Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield

Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield, was born on 31 July 1830 and died on 6 January 1901. He was a British peer and served as a Conservative Member of Parliament.

Early Life and Education:

Henry Wyndham was a direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham. He was the eldest surviving son of George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield, and Mary Fanny Blunt. His father was the eldest natural son and adopted heir of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont. The Wyndham family inherited the Egremont estates upon the death of George Wyndham, 4th Earl of Egremont, in 1845. Henry Wyndham received his early education at Eton College and furthered his studies at Christ Church, Oxford. Following university, he joined the 1st Life Guards, a regiment of the British Army, from which he retired holding the rank of captain.

Career:

In 1854, Wyndham was elected to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for West Sussex. He served in this capacity until 1869 when he succeeded his father as the 2nd Baron Leconfield, at which point he moved to the House of Lords. He held positions as a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for Sussex. Additionally, his civic duties included being vice-chairman and an alderman of the Western Division of the Sussex County Council.

Marriage and Family:

In 1867, Henry Wyndham married Lady Constance Primrose, daughter of Archibald Primrose, Lord Dalmeny. Lady Constance was the sister of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The couple had nine children: six sons and three daughters. Their children included Lieutenant Hon. George O'Brien Wyndham (1868–1895), Hon. Mary Caroline Wyndham (1870–1944), who married General Sir Ivor Maxse, Charles Henry Wyndham (1872–1952), who succeeded as the 3rd Baron Leconfield, Hon. Maud Evelyn Wyndham (1874–1963), who married Vincent Wodehouse Yorke and was the mother of novelist Henry Green; Lieutenant Hon. William Reginald Wyndham (1876–1914), who was killed in action during World War I and is buried at Zillebeke Churchyard in Belgium; Hugh Archibald Wyndham (1877–1963), who became the 4th Bacon Leconfield; Hon. Margaret Blanche Wyndham (1879–1965); Edward Scawen Wyndham (1883–1967), who became the 5th Baron Leconfield and was the father of John Wyndham, 6th Baron Leconfield, and 1st Baron Egremont; and Brigadier General Hon. Everard Humphrey Wyndham (1888–1970).

Death:

Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield, died at his residences in Chesterfield Gardens, London, on 6 January 1901, aged 70 years. His eldest surviving son, Charles, succeeded him as the third Baron Leconfield. Lady Leconfield lived until 1939.

References:

Sources include Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition), Leigh Rayment's historical lists, and contributions in Parliament recorded in Hansard.