William George Howard, 8th Earl Of Carlisle

Rev. William George Howard, 8th Earl of Carlisle, was born on 23 February 1808 in London. He was a member of the Howard family, an English peerage family, and also served as an Anglican clergyman.

He was the third son of George Howard, the 6th Earl of Carlisle, and Lady Georgiana Cavendish. His mother was the daughter of William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire, and Lady Georgiana Spencer, the eldest daughter of John Spencer, the 1st Earl Spencer.

For his education, William Howard attended Eton College and subsequently studied at Christ Church, Oxford.

In terms of his ecclesiastical career, Howard was appointed Rector of Londesborough, a position he held from 1832. The living of Londesborough was within the gift of the Earl of Londesborough. He served as rector for over four decades, until 1877. Starting in 1866, Howard's duties as rector were performed by his replacement, due to his declining health and mental incapacity.

Howard inherited the title of Earl of Carlisle on 5 December 1864, following the death of his elder brother, George Howard, the 7th Earl of Carlisle. His brother did not marry, thus the title passed to William. Upon Howard's death on 29 March 1889, the earldom was inherited by his nephew, George Howard, who became the 9th Earl of Carlisle.

External references include contributions made by the Earl of Carlisle to the Hansard archives between 1803 and 2005.