FitzMaurice Earls of Orkney

 

 

Of the many men who have had the title "Earl of Orkney", a large majority were Norse.205 The English Earls and Countesses (the equivalent feminine title) are listed below in the sequence of their successions.218 A few were named FITZMAURICE.
1st Earl Lord George Hamilton (1666—1737), 5th son of Lord William Douglas (Duke of Hamilton for life) and Anne (Duchess of Hamilton). George was created Lord Dechmont, Viscount Kirkwall, and Earl of Orkney (peerage of Scotland) in 1696. He was a Field-Marshall in the English Army, Gov. of Edinburgh Castle, Lord-Lieut. of Lanarkshire, Gov. of Virginia, and a Representative Peer. As a soldier, he fought in Ireland and in the Netherlands.61 "Except by his title, George (1st Earl) had no association with the islands, and none of his descendants has established any relationship with them."58 He was succeeded by his daughter, Anne.
1st Countess Anne, wife of William, 4th Earl of Inchiquin. Anne died in 1756 and was succeeded by her daughter, Mary.
2nd Countess Mary, wife of Murrough, 1st Marquess of Thomond. Mary died in 1790 and was succeeded by her daughter, who was also named Mary.
3rd Countess In 1777, Mary (1755—1831), married Hon. Thomas Fitzmaurice (1742—28 Oct 1793), 2nd son of John, Earl of Shelburne, and brother of 1st Marquess of Lansdowne. Mary was succeeded by her grandson, Thomas John Hamilton FITZMAURICE.
5th Earl

Thomas John Hamilton FITZMAURICE
(8 Aug 1803—16 May 1877),
a Representative Peer.

In 1826, Thomas married the Hon. Charlotte Isabella (d. 1883), daughter of 3rd Baron Boston. Thomas was succeeded by his son, George.

The tomb of the 5th Earl is situated within the ruins of the old Latteragh church219 in northern Tipperary between Templederry and Toomeyvara. In 1996, the tomb was observed to be neglected and was slowly sinking into the ground. The plaque was smashed.

It is reported219 that the 5th Earl owned several large estates but preferred to reside at "Glenmore".  At the time of his death, he resided in Templederry.  The total area of his estates was 7,877 acres.

The 5th Earl apparently resided in Ireland during the genocide of the 1840s.  In 1849, he obtained a number of ejectment decrees against tenants.  I shall continue to look for additional records of his misbehavior during that period.
6th Earl George William Hamilton (1827 — 21 Oct 1889), a Representative Peer. In 1872, George married Amelia, widow of the Baron de Samuel, a peer of Portugal. George was succeeded by his nephew, Edmond Walter Fitzmaurice,
7th Earl Edmond Walter Fitzmaurice (24 May 1867 — 21 Aug 1951), son of Hon. Henry Warrander Fitzmaurice, 2nd son of 5th Earl. Edmond was Lt.-Col. 3rd Batn. Oxfordshire L. I. In 1892, Edmond married Constance Macdonald (d. 1946), daughter of David Gilchrist. Edmond was succeeded by his kinsman, Cecil O'Bryen Fitz-Maurice
8th Earl

Cecil O'Bryen Fitz-Maurice
(3 Jul 1919—5 Feb 1998),
Earl of Orkney; also Viscount Kirkwall and Lord Dechmont. Late driver R.A.S.C. European War 1939-45. Korea 1950-51.

Cecil (8th Earl) is the younger son of Douglas Frederick Harold Fitz-Maurice, son of Major Douglas Commerell Menzies Fitz-Maurice, el. son of the late Com. the Hon. Frederick O'Bryen Fitz-Maurice, R.N., 3rd son of the 5th Earl.218

On 27 Nov 1953, Cecil (8th Earl of Orkney) married Rose Katherine Durk, daughter of the late Joseph William Durk Silley, of Brixam, S. Devon.
9th Earl Oliver Peter St. John (b. 1938)

The heir apparent is
Oliver Robert St. John, Viscount Kirkwall
(b. 1969).

 

The clipping below came from the New Haven [CT] Daily Register. It was sent to me by Daniel J. Fitzmaurice.

8th Earl of Orkney

The caption, which may be illegible on some monitors, says:

"Cecil Fitz-Maurice, the new Earl of Orkney, gives the "thumbs-up" sign as he sits in the cab of his British Army lorry on the Korean western front where he is serving as a private. Fitz-Maurice, 31, became the eighth Earl of Orkney when a distant relative, the 84-year old Earl of Orkney, died recently. He inherits money and a castle at Buckinghamshire. (AP)"

At the time that the photo above was distributed to newspapers by the Associated Press, Arthur Earl Tipple (then employed by the AP) mentioned it to my sister Veronica. Veronica then showed me the photo in a Chicago newspaper. My memory of the photo in the Chicago newspaper is that it showed two soldiers in an open jeep whereas the photo above shows one soldier in a lorry. Perhaps the AP distributed two photos and left the choice to each newspaper. When I next visit Chicago, I shall try to find time for a search for the photo and story in a Chicago newspaper.

 

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