and Reverend Charles Gore, a theologian. She died in November 1904 at the age of 90.

Research conducted in 2012 suggested that Catherine, Princess of Wales (Kate Middleton), may be a collateral descendant of William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (1737–1805), who was the grandfather of Lord Kerry. The potential connection is believed to be through Lady Bullock (née Barbara May Lupton), a second cousin thrice removed of the Princess.