George North, 3rd Earl of Guilford

George Augustus North, 3rd Earl of Guilford, FRS (11 September 1757 – 20 April 1802), known as The Honourable George North until 1790 and as Lord North from 1790 to 1792, was a British politician.

The Earl of Guildford
Member of Parliament for Banbury
In office
1790–1792
Preceded byLord North
Succeeded byFrederick North
Member of Parliament for Petersfield
In office
1790–1790
Serving with William Jolliffe
Preceded byWilliam Jolliffe
The Viscount Downe
Succeeded byWilliam Jolliffe
Marquess of Titchfield
Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett
In office
1784–1790
Preceded byHenry St John
William Strahan
Succeeded byJohn Thomas Stanley
The Viscount Downe
Member of Parliament for Harwich
In office
1778–1784
Serving with John Robinson
Preceded byEdward Harvey
John Robinson
Succeeded byJohn Robinson
Thomas Orde
Personal details
Born
George Augustus North

(1757-09-11)11 September 1757
Died20 April 1802(1802-04-20) (aged 44)
Spouses
Lady Maria Frances Mary Hobart
(m. 1785; died 1794)
Susan Coutts
(m. 1796)
Children3
Parent(s)Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford
Anne Speke

Early life

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Wroxton Abbey.

Guilford was the eldest son of Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (commonly known as Lord North) who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782, and his wife Anne (née Speke), Ranger of Bushy Park from 1771 to 1797. Among his siblings were Francis North (later the 4th Earl), Catherine Anne North (wife of Sylvester Douglas, 1st Baron Glenbervie), Lady Charlotte North (wife of Lt.-Col. John Lindsay, a son of the 5th Earl of Balcarres), Frederick North (later the 5th Earl), and Lady Anne North (wife of John Baker-Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield).[1]

His paternal grandfather was Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford. His mother was the daughter and heiress of George Speke of White Lackington, by his third wife Anne Peer-Williams (a daughter of William Peer-Williams).[1]

North was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, matriculating in 1774, graduating with a nobleman's M.A. in 1777.[2]

Career

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He was elected to the House of Commons for Harwich in 1778, a seat he held until 1784, and then represented Wootton Bassett from 1784 to 1790, Petersfield in 1790 and Banbury from 1790 to 1792.[3]

In the latter year, he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords. He was a supporter of his father's policies during the American War of Independence which came under attack from all sides. He was given the honorary post of Captain of Deal Castle in 1786, which he held until his death. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1782.[4]

Personal life

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Lord Guilford married firstly Lady Maria Frances Mary Hobart, daughter of George Hobart, 3rd Earl of Buckinghamshire, on 24 September 1785. Before her death on 23 April 1794, they were the parents of one child, a daughter:[1]

After Lady Maria's death, North remarried on 28 February 1796 to Susan, daughter of Thomas Coutts, founder of the banking house of Coutts & Co. with his brother, James Coutts, MP for Edinburgh. Together, they were the parents of:[1]

It was while courting his second wife that Guilford sustained a spinal injury in a fall from his horse and died from a lingering illness that resulted in April 1802, aged 44. He was buried at Wroxton in Oxfordshire.[3] On his death his junior title of Baron North fell into abeyance between his daughters while he was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother, Francis.

Guilford's son-in-law, the Marquess of Bute, brought a petition to the House of Lords to resolve the partition of the late Earl's estate between his widow and his daughters. This was finally enacted by William IV in October 1831.[5] The Countess of Guilford died in 1837.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Guilford, Earl of (GB, 1752)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  2. ^ Foster, Joseph. "North, George Augustus" . Alumni Oxonienses  – via Wikisource.
  3. ^ a b "NORTH, George Augustus (1757-1802), of Wroxton Abbey, nr. Banbury, Oxon". www.histparl.ac.uk. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Fellow Details". Royal Society. Retrieved 27 January 2017.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "House of Lords Journal Volume 63: 5 October 1831 Pages 1058-1065 Journal of the House of Lords: Volume 63, 1830-1831". British History Online. HMSO. Retrieved 29 October 2021.

References

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Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Harwich
1778–1784
With: John Robinson
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett
1784–1790
With: Robert Seymour Conway
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Petersfield
1790
With: William Jolliffe
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Banbury
1790–1792
Succeeded by
Court offices
Preceded by Secretary and Comptroller to Queen Charlotte
1780–1784
Succeeded by
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Earl of Guilford
1792–1802
Succeeded by
Peerage of England
Preceded by Baron North
1792–1802
Succeeded by
Abeyant, finally terminated in favour of Susan North, 10th Baroness North in 1841, again abeyant since 1941 after the death of the 13th Baron.