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HoratioFitzRoy

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years ago

Francis Horatio FitzRoy, Esquire

OWNER OF FROGMORE PARK, YATELEY

Text and research by Dr Richard Johnston, The Yateley Society, 2002

 

Born 6 Jun 1823 in London, the eldest son of Admiral Lord William FitzRoy and grandson of the 3rd Duke of Grafton, he went to Cheam School and Balliol College, Oxford in 1841, becoming a BA in 1845, before becoming a fellow of All Souls, between 1847 and 1850, where his subject was law. Competition for All Souls fellowships was keen, so he must have been a very clever student. He was a member of a Balliol based literary set, becoming a lifelong friend of, amongst others, the poet Edward Lear.

 

Under College statutes, Horatio had to give up his fellowship when he married Gertrude Duncombe, daughter of Lord Feversham, in 1849. There is no evidence that he was ever professionally employed thereafter. He inherited as the only son of his father in 1857. At first Horatio's seat was Over Worton House, Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, but he also had a house in London.

 

Between 1861 and 1863, he moved to Frogmore Park, where he lived the life of a country gentleman for the remainder of his life. Recruited by his cousin Lord Churchill, commander of Queen's Own the Oxfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry, a volunteer cavalry regiment, he continued as an officer until 1873, achieving the rank of major in 1868, even though he had moved away from Oxfordshire. Like his forebears he enjoyed horses, hunting and the country life. He also liked foreign travel, and was a member of the Travellers Club, members of which had to prove they had travelled 500 miles from London. The nearby proximity of Yateley Common for riding was probably a significant factor in his choice of Frogmore Park as a residence.

 

He had a more serious side, and in addition to his literary and scholastic interests, he supported causes for social improvement. Locally he took a keen interest in Parish affairs. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Hampshire in 1863, soon after his arrival in Yateley, and towards the end of his life was created a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire. He died at Frogmore Park 20 March 1900, and is buried with his wife in Hawley churchyard.

 

Horatio and Gertrude FitzRoy's son was Sir Almeric FitzRoy and their grand-daughter was Yvonne FitzRoy.

 

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