William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster

William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster, (19 May 1824 - 30 April 1901) was an English aristocrat, and the grandson of King William IV.

Family

FitzClarence's father, Lord George Augustus FitzClarence, was the 1st Earl of Munster, and an illegitimate son of William IV by his long-time mistress Mrs. Jordan. Therefore Fitzclarence was the great-grandson of King George III. His mother was Mary Wyndham (d. 3 December 1842), the illegitimate daughter of George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont.

Marriage and Issue

FitzClarence was married to his first cousin Wilhelmina Kennedy-Erskine [Her mother, Augusta Fitzclarence, was the sister of his father, George Augustus Fitzclarence.] (27 June 1830 - 9 October 1906) on 17 April 1855. In later life, she became a novelist. They had 9 children;

* Edward, Viscount Fitz-Clarence (29 March 1856-1870)
* Hon. Lionel Frederick Archibald (24 July 1857-24 March 1863)
* Maj. Geoffrey George Gordon, 3rd Earl of Munster (18 July 1859-2 February 1902); died without issue
* Hon. Arthur Falkland Manners (1860-1861)
* Aubrey, 4th Earl of Munster (7 June 1862-1 January 1928); died without issue
* Hon. William George (17 September 1864-4 October 1899)
* Hon. Harold Edward (15 November 1870-28 August 1926); his son was the 5th Earl of Munster
* Lady Lillian Adelaide Katherine Mary (10 December 1873-15 July 1948)
* Lady Dorothea Augusta (5 May 1876-28 January 1942)

Life

He succeeded to the peerage on the suicide of his father, 20 March1842, who shot himself with a pistol presented to him by King George IV when Prince of Wales. For the most part, FitzClarence led a typical Victorian upper-class life of hunting parties and balls. He died, at 23 Palmeira Square, Brighton, at the age of 77, when his cousin Edward VII was on the throne of the United Kingdom. He was buried at Cuckfield, Sussex.

Trivia

As a young boy, his great aunt Victoria, Duchess of Kent, refused to let his mother take him to see her daughter, the future Queen Victoria, because she was afraid of 'something' happening. They were both under fifteen years old!

He was succeeded as Earl by his third son, Geoffrey George Gordon.

Notes

References

*Cokayne, George Edward, "The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant", A. Sutton, Gloucester, 1982, volume IX, pp. 430-1.