Henry Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl Of Ilchester

Henry Thomas Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester, was born on 10 August 1747 and died on 5 September 1802. He was known as Lord Stavordale from 1756 until 1776. He was a British peer and served as a Member of Parliament during his lifetime.

Early Life and Education:

Ilchester was the eldest son of Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester, and Elizabeth Horner. His paternal uncle was Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland. He received education at Eton College from 1760 to 1764 and subsequently attended Christ Church, Oxford, starting in 1765.

Career:

In 1768, Ilchester was elected to the House of Commons representing Midhurst in Sussex alongside his cousin Charles James Fox. He held this seat until 1774. Following the death of his father in 1776, he succeeded to the peerage as the 2nd Earl of Ilchester and took his seat in the House of Lords.

In 1770, he purchased an army commission and was appointed a captain in the 24th Regiment of Foot; however, he resigned his commission in 1775 when the regiment was dispatched to America.

The household and family life of Ilchester are documented in the diaries and correspondence of Agnes Porter, a Scottish-born governess who cared for his daughters from 1784 to 1797. The family's previous governess was Jane Gardiner, a friend of Mary Wollstonecraft.

Marriages and Children:

He married twice. His first marriage was in 1772 to Mary Theresa O'Grady, daughter of Standish O'Grady. They had two sons and six daughters. Notable children include:

- Lady Mary Lucy Fox-Strangways, who married Captain Sir Christopher Cole.

- Lady Charlotte Anne Fox-Strangways, who married Sir Charles Lemon, 2nd Baronet.

- Lady Elizabeth Theresa Fox-Strangways, married William Davenport Talbot of Lacock Abbey.

- Lady Harriot Fox-Strangways.

- Lady Louisa Emma Fox-Strangways, who married Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne.

- Henry Stephen Fox-Strangways, who became the 3rd Earl of Ilchester.

In 1794, Ilchester married Maria Digby, daughter of William Digby, Dean of Worcester and Durham, and a relative of Charles James Fox. They had three sons:

- William Thomas Horner Fox-Strangways, who became the 4th Earl of Ilchester.

- Hon Giles Digby Robert Fox-Strangways.

- Hon John George Charles Fox-Strangways, father of Henry Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester.

A mural monument to Ilchester is located in the Ilchester Chapel of All Saints Church, Farley, Wiltshire.

Death and Succession:

Henry Fox-Strangways died in September 1802 at the age of 55. He was succeeded by his son from his first marriage, Henry Fox-Strangways, who became the 3rd Earl of Ilchester.

Arms:

The family's heraldic arms are described as quarterly of four: the first and fourth quarters show Sable, two lions passant paly of six argent and gules (Fox-Strangways); the second and third show Ermine, on a chevron azure three foxes' heads and necks erased or, with a canton of the second bearing a fleur-de-lys of the third. A funerary hatchment at Farley displays his quartered arms impaled with O'Grady and Digby arms, including elements of FitzGerald.

References:

Further details about his life and genealogy are available in sources such as Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition).